Will Farlow Chicago Cubs five round Mock Draft 1.0

By: Will Farlow 

The Chicago Cubs finished with a third place NL Central position with a record of 84-78. The Northsiders have some long term decisions to make about cornerstones like Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and Kyle Schwarber. The Cubs have good pitchers in Kyle Hendricks , Quintana, and Yu Darvish but overall an aging rotation. The Cubs have been seen as poor in scouting pitchers , and will look to change that in the 2020 MLB Draft with the many high school and college pitchers that will be available. The Northsiders will leave it to scouting director Dan Kantrovitz to steer them in the right direction long term.  

Round 1

Round 1: Pick 16

​Mick Abel  RHP  Jesuit High School , Oregon

The Chicago Cubs fill a big need with their first pick as they take the Ace high school pitcher Mick Abel. Theo Epstein and company continue the plan to retool for the future as scout Dan Kantrovitz makes a home run first round pick at 16th overall. Abel brings a tall 6'5 height along with improved command and a nasty slider and fastball. I think considering the aging Cubs pitchers this is a good first pick improving the Cubs rotation long term future.  

Round 2

Round 2: Pick 53 

​Daniel Cabrera  OF  LSU  

​The Cubs fill a need in their outfield by taking the LSU outfielder Cabrera. Cabrera in my opinion adds to the depth in the Cubs system of Ian Happ and Cubs prospect Brennan Davis. Cabrera brings his strong defensive play to Chicago along with great hitting. Cabrera brings a low strikeout rate which in my view is not a trait every prospect has on their resume.  

Round 3

Round 3: Pick 88

​Kyle Nicolas  RHP  Ball State  

The Cubs continue to take advantage of this pitcher strong draft by stocking up on pitching in their system with Nicolas. The Ball State right hander brings to the North Side a 6'4 size along with good command and the presence on the mound that scares any hitter. Look for Nicolas to develop into a good rotation arm in the future for the Cubs.  

Round 4

Round 4: Pick 117 

 Jamal O'Guinn  3B  USC

​The Cubs make a smart long term pick here in round 4 with third baseman Jamal O'Guinn. The future of Kris Bryant in Chicago is up in the air so this ia a safe pick by scout Dan Kantrovitz getting the green light from Theo Epstein for this pick. O'Guinn shows good hitting ability at the plate to drive in runs and I also like his defensive play as well making this a good pick for Chicago here in Round 4.   

Round 5

Round 5: Pick 147

​Jason Savacool  RHP  Baldwinsville Central High School – New York  

​The Cubs finish the draft with the smart pick with this good high school pitcher Savacool. Savacool brings good control and talent that in the final round is not easy to pass up. Theo Epstein sees the need to improve Cubs pitching and gets a home run pick here in Round 5.