Chicago Cubs: Examining the importance of the 2018 MLB Draft

The Major League Baseball Amateur player draft is four months away. For the Chicago Cubs, the stakes have never been higher.

The Chicago Cubs are in a unique position as we careen ever closer to the start of the 2018 MLB season.

First, the team is coming off its third straight NLCS appearance, which is very impressive in its right. In recent memory, the only team to make three consecutive NLCS appearances is, ironically, division rival St. Louis. Second, the young core of the team, led by Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, is one of the best in all of baseball which is terrific.

Having a team makeup like the Cubs does give the team the opportunity to seriously compete year in and year out over the next several years. That being said, while there are still some solid prospects in the system, most of them have already made it to the show. It is where the MLB Draft comes into focus, and why this year especially is an important one for the Cubs.

Different from football, draft prospects are even less of a sure thing in professional baseball, as we were just made witness to with former No.1 overall pick Mark Appel and his decision to step away from the game. As we move towards June its time to start considering what the Cubs will do to continue the grind toward solidifying the teams future.

A Brief History

In years previous the Cubs have made some excellent first round selections. In 2011, it was star shortstop, now second baseman, Javier Baez. The following year the Cubs made Albert Almora the No.6 overall pick. In 2013, the Cubs were truly blessed with one half of the face of the franchise, Kris Bryant. The Astros undoubtedly missed on him.

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There has been some significant draft picks who have helped to make an impact on this team. The Cubs will hopefully find more talent this year to continuing to bolster the franchise.

Present vs. Future

The current Chicago Cubs team is pretty darn good. Generally speaking, if you’re a Cubs fan, you’re a happy camper. The roster is filled with young talent who excel beyond expectation at their respective positions.

At present, the Cubs boast one of the best lineups in all of baseball. Sooner or later, however, the prospect of the next future will come knocking.

Currently, most spots within the depth chart are fairly solidified. The outfield is by far the deepest position with the likes of Albert Almora, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward, among others. The lack of depth is apparent at both 1B and 3B, which is where the draft could come in big. As we know, the middle of the diamond is solidified, and probably will be for awhile.

Given these points, there are some prospects the Cubs could target in June.

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.

Luken Baker, 1B, TCU

Made a 37th-round selection in 2015 by the Houston Astros, Baker instead decided to attend TCU as a two-way prospect. Ultimately he chose to focus his attention as a position player, however.

Baker is a massive guy. He stands at 6’4″, 240 pounds. When you first look at him, he gives off a vibe similar to a right-handed hitting Anthony Rizzo.

Baseball America ranks him at No.16 on their College Top-50 MLB Draft prospect list. He previously passed on a $1 million signing bonus so that he could attend school.

Last season, Baker hit .317 and slugged .528 for TCU before an arm injury cut his season short. Named Big-12 Player of the Year, according to Baseball America, Baker shows off an astounding amount of power, once referred to as “light tower power,” and patience at the plate.