So he's a "prospect." Obviously we should be judging him on his signing bonus instead.

i just have no faith in hendry to move this team forward, hendry/wilken took hayden simpson in the first round, and everything i have read says that was a huge reach..most scouts had him going anywhere from the late 2nd to 4th round.. we can all agree simaridja blows and was an awful pick..vitters ? eh we shall see does not look good thus far... like kaiser said ,a top prospect will move quick through the system if he has the talent.

_________________

Simpson struck out 7 in 3 1/3 yesterday for the Chiefs. Didn't play last year cause of mono. Off to a good start.

should see him move up quick..if wilkin/spendry are correct in comparing him to lincecum/oswalt

_________________

source for this?

_________________
Team Cutler.

my computer

_________________

Can you cite insanity?

_________________

I do remember hearing the phrase "easy to sign" used often with Simpson. Hopefully that wasn't the main reason. I do not remember Simpson being compared to Lincecum or Oswalt by anyone in the Cubs organization. There's probably a reason for that.

_________________

Simpson With First Round Pick
By Joe Willett (Senior Writer) on June 8, 2010 - Chicago
369
reads
2
comments
0
likes
Mike Stobe/Getty Images
The Chicago Cubs have a history of reaching for draft picks in the first round. They did so again this season when they took Hayden Simpson, expected to be a second to fifth round pick, with the 16th pick of the first round.

Hayden went 13-1 in 15 starts for the South Arkansas Muleriders during his junior season. He also had a 1.81 ERA and struck out 131 batters compared to just 35 walks in 99 and a third innings.

Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken compared Simpson to major league stars Tim Lincecum and Roy Oswalt, which is big praise for D-ll pitcher.

"I feel Hayden is potentially a major league starter," Wilken said. "He has four above-average to plus-pitches. He's a very athletic pitcher, and he has a good feel for pitching. We had really good reports and very good coverage on Simpson."

Despite the high praise given to him from within the Cubs organization, however, he hasn't been recognized by those around the league as a talent worthy of being taken this high.

As you can see from the picture above, they had to make a name plate for him on the spot, and MLB.com didn't have a draft report when he was drafted.

Simpson was also ranked 191st by Baseball America, but so was Tyler Colvin in 2006 when he was ranked near the tail end of Baseball America's Top 200—Colvin is now producing in the majors for the Cubs.

Another Cub who was taken higher than expected was Andrew Cashner in 2008. Cashner is now three appearances into his major league career and has yet to allow a run.

Simpson is a pitcher with a fastball in the mid-90's, a solid curveball, slider, and circle-change that a very good speed differential from his fastball.

It has also been reported that a team with a pick soon after the Cubs was taking a serious look at Simpson for their first round pick, so Wilken may not have been the only one who felt he was worth a first round selection.

I'm Joe W.

FlagLike (0)
Chicago Cubs: Like this team?
More Articles You'll Like
Chicago's Under Review: 10 Observations From Game 1Windy City Heat: The Top Cubs Hurler of Each DecadeChicago Cubs: 10 Reasons for Cautious Optimism in 2011


or sign up to post this comment
2 Comments

C. L. posted 10 months ago
The Cubs are lucky to get Hayden Simpson. If they didnt pick him up at 16 then he would have gone no later than 30th overall to the Angels. He is a first round talent no doubt. I dont care what Baseball America says, he is not even close to the 191st best pitcher in the nation right now.. More like top 15-20, they had him there because they didnt do their homework on DII talent but saw that he was putting up big numbers. I've been watching him throw for two years now and the kid is amazing. Ive seen his fastball top out at 97 with pin point accuracy and he has an array of off-speed to go with it that few can match. The dude is legit.

Reply 2 likes
Joe Willett posted 10 months ago
I have to agree. Wilken has done a great job of finding talent where people weren't expecting there to be any, just like he did with Colvin and Cashner. I'm a huge fan of Wilken and after reading up on Simpson, I think he is going to be a solid starter for us. I'm actually very excited about the Cubs future, they have a lot of good young talent in their farm system and they have a lot of people with high ceilings.

Reply 0 likes
Joe Willett posted 10 months ago
I have to agree. Wilken has done a great job of finding talent where people weren't expecting there to be any, just like he did with Colvin and Cashner. I'm a huge fan of Wilken and after reading up on Simpson, I think he is going to be a solid starter for us. I'm actually very excited about the Cubs future, they have a lot of good young talent in their farm system and they have a lot of people with high ceilings.

Reply 0 likes

Write For Bleacher Report
We're looking for talented sports writers to feature on Bleacher Report
Top 5 Reasons to Write For B/R »
Sports & Pop Culture Linkshide x
This 5-Year-Old Kid Is A BALLER!
From Bro Bible

This Miami Dolphins Cheerleader Is Absolutely Incredible!
From Maxim

Hilarious Sports Photos Timed Perfectly For Our Amusement
From The Chive

Which WAG Made The List of The Hottest Scenes In Movie History?
From Moviefone

Tim Tebow Working Out...In The BAHAMAS?
From TMZ

PHOTOS: Derek Jeter's Fiancee Named The Sexiest Woman Alive!
From PopEater

Justin Bieber's Got Some Soccer Skills!
From CeleBuzz

See more articles »
Cubs Newsletter

We'd like to send you the most entertaining Chicago Cubs articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.



Subscribe Now

We will never share your email address
Latest PhotosMore Photos »

April 6, 2011
Arizona Diamondbacks v Chicago Cubs

Fans of Bleacher Report Subscribe

Three things you should know about B/R:
We are the US's 4th largest sports media site with 20 million monthly readers.
We deliver entertaining content about all the teams and topics in sports.
We have the most popular newsletters for every major team in the US. Subscribe »
B/R on Twitter
about 1 hour ago

@BleacherReport: University of California, Berkeley reinstates their baseball team! http://bit.ly/gUJ9sY (via @baseballamerica)

Newsletters
Get the latest news & opinions about your team from around the web.

Select Your Team »

About B/R
Company Overview
Our Team
Careers
In The Press
Advertising
Partners
Privacy and Terms of Use
Contact Us
Writing for B/R
Community Forum & Support
FAQs
Why Write for B/R
Featured Columnist Program
College Student Writing Internship
Copy Editing Internship
B/R Style Guide
Content Standards
Explore B/R
Bleacher Report Newsletters
Bleacher Report Local Editions
Site Map
Writer Directory
Article Archives
Newswires Archives
Popular Topics
2011 NFL Mock Draft Hub
UEFA Champions League
NFL Draft 2011
March Madness 2011
NBA Draft 2011
2011 NBA Mock Draft Hub
UFC 129
Masters 2011
NBA Playoffs 2011
NHL Playoffs 2011
Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley
UFC 130
UFC 131
Copyright © 2011 Bleacher Report, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Certain photos copyright © 2011 by Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Getty Images is strictly prohibited.

_________________

and I was wrong............

Wow. I don't think Simpson thinks he'll be Lincecum or Oswalt.

_________________

Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken compared Simpson to major league stars Tim Lincecum and Roy Oswalt, which is big praise for D-ll pitcher.

_________________

I think he will be substantially better than either of them.

_________________

and i am the insane one?

_________________

Nobody called you insane. At least not in this thread. Just that statement. You were asked to cite that ridiculous statement, and you delivered. Well played Mauer. I still think Tim Wilken is the goods.

_________________

nah man i am not sensitive, was just messin...hope u are right about wilkin..hope he is right about oswalt/lincecum comparison..but we will know soon..oswalt and lincecum did not spend much time in the minors

_________________

Thanks 312.

I'm searching for an actual quote that says Wilken compared Simpson to either one of those guys, but I'll admit what you produced was far more than I thought would be out there.

_________________
Team Cutler.

Why did Baseball America have him so low, was it just because he pitched D2? If he has 4 above average pitches, why was his selection a shock?

If he is being compared to Oswalt and Lincecum, is Simpson a small guy?

So the guy who drafted him said he reminded him of two of the best pitchers in baseball. I'm positively shocked he didn't say he was reminded of Bob Scanlan and Jim Bullinger.

that was not the article i was looking for.. the one i read was long time ago and written by a local guy from either the trib..or suntimes.. and simpson is shorter than most pitchers yes..he is five foot 11 inches but listed 6 foot

_________________

Im with Keyser (which feels weird)

But of course they compared them to Ozwalt and Lincecum. Thats what people do with draft picks.

It means absolutely nothing

Didn't the Cubs draft Lincecum originally out of high school, but he didn't sign?

not sure, but sounds possible..if his old man is his coach/agent, he probably would have said nah..wait a year or 2 and get drafted in the top 20

_________________

you are correct

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

Vitters getting the start at 1B for the Smokies tonight
1-2 with a 2 rbi triple so far

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

They don't think he has the defensive prowess to play 3B so they are moving him to 1st where he could do less damage.

AA Smokies
Brett Jackson was 2-4 today with a bomb
Vitters had the day off yesterday which is kinda odd....1-5 with a rbi today
McNutt pitched today but only lasted 2.2, however he didn't give up any runs or hits.
I-Cubs
Nothing really to note today
Campana who is a little 5'7 speedster in the OF went 4-5, he isn't really on the radar but has gotten better each year in the minors and stole 48 bases last year in AA and 66 the year before that at Daytona
Mathes started and was average at best....Caridad and Berg gave up runs out of the pen and Gaub had a scoreless 1 and 2/3 for the save.

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

It appears as though Ramon Ortiz is now an I-Cub.

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

whats funny is, we actually were the ones at the time that ended his career

we kicked the shit out of him and he got cut the next day by Houston (last year or year before)...or he retired or something...cant remember...i just remember thinking we ended his career

_________________

AA Smokies
Vitters!! with a 2 run bomb
Brett Jackson 1-1 with a walk

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

Ramon Ortiz has a no hitter going










through 1 inning

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!