Chicago Cubs: Examining the importance of the 2018 MLB Draft

Triston Casas, 1B/3B, American Heritage H.S.

Casas has been the most predicted name linked to the Cubs at No.24 overall. A mountain of a kid, Casas stands at 6’4″, 238 pounds. His swing ranks in the upper 93rd-percentile of max barrel speed, the 96th-percentile of impact momentum, and the 90th-percentile of max acceleration, according to Perfect Game.

When you watch Casas, there is a level of fluidity to his game, despite the fact that he is only still in high school. The reaction time is quick, leading to a smooth transition of the ball from the glove. Regarding hitting, his swing looks effortless. Casas shows an ability to drive the ball to all parts of the park, with an excelled quickness to his swing, giving it a smooth edge.

Behind Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, the Cubs do lack positional depth at first and third, respectively. It is why making Triston Casas the selection would not be a significant surprise. When it comes to the big first basemen out of Florida, he could very well be a particularly strong selection.

Cole Wilcox, RHP, Heritage H.S.

Wilcox is a big, lanky right-handed pitcher out of Ringgold, GA. Standing at 6’5″, 220 pounds, Wilcox possesses a strong fastball, reaching as high as 97 mph. It placed him in the 99th-percentile, according to Perfect Game. He does too command a slider which has reached between 82-84 mph, and a changeup that sits in the mid-80s.

Wilcox has a fluid delivery, using the lower half of his body to generate high velocity. Because of this, the result looks effortless.

Baseball America currently has him ranked No.30 on their Top-200 overall draft prospect list. There are rumblings the Cubs could look to target him in June, giving them another big, hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who could eventually be a staple in the rotation.