TOP OF THE ORDER

In six spring training games, Ian Happ has owned the lead off spot. He is hitting .471 with 4 home runs, 7 RBI and .500 OBP.

In his rookie season, Happ hit .253 with 24 HR, 68 RBI, 8 SB and .328 OBP.

Maddon has been trying out Happ, Jason Heyward and Albert Almora in the lead off spot. Schwarber ha also been mentioned as a possible lead off man. It appears that Maddon wants an outfielder to lead off games.

But Happ has clearly drawn the attention of the media and fans. In comparison to Heyward, Happ's offensive production is far superior. In outfield defense, Heyward is much better with a .14 dWAR verus Happ's 0.0 dWAR. Heyward had a 2.3 WAR in 2017. Happ had a 1.8 WAR.

It may come down to which players will play the most in the outfield. The Cubs love Schwarber but can he be a consistent hitter against both right handed and left handed pitchers? Almora has been a bench player. Is he ready for a full time center field role?  Happ was a super sub playing multiple positions in the OF and second base. Will he take playing time away from Zobrist?

Since the lead off man is critical to getting the team off to a good start, it would appear Happ and Almora would share those duties. Whether they will platoon in CF is another question. It is possible that Happ could emerge as a full time starter by platooning with both Almora and a corner outfielder (Schwarber or Heyward).

The elephant in the room is Heyward's contract. But if make Heyward a defensive replacement, the person replacing him at the plate must be productive to off-set the decline in defensive WAR.

Since Happ is a switch hitter with power from both sides of the plate, he makes the most sense to match up against starting pitchers.  Against a right handed starter, the outfield could be Schwarber in left, Happ in center and Heyward in right. Against a left handed pitcher, the outfield could be Schwarber or Zobrist in left, Almora in center and Happ in the right.

Happ may be the most valuable asset Maddon has to use in 2018. While the team wants to give Heyward a full opportunity to correct his offensive problems, it should not be at the expense of Happ.

LOAD UP THE BUS

Joe Maddon has never been shy about using platoons.

He says that he needs to keep his bench players "fresh" so he tries to start them at least one a week.

A platoon situation in the major leagues is really a concession that the team does not have one full-time major league player at that position. You have a player who may hit right handers better than the other guy, and thus the lineup card is dictated purely by match-ups.

The Cubs have found themselves in an unusual Triple Platoon situation. Ian Happ, Albert Almora and Jon Jay are all playing regular center field for the Cubs. Add in the occasion move of Jason Heyward to center to have Ben Zobrist in right, center field has become a summer park district program.

Center field production is one of the many Cub 2017 issues.

Almora has played in 49 games. He is hitting .268, 3 HR, 12 RBI, .322 OBP.
Newcomer Happ has played in 24 games. He is hitting .213, 5 HR, 10 RBI, .315 OBP.
Bench player Jay has played in 49 games. He is hitting .296, 0 HR, 10 RBI, .386 OBP.

You don't think your center fielder will be the tops in any category (Colorado's Blackmon is an exception in RBI), but the leaders in categories show how far off the Cubs players are:

HR leader: Judge 18.
RBI leader: Lamb 56.
BA leader: Zimmerman .365.
OBP leader: Trout .461.

Contributing to the Cubs offensive woes is that default starting LF Kyle Schwarber is hitting a season low .170, 10 HR, 25 RBI, .297 OBP. Also in a funk (on and off the field) is Addison Russell. He is hitting only .209, 3 HR, 19 RBI and .291 OBP.

Normally,  Happ, Schwarber, and Russell would be candidates to be sent down to the minors to work on their game (physically and mentally). But there is no one in Iowa is begging for a promotion. The best CF is Jacob Hanneman, but he is hitting .400 in only 5 games (0 HR, 3 RBI). He must have been hastily promoted because in AA he only hit .180, 1 HT, 6 RBI in 34 games. Likewise, the Iowa shortstop, Ozzie Martinez, is hitting a light .219, o HR and 8 RBI in 40 games. The best Iowa middle infielder this season was Happ.

In one respect, the Cubs could load up the bus and send a bunch of players to Iowa. But in another respect, there is no one worthy of being called up to fill their places.

OUT OF ORDER

Fifty games into the season and the Cubs ship still lists in the harbor.

A .500 team with flaws in each element of the game is not what we expected from the defending world champs.

Either Maddon believes (hopes) or expects his lineup to start to produce factory perfect six run games by getting on base and bashing homers. But the only consistent thing so far is inconsistency.

Slumping players are still playing big roles.  The discouragement is growing daily. The excuses no longer sound legit after two months of play.

The bold experiment of Schwarber in the lead off spot is over. He did not get on base to set the table for Bryant and Rizzo. His strike out rate of 33% was too high with his low batting average of .181.

The Cubs have no prototypical lead off man. Fowler was the table setter last season (but is struggling himself in St. Louis.)  Zobrist has been moved into the spot, but he is not a speedy, run manufacturing type player.

If you were going to set the order based on merit alone. it would look something like this:

1. Bryant 3B
2. Rizzo 1B
3. Zobrist LF
4. Happ CF
5. Contreras C
6. Heyward RF
7. Russell SS
8. Baez 2B

IS IT A DUNN DEAL?

Kyle Schwarber continues to get a lot of attention in Chicago. He is a fan favorite. He is a likeable, blue collar player. He has done great things since arriving on the scene. He has the most post-season home runs in franchise history. His epic return for the World Series after a serious knee injury is a story of legend.

But what is Schwarber?

Is he the new Bambino? Or is he something else?

People are perplexed because Schwarber has the label of being a "pure" hitter. He gets contact. He can drive the ball. He has a good eye. He is an "on base" machine. But the myth may have overtaken the man.

Schwarber's first season in 2015 showed promise. At 22, he played in 69 games, had 232 AB, hit 16 HR, 43 RBI. His batting average was only .246. He struck out 77 times (+33% of the time).

In 2016, his season was lost due to an outfield collision. He returned to become a World Series hero.

Now, at age 24, he has played 41 games. In 156 AB, he has 7 HR and 19 RBI. He has a .186 BA. He has struck out 51 times (32.7%).  The low batting average and continued high strike out totals is a real concern.

A comparison that comes to mind is Adam Dunn. Chicago fans remember Dunn's time as a struggling White Sox at the end of his career.

Dunn debuted at age 21 for the Reds. In 2001, he played in 56 games, hit 19 HR, 43 RBI, hit .262.
In his first full season at age 22, he hit 26 HR, 71 RBI, .249 BA.
In his third year, he hit 27 HR, 57 RBI, .215 BA.

Dunn played in 14 seasons. He ended his career with 462 HR, 1168 RBI and .237 BA.

The question is whether you would accept Schwarber with a Dunne-like career.

The expectations and initial comparisons had him starting at Babe Ruth to being another Anthony Rizzo, a .300 hitting power bat near the top of the order. But Schwarber has yet to sustain a high batting average in his major league career. 

The Cubs want to keep Schwarber in the daily line up because of his bat. But look at the other players missing time because of it: Almora, Happ and Jay. Happ has taken the local media by storm. In 31 AB, he has hit 2 HR, 5 RBI, .323 BA playing mostly out of position in the OF.

The log jam of young players is a positive for the Cubs. But there will be a point of diminishing returns if they do not receive sufficient playing time in order succeed.

Schwarber was once considered an untouchable trade chip. We will have to see if the front office changes its mind on him.

JUST SAY NO

The Saturday news that Kyle Schwarber was in the Arizona Fall League took everyone by surprise.

This is the fall top prospect league, abet with exceptions (see, Tim Tebow.)

Schwarber had a severe "football" knee injury.  He was supposed to be out until next spring training.

There is no reason to rush him back for the Series.

Put sentimentality aside.

Just say no to such a roster move.

The World Series could be a tighter contest than the pennant series. You need to keep 12 pitchers on the roster to get out of middle inning jams or extra inning possibilities.

You do not need a partially rehabbing catcher-left fielder to play DH.
The Cubs will already have three catchers on the roster.

Pitching and defense wins championships. (see, Game 6 of the NLCS).

Schwarber may be a great potential player, and a great teammate but there is no need to "reward" him with a WS roster spot.  Too much is at stake.

UPDATE:

So Schwarber is super human as a DH in Games 1 and 2.

RUN THE TABLE

At the beginning of the season, I thought the most important Cub player in 2016 was going to be Kyle Schwarber.

But when Schwarber got injured in the outfield early in the season, the Cubs continued to bulldoze opponents with long winning streaks. To replace Schwarber's bat, Maddon relied upon more young talent: Baez and Contreras, who now appears to be the starting catcher in 2017.

When the Cubs dropped two games to the Dodgers in the NLCS, it was the lack of offense.

It made many think of the missing Schwarber bat. He only hit .143 in the Mets series in 2015, but for the entire playoff run he hit .333 BA, 5 HR, 8 RBI. He was the spark in the line up because he had consistent hard contact.

Opponents, especially good ones, can dissect a line up card to pin point who can hurt them, who to pitch around, and who to attack. There are still many holes in the Cub line up: Zobrist, Heyward, Russell, Montero may have a singular moment, but have been consistently off.  With half a line up not a threat, that puts more pressure on the stars. Rizzo felt the pressure and tried to do too much. It was only after shattering his bat did he get back into the groove in the Game 4 10-2 blow-out.

But Game 4 spark was created by the defense. Contreras pick off and Heyward's throw to nip Gonzalez at home plate gave the Cubs the old, in season memories of being a great team. 

Now that hitting has come back, and the pitching staff has been consistent, now is the time to run the table and clinch the pennant on Saturday night.

IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN

It was a predictable outcome. It was one of those slow developing disaster films . . . you know something bad is going to happen soon.

When Kyle Schwarber was placed in LF it was done to keep highly paid Miguel Montero behind the plate. It was to get Schwarber's power into the lineup on a regular basis. Joe Maddon is not afraid of playing players out of their natural positions. Schwarber was drafted as a catcher. He wants to be a pro catcher. He is working hard to catch major league pitchers. His deficiencies have been magnified because of early scouting reports. But he is a team player, so he goes to LF to learn a new position literally on the fly.

Dexter Fowler is a minus- CF defender. He does not have a strong arm and he does not cover very much ground in the gaps. But he is a switch hitting lead off man with some pop. He can get on base and score a lot of runs. Fowler's re-signing with the Cubs helped balance out the top of the lineup. 

In order to get more pop in the lineup, the Cubs have to play lesser defenders in the field.

Last night in Arizona, this philosophy crashed with reality.

Cubs broadcaster Pat Hughes was deeply concerned when an ambulance cart drove  Schwarber off Chase Field on Thursday night after he collided with Fowler after giving chase to a long fly ball in the gap (which turned into an inside-the-park HR). Schwarber laid face down on the ground until the trainers reached him. It looked very serious.

After the game, Schwarber, on crutches, talked to the media. “The ball was literally in no man’s land. We both thought that (the other guy) wasn’t going to get the ball. So you only call it if you know you can get it. We both went at it, and I stuck my glove up. I was pretty close. But then he dove for it, too.

“We were playing hard. I have no regrets about playing hard and getting hurt,” he said.

Initial reports indicate that Schwarber has tightness in his knee and ankle. Trainers were looking at the knee and testing for a strained ACL. X-rays showed no broken bones. An MRI is scheduled for today. The real concern is any knee damage. If so, then that puts Schwarber out of his scheduled catching rotation and lessens his overall playing time. But it appears that Schwarber could be sidelined for at least two weeks.

The injury clouds  a 14-6 Cubs comeback win over the Diamondbacks. New starter John Lackey gave up 6 runs in the first 3 innings, but hung around for the win because of Anthony Rizzo's huge night, 3 for 4 with 6 RBIs.

For every player's down time, it is an opportunity for another player. When Schwarber left the game, Maddon inserted Kris Bryant in LF and moved in Tommy La Stella at third base. It seemed that the lesson was lost on Maddon in the moment as he moved Bryant out of his natural position to play LF instead of inserting hot hitting Matt Szczur or platoon Jorge Soler.  La Stella was hitless in three plate appearances.

There is no word when Javy Baez is set to return from his dumb head first slide into first base thunb injury. I suspect he will be activated if Schwarber heads to the DL. 

Maddon likes moveable pieces on his roster so he can zig and zag his lineups to get match ups he finds favorable. In one respect, it keeps the entire team in the mindset to be ready to play every day. But in another, it upsets a normal player's habit and routine of playing one position and batting consistently in the same place in the lineup. But moving a catcher to play LF in a park with a very large outfield seems to be counterproductive.

UPDATE:
It was the worst possible news: Schwarber tore both his ACL and LCL with a severe high ankle sprain. He is out for the season. There is no time table for his return. He will have to have reconstructive surgery and a long rehab period. There is no guarantee that he will be ready for spring training in 2017. 

The injury was described as a "severe football-type" injury. How a badly damaged knee affects a major league catcher is something new for Schwarber and the Cubs. If Schwarber cannot return to being a catcher, that cuts in half his value to the Cubs (or any potential trade partner who would look at a catcher with 30 HR potential a major asset.)

THE KEY TO THE SEASON

One word: Schwarber.

Of all the Cubs who may improve or flounder in their sophomore season, Kyle Schwarber is the one player that fills the entire spectrum of fan ecstasy to doubt. He is the key to the Cubs season.

He has the compact swing to make contact on any count and on any pitch. However, he only hit .246 last season. He is projected to have 294 AB,  16 HR, 47 RBI which is similar to his 2015 numbers. That may be fine for a bench player, but not a starter.

Schwarber appears to be Jason Hammel's personal catcher, by default. The Cubs are going to give Schwarber the opportunity to play the position he wants to play, catcher. So Schwarber will get 30 games behind the plate, or 40 AB.

Schwarber appears to be set for a platoon in LF with Jorge Soler. An even split would be 66 games or 264 AB.

Schwarber will DH in AL games so that may be another dozen or 48 AB.

That gets him up to 352 AB, or 19.7 % more AB than projected at Baseball Reference.

But it also shows that Schwarber, at best, will start in 98 games this season. Is that enough to get him into a steady rhythm and habit where he can maintain his batting concentration for a full season like he did in the minors?

And what happens when he gets into his first slump? Will Joe Maddon continue to play him, or with all the other options he has, does Maddon go with the "hot" hand.  And in close games when defense is a premium, will Maddon defer to better defenders such as Ross, Montero or Szczur?

We hope that Schwarber has a break out year like Kris Bryant did in 2015 (.275 BA, 26 HR, 99 RBI).

The public knows the Cubs can be good, very good because they surprised the world last year. Most of the young Cubs still have not hit their professional ceiling (such as Addison Russell, who writers believe will have the break-out season). The Cubs have a lot of moving parts, and sometimes just one gear can gum up the entire machine.

Schwarber will still be the fan favorite because his hustle and his monster HRs. But there is going to be added pressure this year because the Cubs have made it clear that the catcher of the future is not Schwarber but Wilson Contreras, who will start in AAA Iowa.

RUSTY AND CORROSION

Jon Lester's spring debut was a disaster. He got roughed up on the mound, and could not field his position better than a tee-ball kid.

In speaking to friends, if I was Lester's opponent, I would constantly bunt on him until he could prove that he can throw the ball to an infield base. A bunt and throwing error equals a double. Two doubles equal a run.

But current baseball batters abhor bunting. They are driven by individual stats that lead to objective evidence for contract negotiations. Winding up on second because of a Lester miscue error does not add points to the batting average even though it helps your team's scoring chances.

So Lester's fielding is in mid-season form which means it is really bad. On one off day, he should be sent to a vacant field and made to make hundred throws to each base. Fielding drills until he gets so tired of it he stops thinking about errant throws.

The other bad news from yesterday's game was that Kyle Schwarber left the game with a knee tweak. He says it is minor and he will play in a couple of days. He hurt himself in LF while trying to make a throw.

This is the problem with playing someone out of position. Schwarber is a stocky guy, a "catcher's body," who is trying to play a mobile left field. His body is not used to the twists and turns of playing this new position. Schwarber's mindset is that he will try harder than his skill set to make plays. And that will lead to blunders and potential injuries.

Schwarber has not given up on his goal to be a catcher. Spring training should focus more on his catching skill improvement than trying to play LF. He is more valuable as a catcher than a LF.

A BAKER MAN

Former Cub catcher John Baker has recently signed as an operations assistant for the team.

His job description:

In his new role with the organization, Baker will contribute to all elements within the club’s baseball operations department, including player development and scouting with an eye towards catching and mental skills. He will visit the club’s affiliates to work with the minor league players on and off the field, evaluate amateur players leading up to the draft, and spend time around the major league club among additional responsibilities and opportunities.

What caught my eye was "player development" and "catching and mental skills."

Kyle Schwarber still wants to learn to be a major league catcher. In the minors, he caught and he hit extremely well. There are some players who thrive on being "into" the game on defense. (This is why so many National League hitters fail when they move to DH in the American League, i.e. Adam Dunn and Adam LaRoche.)

And if Schwarber can catch, that is a huge upgrade at a position that is league-wide devoid of power hitters. And moving him back to the plate will make the Cubs outfield defense better by putting a natural outfielder in left.

Schwarber is not suited to play a daily left field. The post season showed his fundamental flaws of trying to learn the position on the fly (in a pressure situation). The Cubs need his bat in the line up because he is a contact hitter who is learning to adjust to major league pitchers. You can't use him as the third catcher all season. (I thought that Montero would catch 3 games a week; Ross catch Lester and Schwarber could catch Hendricks, since they did so in the minors.)

So I would not be surprised that Baker becomes Schwarber's catching tutor.

FIRST GUESSING

I think Maddon is overdoing it, again.

Word is that he will start Tommy LaStella at third base,
move Bryant to the big LF area, and move Schwarber to RF.

Why mix and match now?

LaStella is not a starter. He is not the best infield defender
(Baez). And Coghlan has more power than LaStella,
which is more important in a close game with a fastball
pitcher like Cole on the mound.

No, you play your best your best eight starters from the start of the game.

If Schwarber is a liability in the wide acreage of LF, move him to right field.
He has already played a couple games there. Then insert Coghlan in LF,
and keep Bryant at his natural position, third.

 With Arrieta on the mound, there should be less emphasis on defense because
he is a strike out pitcher with command. Against Cole, you need quick offense
and power bats in the lineup.

STARTING ANOTHER CLOCK

The Cubs will call up catcher Kyle Schwarber to play DH during the next week in AL ball parks.

Schwarber, 22, has been playing in Class AA Tennessee. In 58 games, he has hit 13 HR, 39 RBI and had a .320 BA.

In comparison, in 2014 Kris Bryant was also 22 in AA ball. In 68 games, he hit 22 HR, 58 RBI and had a .355 BA.

The plan is clear. The idea is to get Schwarber some major league experience then put him back in AAA Iowa to finish his quick development.  A few scouts believe Schwarber has the best bat skills in the organization. He was drafted as a catcher, but he readily admits that he was never fully taught how to catch games. In the Cub system, he has played mostly catcher, but also some left field and DH (17 games in Tennessee this year).  The Cubs anticipated calling him up some time this season with those DH at-bats (which is sometimes difficult for position players to adjust to, i.e. Adam LaRoche with the White Sox.)

By calling up Schwarber, it  starts his major league service time earlier than many people expected since the Cubs are all about long term control of their prospects. But it does acclimate Schwarber to the intense Chicago media in a non-pressure situation.

With Miguel Montero beginning to slump, and David Ross never considered an offensive force (currently batting .167), the idea of having Schwarber in a September run is a possibility since Joe Maddon liked the idea of having three catchers on his roster. Schwarber gives him the flexibility to have a real bench person who has played multiple positions.

Many thought that the Cubs would force Bryant to LF. But Bryant is clearly more comfortable playing third base. He has played well enough to stay there. The same could be true for Schwarber if he sticks at catcher, it would give the Cubs a major jolt in offensive production from that position.

The Cubs are currently in third place with a 34-27 record, 7 games behind the Cardinals. However, the Cubs have only a +6 run differential. With the second place Pirates playing much better, the Cubs need to find more consistent offense in order to stay within reach of the playoffs. The Schwarber move is part of that plan.

OUT OF POSITIONS

I don't really know why the Cubs continue down the Henry-Quade spectrum of playing second basemen all over the ball yard. Logan Watkins playing right field? Really?  He plays well defensively at second. Alcantara in center? He is still learning the position on the fly which is very hard, since Jimmy Piersall said repeatedly that CF is the hardest outfield position to play. Baez is learning second, and is doing well, but when he fills in for Castro at short, Baez is much better SS than Castro.

I know the concept that managers and general managers like: versatility. If you can play more than one position, then the team has more options (platoons, double switches, etc.). But all those utility players, in general, have to be utility players because they can't hold down one position as a true starter. A team filled with utility players is just a replacement level team in training.

So it is a little surprising that Kyle Schwarber is being pegged as a catching prospect. In 72 pro games, he hit .344, 18 HR, 53 RBI and 1.061 OPS. He should start in Class AA in 2015, with a possible promotion to Iowa mid season if he continues to hit well.

Schwarber's draft scouting report showed that he was probably the best fundamental college hitter, but he did not have the defensive skill set (and body type) to be a catcher. Most organizations felt he was destined to play left field.

The same is actually the chord on third baseman Kris Bryant. His size and range questions had him moving his bat to left field. But Bryant has told the Cubs that he wants to continue to play third base. In 138 pro games, Bryant hit .325, 43 HR, 110 RBI and 1.098 OPS.

One takeaway from the success of both Schwarber and Bryant is that despite the perceived defensive short comings, both players are comfortable playing their current positions. And if they are comfortable on defense, then they have less to worry about at the plate.

It is in the Cubs best interest to accommodate them because the team has no alternative players who can put up .300 BA, 30 HR, 90 RBI production at catcher or third base.

You let them come to spring training and win their starting spots. If the next crop of prospects, like Addison Reed, are going to be the shortstop of the future, then Castro needs to move to another position or be traded to another team. That's how the system has worked for a century.

But by tagging Schwarber and Bryant as left fielders, you just move the position iceberg to the outfield but not solve the problem of getting the best hitters in the daily line up. Barring injuries, Jorge Soler is going to play right. Schwarber or Bryant do not have the speed to play center.

Here is the current "push" chart of prospects depth chart:

3B: Valbuena - - - -> Bryant
SS: Castro - - - > Russell
2B: Baez
1B: Rizzo
C: Castillo - - - > Schwarber
LF: Coghlan - - - > Castro?
CF: Alcantara - - - > Almora
RF: Soler

Valbuena, Coghlan, Watkins and Alcantara fall to their roles as utility players.

But this push chart also shows that despite the huzzah of a prospect pipeline, the Cubs organization is still very thin. But pundits believe that the team having so many similar good prospects is a "good problem" to have. The Cubs may have fallen in love with their collection of prospects, and over-value their talent level so as to freeze themselves out of key veteran trades in the future.

MOVING ON UP

The Cubs have been signing several of their high school draft picks, which is good. But that foretells a longer developmental period.

The Cubs have been accelerating the progress of their two best hitters. Newly signed C-1B Kyle Schwarber lasted only about a week in Rookie Ball before being promoted to Class A. Schwarber destroyed the competition in the first week so there was no reason not to move him along.

Kris Bryant was also promoted from AA to AAA Iowa. He had played well above the competition in Tennessee. He hit a HR in his Iowa debut. The front office philosophy is that a AAA player needs 500 ABs in AAA before being called up to the majors. It will be interesting to see whether this rule holds true for Bryant, who now has a clear path to play third base since the Cubs demoted AAA 3B Christian Villaneuva to AA.

In some ways, pushing players faster through the system is better. There are young major leaguers who tell writers all the time that sitting in the minors is a waste of time; that they really only learn how to be professionals at the major league level.

It is also the beginning of the crack in the rebuild armor. Cubs management is very stubborn. When they say they are going to do something, they really don't care what other people think. They have their own unstated internal time table which is different than the expectations and demands of the general public. But the fan base's distaste with the team for "tanking" the last few seasons  may have some bearing on why the Cubs are going to promote their best players faster through the system.

UNDER SLOT

MLBTR reports that the Cubs have agreed to a below-slot bonus with first-round selection Kyle Schwarber, citing MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat. He will sign for $3.125MM, which is nearly $1.5MM shy of the $4.621MM allotment that came with the fourth overall choice. Chicago entered the draft with $8.35MM and change in available slot space.

Arguably the best college bat available, Schwarber was nevertheless something of a surprise choice at fourth overall. While he is said to have good hit and power tools at the plate, the real question is whether or not the Indiana University product can stay stay at catcher. As many draft analysts wrote,   Schwarber was around the  16th-best available prospect, but he really does not have a position besides DH, since his throwing and receiving skills are considered below average.

Schwarber will take down a bigger bonus than he would have if taken in the middle of the draft, while the Cubs can put the slot savings towards other choices. In particular, the club selected a series of high school arms with its fourth through sixth-round choices — Carson Sands, Justin Steele, and Dylan Cease — who could require above-slot bonuses to forego college. MLB.com Jim Callis opines that the Cubs are likely to land each member of that trio. 

 

I am not a big fan about drafting lesser prospects higher in the draft in order to "save" bonus money for later (and at the time of the draft, unknown) selections. Schwarber does not project to be a National League player, but as an AL DH, if he can continue to hit better competition in the minors. The Cubs may save bonus money, but may have only acquired a future trade chip in their first round selection.

 

First rounders have the best chance of making it to the majors, so on one level this may be a wasted opportunity for the Cubs to select the best available player at No. 4. A player who will be able to contribute years ahead of signing high school pitchers in the 4th and 6th rounds.