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3rd Round: OF Jacob Hannemann, BYU. – A college outfielder is definitely not what you’d be expecting the Cubs to take here at the top of the third round, but this front office is sneaky and surprising. Hannemann was not a top 100 type player, and Baseball America had him all the way down at 214. It sounds like he was not expected to go until the 4th/5th round range. He’s technically just a freshman, despite being 22, because he just got back from a Mormon mission. He’s in school on a football scholarship, which makes you wonder if he might actually be a tough sign, even if he wasn’t projected to go this high. This is a surprise. He’s clearly a great athlete, and he was the Freshman of the Year in the WCC this year, so it’s not like he can’t play ball. The front office said they spent a ton of time on picks two and three in the Draft, so it’s fair to say that they got the guys they wanted in Hannemann and Zastryzny.
Keith Law suggests/speculates on Twitter that the Cubs had to take a couple underslot guys in the second and third rounds to save money to sign Bryant, which I find very hard to believe. Bryant was picked second overall, following an historic college season. In what way would he possibly have leverage to command more than $6.7 million (hell, more than $6 million) when the next slot was a million lower, and there is absolutely no way he’d risk going back to school when he was drafted second by a team willing to give him $6+ million? Don’t just say “Boras” to me, because that’s lazy. We’ll see, but I think Law is mistaken here. Or maybe I’m just hoping he is.
4th Round: RHP Tyler Skulina, Kent State. – A junior righty who transferred from Virginia, Skulina has some upside. A college arm is more what I was expecting from the Cubs in this range in the draft. Here’s what MLB.com says on Skulina: “Skulina played a key role in Kent State’s Cinderella run to the 2012 College World Series and has taken on an even bigger role this spring as the Golden Flashes ace. He relies on his fastball-curveball combination to attack hitters and isn’t afraid to challenge them. Skulina’s fastball sits in the low-90s and runs in on right-handers. His curveball has good break and should be a Major League average offering. He uses his 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame to create a good downhill plane for both pitches. Skulina needs to develop his changeup to reach his potential.” Baseball America actually had Skulina as the 73rd best prospect in the Draft. He struck out 102 batters in 93.2 innings of work this year.
5th Round: RHP Trey Masek, Texas Tech. – An interesting pick here, because Masek has the talent to be a top two round guy. But he’s had some shoulder issues, and there’s some concern about his durability, so he slid. MLB.com, which ranked Masek 67th overall, has this to say: ”Masek had a very strong summer in the Cape Cod League and it was carrying over as Texas Tech’s Saturday starter, though some arm soreness in late March kept him out of action for a spell. Assuming health, the slightly undersized right-hander will show three pretty good pitches. He can run his fastball up to 94 mph, throws a solid curveball and has a good feel for a sinking changeup. His funky delivery adds deception to his stuff, though his command can be inconsistent. He gets high marks for his aggressiveness and poise on the mound. That, plus Masek’s size and injury history, have some thinking his future might be in a big league bullpen.” This is a legit pitching prospect, as exciting as Skulina or Zastrysny. Keith Law ranked him 89th, BP/Perfect Game had him 79th, and BA had him 49th.
_________________ Telegram Sam wrote: I would cover for SHARK, Drop In, Dave in Champaign, my Mom, and Urlacher's Missing Neck. After that, the list gets pretty thin. There are a few people about whom I would definitely fabricate charges.
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