Chicago Cubs: Five MLB draft day ‘dream’ scenarios

Chicago Cubs: A top-three college arm

It is no surprise that youth is not on the Cubs’ side when it comes to their starting rotation. Kyle Hendricks is the youngest of the staff at age 29. Jose Quintana is 30 years old. Beyond that, Jon Lester is at the end of his career, and Yu Darvish, despite a solid season last year, is still entering his age-33 season. So what is an ultimate solution? Enter Max Meyer.

Meyer has called the University of Minnesota his home for his entire collegiate baseball career, having spent three seasons as a Golden Gopher. As a 19-year-old freshman, Meyer saw action in 26 games. The right-hander pitched to a dominant 2.06 ERA with 16 saves in 43 2/3 innings with an 11.13 K/9 rate.

Standing at 6’0, 185 pounds, Meyer has a stout, compact delivery with a lot of unseen power. He doesn’t seem like a guy who can generate electricity, but it is the opposite case. Meyer’s fastball sits in the 93-97 mph range with the ability to run it up to 100 mph. His slider has been called the best in the draft, sitting between 87-91 mph and the ability to move his depth as needed.

Meyer began starting in the Minnesota rotation as a sophomore. He saw action in 16 games to include 11 starts where Meyer posted a 2.11 ERA. The strikeout rate dropped a hair but so did the walk rate. Before the sudden end to this year’s NCAA baseball season due to COVID-19, Meyer had posted a 1.95 ERA in four starts. Meyer is almost guaranteed to be a top ten pick, which eliminates the Cubs, but a fan can sure dream.