2018 MLB Draft

[CubsFaninMN]

And the Yankees take Seigler. Cubs are in the clock.

 

[chibears55]

Lol...

Yanks takes the kid with the stars in his shoes

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[CubsFaninMN]

And the Cubs take...

Nico Hoerner!

 

[beckdawg]

Nico makes a bunch of sense to me. Really good hit tool. one of the best in the draft.

 

[CubsFaninMN]

Hoerner is a 21-year-old Junior at Stanford, SS, R/R, 200 lbs.

 

[chibears55]

Cubs drafted Zobrist replacement in a couple years...lol

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[CubsFaninMN]

Nico makes a bunch of sense to me. Really good hit tool. one of the best in the draft.

Kewl! You figure the system will try to make him into an outfielder, seeing as we're glutted in infield right now at the ML level?

 

[beckdawg]

Fangraphs has these ratings

35 / 55 hit 30 / 40 raw power 50 / 50 game power 70 / 70 run 45 / 50 field 50 / 50 arm

Nico Hoerner
TLDR
Non-traditional look at shortstop but makes all the routine plays. A 70 runner who makes hard line drive contact.

Full Report
Some teams think Hoerner makes it work at shortstop despite non-traditional actions and an awkward-looking throwing motion, others see him as a better fit at either second or, because of his speed, center field. His speed, the type of contact Hoerner generates and his potentially diverse defensive future look similar to DBacks utility man, Chris Owings. He'll likely come off thoe board late in round one or in the comp round.

MLB.com rating

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

A three-year starter at Stanford, Hoerner played second during his freshman year. He's moved over to the left side of the infield to play short the last two seasons, raising his profile in the process. A strong Cape Cod League with the bat has carried over to solid performance on a top-rated team this spring, increasing his Draft stock in the process.

Hoerner has a pretty good track record of performing well for an extended period of time, perhaps saving his best year for the right time in terms of the Draft. He can impact the baseball consistently, with an advanced approach at the plate, and while the numbers don't necessarily reflect it, there is some power for him to tap into. Hoerner runs fairly well, though he isn't overly fluid in his actions. That leads to some questions about his ability to stay at shortstop, with some seeing a return to second base in his future.

College hitters who perform typically move up boards as the Draft approaches, and that's exactly what has happened with Hoerner. He's like a slightly less fluid version of Ian Kinsler, with the potential to be an offensive-minded second baseman at the highest level.

 

[beckdawg]

For reference, in terms of future grade on hit tool the 55 fangraphs had on him was one of 4 players they rated with 55 and the only one higher than 55 was Madrigal who went top 5.

 

[Bigfoot]

Like the pick, versatile kid who puts the ball in play. I thought I heard MLBN say had 22k in 57 games.

 

[chibears55]

Kewl! You figure the system will try to make him into an outfielder, seeing as we're glutted in infield right now at the ML level?

He gonna be another guy they bounce around like Happ....
Middle infield and outfield

Looks to be more of a contact hitter then power, which is fine with me, what I hoped for

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[beckdawg]

Nico's college stats for those interested

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=201654

One caveat.... college numbers can be sorta insane compared to what you're used to seeing but stanford plays good competition

 

[TL1961]

Kewl! You figure the system will try to make him into an outfielder, seeing as we're glutted in infield right now at the ML level?

We lead the league in white middle infielders.

 

[TL1961]

Nico's college stats for those interested

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=201654

One caveat.... college numbers can be sorta insane compared to what you're used to seeing but stanford plays good competition

The first tweet I saw the person who sent it said he had him as a second rounder.

 

[beckdawg]

The first tweet I saw the person who sent it said he had him as a second rounder.

He's been in the 30 range in rankings I've seen but that's a bit misleading. The problem is there's a LOT of hs arms in the 15-30 range and those are really risky picks. In terms of upside they are probably higher than Nico but he's a pretty safe pick and I suspect he might be a slightly under slot deal which would open up a tad bit of money for their later picks in round 2(they have 3). Going safe there is fine by me so long as they get some upside with 2 of the 3 remaining day 1 picks.

 

[chibears55]

Javy Jr.. kid definately has a strong arm...

Check out @StanfordBSB’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/StanfordBSB/status/1003814203667374080?s=09

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[CubsFaninMN]

Javy Jr.. kid definately has a strong arm...

Check out @StanfordBSB’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/StanfordBSB/status/1003814203667374080?s=09

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Also Javy, Jr. when it comes to plate discipline. What was it in his third year, 200-some plate appearances and 17 walks? It worked out to an OBP about 35 points above his average.

 

[chibears55]

Let remember..
He probably starts out in South Bend and is most likely 2020 or 2021 ETA
depending on how he does..

Just saying dont scratch your head trying to figure out where he fits in with this group...lol

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

[CubsFaninMN]

Houston got the guy with the best name of the night thus far -- Seth Beer!

 

[CubsFaninMN]

And the Indians win the alliterative name contest by drafting Noah Naylor...