06-13-2020, 08:44 AM
Keith Law just dropped his team-by-team draft analysis for the Athletic, and as expected throws cold water on pretty much every pick.
Quote:Chicago Cubs
The Cubs went local with shortstop Ed Howard (1), the biggest risk/reward first-round pick they've made since Javy Báez - another highly athletic but raw high school shortstop - was the ninth overall pick in 2011. Howard is a no-doubt shortstop with a very good chance to be a plus defender or more, although he did have some throwing issues at the end of last summer. At the plate, he has excellent bat speed and rotates his hips well to get to power as he fills out, but he has to add a lot of strength in the next few years and hasn't done well against quality competition. It's a good pick, the kind of bet-on-a-future-star move the Cubs should be making, but he needs time.
Right-hander Burl Carraway (2) was the first pure reliever taken in the draft. He's a plus fastball/plus curveball guy from Dallas Baptist whose value is in his potential to pitch in a major-league bullpen very soon. Outfielder Jordan Nwogu (3) is a very good athlete who's a few years behind his age developmentally, with good bat speed but trouble picking up off-speed stuff, and with good running speed but trouble on reads so he has to play left field. He has some power to go with the speed, and if he develops at all as a hitter, he has at least extra outfielder potential. Luke Little (4) became internet famous for supposedly throwing 105 mph in an indoor workout during the shutdown, but he's really just a mid-90s guy with below-average command and control. It's more interesting that he's 6-8, which could be an advantage since it's an unusual look, although very few pitchers have been able to start with that size. North Carolina prep right-hander Koen Moreno (5) is an athletic right-hander with arm strength and projection remaining with a feel for three pitches, but he needs to work on his mechanics to be able to start.