Player: Justin Steele
Drafted by: Chicago Cubs
Position: LHP
DOB: 7/11/1995 (Age: 18)
Height/Weight: 6'2", 165 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/L
School: George County HS (Lucedale, Mississippi)
College Commitment: Southern Mississippi
Background
There isn't a more volatile pitcher among the top 100 prospects in this year's class than Justin Steele. The Mississippi left-hander is all projection at this point, weighing slightly more than a feather right now.
Of course, flashes of raw ability have made Steele very appealing. He's hit 92 mph with the fastball. There's just no consensus over what he is now and what he could be in the future.
He can put on a positive show in short bursts, like he did at the East Coast Professional ...
Player: Jake Stinnett
Drafted by: Chicago Cubs
Position: RHP
DOB: 4/25/1992 (Age: 22)
Height/Weight: 6'4", 205 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
School: Maryland
Previously Drafted: 2013, 29th round by Pirates
Background
Taking a similar path to the draft that Mark Appel did, though with much less fanfare, Maryland right-hander Jake Stinnett bypassed Major League Baseball last year as a junior when the Pirates made him the 869th pick.
This bold strategy is going to pay huge dividends, as Stinnett figures to be an early Day 2 selection. He's also new to pitching, which had to play a role in his decision last year. He started full time in 2013 and really jumped forward this season.
Originally, he split time between the ...
Player: Kyle Schwarber
Drafted by: Chicago Cubs
Position: C/1B
DOB: 3/5/93 (Age: 21)
Height/Weight: 6'0", 240 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/R
School: Indiana University
Previously Drafted: Never drafted
Background
Kyle Schwarber is the kind of player who would have been right at home in the MLB draft 15-20 years ago, when the focus was on finding power-hitting college bats who wouldn't add much, if any, value on defense.
The good news is Schwarber's offensive skill set, most notably his huge raw power, makes him more valuable than ever due to how scarce pop is at the college level. He's come a long way from being an undrafted high school senior, leading the Big Ten in home runs and being ...
When you think of patience and the Chicago Cubs, usually it's about the fans who have waited more than a century to see this lovably inept franchise win a championship. We shouldn't forget about the restraint shown by the new front-office regime, led by Theo Epstein.
In his final season with the Boston Red Sox (2011) and two years since, Epstein has come under fire for leaving that team in the lurch. (This was before Ben Cherington built a title team in 2013.)
How quickly everyone forgets that Epstein was instrumental in building two championship teams for the once-maligned franchise.
Forbes' sports business reporter ...
One of the most exciting parts about being a team in full-blown rebuilding mode is the way it makes spring training infinitely more watchable. Top prospects are going to be given a bigger stage with more opportunities to show fans and teams what the future holds.
For a franchise like the Chicago Cubs, which has been in a perpetual state of rebuilding for more than 100 years, promising fans the future doesn't really mean a lot to them. It should in 2014, because this is as good a farm system as they have had in a long time.
With high-end talent, as ...
Even though the results aren't showing up at Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs are heading in the right direction. It's hard to see when a team is coming off a last-place finish in the National League Central and 96 losses in 2013, but there is a plan in place that will start to bear fruit soon.
General manager Jed Hoyer and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, both entering their third season guiding the Cubs' front office in 2014, took over a disastrous situation with expensive contracts for aging players and no depth or star power in the farm system.
The duo, ...
While the Chicago Cubs are mired in yet another losing season at the MLB level, optimism for the future is as high as it has been in years thanks to the myriad of talent making its way through the upper levels of the minors.
Planted firmly at the top of every Cubs' prospect list is Javier Baez. The 20-year-old was the team's first-round pick (ninth overall) in the 2011 draft and is on the fast track to the big leagues thanks to an incredible performance this year.
After a 4-for-4 night that included two home runs on Wednesday, Baez's season stats between ...
The Chicago Cubs, currently sitting in last place in the National League Central at 25-36, are enduring yet another bad season at the big league level.As hard as it might be for Cubs fans to sit through another bad season—though at this point they really should be used to it, right?—the reasons to get excited are down on the farm. Specifically, star prospect Javier Baez had a game for the ages on Monday night. Playing for the High-A Daytona Cubs, Baez had as close to a perfect night as a hitter can have. He went 4-for-4 with four home runs and ...
Player: Scott FrazierDrafted by: Chicago Cubs (No. 168 overall) Position: RHP DOB: 12/3/1991 (Age: 21) Height/Weight: 6'6"/215 lbs Bats/Throws: R/R School: Pepperdine Previously Drafted: 2010: 5th round by Philadelphia Phillies Background After turning down the Philadelphia Phillies three years ago, Scott Frazier is back in the draft mix this year with a strong chance to go early in the second day. His best tool on the mound is his fastball, which has carried him to this point. Eventually, Frazier's off-speed stuff and command will have to catch up to the heater if he wants to have any sort of sustained career, but there is plenty there to ...
In the pantheon of Major League Baseball stadiums, Wrigley Field ranks at or near the top. Along with Fenway Park, it is one of the last remaining true "old-school stadiums." It is part of the fabric of the city of Chicago and the Cubs franchise. It is also outdated and in desperate need of serious upgrades in order to be a great place to watch a baseball game. Having been to Wrigley several times in my life, there are certain parts of it that you can't and shouldn't touch; the bleachers in the outfield remain the best place in America to watch ...
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