Chicago Cubs: Zack Short bringing pizzazz to Iowa

Chicago Cubs: Making the most of his opportunity

The Cubs made many picks in the 2016 Amateur Draft. Aiming mainly to bolster their pitching depth, the team made very few selections of position players. They drafted three shortstops that year, with Short as the first one in the 17th round.

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Short played his college baseball at a private Roman Catholic university in Connecticut called Sacred Heart University. While there he posted impressive numbers, finishing with a career .290/.398/.446 slash line and just a 16.37% strikeout rate.

The best year for Short came during his sophomore season, where he slashed .305/.424/.535 with nine home runs and 38 RBI. He also showed off his quickness by stealing 12 bases. As someone who had not displayed a ton of power the season before, the nine home runs finished as a career high for his college tenure.

When the Cubs selected Short, he received an $80,000 signing bonus and was off to the races. As one of the three shortstops drafted that year by Chicago, the low-risk and potential high-reward played well for both sides.