Chicago Cubs News: Checking in on the 2023 Chicago Cubs MLB Draft Picks

11th Round Pick- Zyhir Hope OF (HS)
11 Games Played: .286/.419/.543 3 HR, 3 SB, 9 RBI, 8 R

Hope was a player that draft pundits didn’t love. That being said he’s already accessed his power against older (albeit unpredictable) competition at Rookie Ball and is someone worth keeping an eye on due to his five-tool skillset. 

12th Round Pick- Carter Trice 2B (NC State University)
10 Games Played: .296/.406/.556 1 HR, 4 2B, 6 RBI, 5 R

Trice has eight hits since turning pro and five of them have gone for extra bases. He’s maintained his K/BB% that he had through college and appears to be unchallenged by Rookie Ball. He should end the season at Low-A Myrtle Beach. 

13th Round Pick- Sam Armstrong P (Old Dominion University)
1 Game Played: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 ER

Still, an 80-grade name that sounds like it was pulled straight from Backyard Baseball, Armstrong has only thrown one inning since turning pro but it was a good one. It’s unclear if the Cubs will continue to develop him as a starter (he started the one game he’s played so far), but he’ll be worth watching. 

14th Round Pick- Grayson Moore P (Vanderbilt University)
1 Game Played: 1 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 ER

This was another of my favorite picks in last year’s draft because I believed that Moore could move quickly. He was a reliever at one of the best universities in the country and he hit the ground running as a pro. The walks will always be a concern for a reliever but striking out two of the four total batters he’s faced so far is a percentage I’m very comfortable with. 

15th Round Pick- Ty Johnson P (Ball State University)
No game action yet

Johnson is a player that had middle-reliever written all over him when he was drafted and he’ll be in his age-22 season next year having never played as a professional. The clock is ticking on this one.