2010 Draft

[rok]

I actually love this pick. Out of all the people in this organization whom I trust, Wilken is the guy. When you have a college pitcher who has 3-4 excellent pitches, and actually has some idea how to use them, I can think of much worse players on which this organization could waste a pick. We are going to need SP soon anyway. I also wonder if Maddux scouted him at all.

[ColoradoCub]

Phil Rogers loves the pick, which means I should hate it.

[Coach]

As was said on the broadcast last night by Gammons, Wilken is a guy that selected Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay over a 3 year period.

[Clapp]

Here's the Rogers stuff CC talked about:

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->The White Sox appear to have gotten lucky when lefty Chris Sale -- one of the best Division I pitchers this season -- slid to their spot with the 13th pick overall. I like the pick a lot. But the pick I love is the Cubs finding Division II stud Hayden Simpson at Southern Arkansas University and having the nerve to take him with their first-round pick rather than taking a safer pick and hoping that Simpson was still there in the second round.

You can find pitching in funny places. The White Sox landed Mark Buehrle as a draft-and-follow pick from Jefferson Jr. College, outside of St. Louis. The Cubs got Greg Maddux as a scrawny high school pitcher from Las Vegas. In Sale, the headliner for a start-up program at Florida Gulf Coast University, and Simpson they landed pitchers with better amateur portfolios than either Buehrle or Maddux.

The Cubs sort of stumbled onto Simpson on the reports of their area scout for southwest Arkansas, Jim Crawford -- or "Crawdaddy,'' as scouting director Tim Wilken calls him -- and every time a different scout looked at him he continued to look better. <b>He has a Tim Lincecum-style delivery, which roving pitching director Mark Riggins graded as a 100 on a scale of 1-100, and throws four quality pitches, including a fastball that hit 97 in games the Cubs scouted.

"You had to say, 'Hey, wait a minute, this is almost too good to be true,' " Wilken said.</b>

Simpson was 35-2 with a 2.39 ERA in his career for the Muleriders -- yes, the Muleriders.

"That shows you his competitiveness, his will to win,'' Wilken said. "His freshman year he was 10-0. I think that shows he has a really good feel for pitching.''<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Coach]

Cubs Picks:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Reggie Golden, of
Wetumpka (Ala.) HS
The top player in Alabama's high school ranks for the last two seasons, Golden is an Alabama recruit whose build and tools remind some evaluators of another Southeastern Conference player of recent vintage, current Brewers farmhand Kentrail Davis. He's a five-tool athlete with present strength who profiles as a right fielder, even though he stands less than 6 feet tall. Golden impressed scouts by grinding through the spring despite a hamstring pull that slowed him all season. He still ran average to above-average times despite his injury, but as he matures, speed won't be a major part of his game. Power will, as Golden has impressive strength and raw bat speed. His approach at the plate is raw, and he lacks the plate discipline that allowed Davis to star from the start of his SEC career. His best present tool is his above-average arm, which fits well in right field. He plays with energy and is coachable, and he'll have to adjust to better pitching with his raw hitting skills.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Micah Gibbs, c
Louisiana State
Gibbs has the best receiving skills among catchers in the 2010 draft, and those and his ability to handle a pitching staff earn repeated comparisons to Jason Varitek. He doesn't have a cannon behind the plate, but his arm strength is average and he enhances it with a quick release and good accuracy. However, he had thrown out just 15 percent of basestealers through mid-May, down from 32 percent in his first two seasons. His hitting has gone in the other direction, as he was batting .424, up from .306 the previous two years and .212 with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer. A 5-foot-11, 207-pound switch-hitter, Gibbs has spread out his stance, added more balance and simplified his swing. He has strength, but his swing can get loopy at times and he doesn't have an abundance of bat speed or power. He may not be more than a .260 hitter with 10-12 homers annually in the majors, but his defensive ability should make him a starter. The scarcity of catchers often enhances their draft status, so Gibbs could sneak into the first or sandwich round.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Coach]

Everyone is loving the Gibbs pick at this point in the draft.

Law:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Micah Gibbs at 97 is a STEAL for the Cubs<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Goldstein:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Sure, but I love Gibbs there.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Butcher]

#130 LHP Hunter Ackerman

[Coach]

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->“Hunter Ackerman is a short left-handed junior college pitcher from Louisburg Junior College in North Carolina. Ackerman originally came to Louisburg from Cosby High School in Midlothian, Virginia, which is just outside of Richmond. He wasn’t much of a prospect at all coming out of high school, and most teams barely gave him a second thought last spring, so he went undrafted. He landed at Louisburg, where he’s put together an excellent freshman campaign. That campaign has gotten him more scouting attention, and he’s no longer an unknown name. As with most junior college freshmen, the leverage he has is enormous, so he could easily fall down draft boards, but there’s plenty of reason to think that he could start his career as soon as the draft is over. He has a ceiling as a possible number five starter or middle reliever, and that is quite obtainable in fairly short order. His fastball is an average pitch that sits 87-89, and he gets good sink on it, making him a groundball pitcher. He adds in a potential average curveball that needs more zip behind it, and his last pitch is a potential solid-average changeup, meaning he shouldn’t be useless against right-handed hitters if he ends up having a career in the bullpen. This is no LOOGY. He has built up enough draft stock to become a seventh to twelfth round pick on talent, but if his leverage as a freshman comes into play, he’ll likely be a late-round pick with interest for next year.”<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[SandbergMVP1984]

<!--quoteo(post=100282:date=Jun 7 2010, 07:51 PM:name=Coach)-->QUOTE (Coach @ Jun 7 2010, 07:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Let's hope with his size that Simpson becomes the next Lincecum<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
We'll know for sure when Sipes manages to work his name into every post.

[BT]

I'm liking the Reggie Golden pick. Apparently a 5 tool guy, looks like he has serious upside, but obviously a large chance of flaming out. This video is pretty cool, with him ending up with the Cubs and all.

Reggie Golden

[ColoradoCub]

<!--quoteo(post=100387:date=Jun 8 2010, 11:51 AM:name=Sandberg)-->QUOTE (Sandberg @ Jun 8 2010, 11:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=100282:date=Jun 7 2010, 07:51 PM:name=Coach)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coach @ Jun 7 2010, 07:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Let's hope with his size that Simpson becomes the next Lincecum<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
We'll know for sure when Sipes manages to work his name into every post.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img]

[Butcher]

<!--quoteo(post=100388:date=Jun 8 2010, 12:52 PM:name=BT)-->QUOTE (BT @ Jun 8 2010, 12:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I'm liking the Reggie Golden pick. Apparently a 5 tool guy, looks like he has serious upside, but obviously a large chance of flaming out. This video is pretty cool, with him ending up with the Cubs and all.

Reggie Golden<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
He crushed that ball. His swing looks really quick from that video...

[Coach]

<!--quoteo(post=100391:date=Jun 8 2010, 01:55 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Jun 8 2010, 01:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=100388:date=Jun 8 2010, 12:52 PM:name=BT)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BT @ Jun 8 2010, 12:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I'm liking the Reggie Golden pick. Apparently a 5 tool guy, looks like he has serious upside, but obviously a large chance of flaming out. This video is pretty cool, with him ending up with the Cubs and all.

Reggie Golden<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
He crushed that ball. His swing looks really quick from that video...
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Looks like Byrd

[Butcher]

<!--quoteo(post=100392:date=Jun 8 2010, 12:59 PM:name=Coach)-->QUOTE (Coach @ Jun 8 2010, 12:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=100391:date=Jun 8 2010, 01:55 PM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Jun 8 2010, 01:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=100388:date=Jun 8 2010, 12:52 PM:name=BT)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BT @ Jun 8 2010, 12:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I'm liking the Reggie Golden pick. Apparently a 5 tool guy, looks like he has serious upside, but obviously a large chance of flaming out. This video is pretty cool, with him ending up with the Cubs and all.

Reggie Golden<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
He crushed that ball. His swing looks really quick from that video...
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Looks like Byrd
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I was thinking the same thing.

[Clapp]

Wowzers, that was a bomb from Golden. Quite a powerful swing.