MLB draft is a week from today(june 12th)

[beckdawg]

35th Ramirez, Ben Eastlake HS SS L/R HS 6'3" 180lbs

MLB.com 199/BA 259

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
Ramirez made the summer showcase circuit, playing at the Tournament of Stars as well as both the Under Armour All-America Game and the Perfect Game All-American Classic, among other stops. He's continued to show enough things this spring to warrant early-round conversations.

Ramirez has considerable upside and potential at the plate that teams might be interested in adding to their system. When he's right, he's nice and short to the ball, allowing him to drive from the left side of the plate. He tends to fiddle with his stance and listen to too many people, with his swing lengthening as a result. He does have power potential, but he'll need to find a more consistent swing path and use his lower half better. Even with the offensive inconsistencies, Ramirez played very well on the defensive side of things. He has an above-average arm and can reach back for more when he needs it. He has the range and athleticism -- he plays high school basketball as well -- to start out as a shortstop, though a move to third is likely as he continues to grow and fill out.

Signability might be an issue for Ramirez, who has a commitment to attend Southern Cal should the Draft not go his way. But a team willing to roll the dice early enough and be patient with his development could get a solid all-around third baseman when all is said and done.

 

[beckdawg]

36th Allen, Tanner UMS Wright Prep School CF L/R HS 5'11" 180lb

 

[beckdawg]

So just some random thoughts as we draw toward the close. Cubs have taken

Brandon Hughes(240 BA)
Bryce Bonnin(73 BA)
Kier Meredith(215 BA)
Ramsey Romano(494 BA)
Hunter Ruth(135 BA)
Andrew Karp(253 BA)
Ben Ramirez(259 BA)

... so far today. Now that's not all that unusual. Teams do take unsignable guys at the end of the draft. What I find odd is how many the cubs have taken. Romano, Hughes, and Karp are all college JRs so they may have a decent shot at them. But the fact there's still several other high quality HS players makes me wonder if they have more money to play around with to maybe grab one of these guys.

 

[beckdawg]

37th Cornwell, Alex Maranatha HS LHP L/L HS -- 6'1" 175lbs

BA had him 498 so add him to the list above of guys who may be signable. Also looks like Bryce Bonnin is already saying he isn't signing.

 

[beckdawg]

38th Smith, Russell Midlothian HS LHP L/L HS -- 6'9" 230l

BA 455 so yeah yet another guy. I'm wondering if they are loading up on guys in the high hundreds and just spreading a bunch of money out rather than going hard on one guy.

 

[beckdawg]

39th Coldiron, Cooper U Houston IF R/R JR -- 6'1" 190lbs

 

[beckdawg]

woo #40 and we're done time to get signing!

Passantino, Jeffrey Lipscomb U RHP R/R JR -- 5'9" 225lbs

 

[DanTown]

I assume the Cubs are looking to sign one, maybe two of the guys in the 30s who are clearly top 10 round talents but might have some signing issues.

 

[beckdawg]

I assume the Cubs are looking to sign one, maybe two of the guys in the 30s who are clearly top 10 round talents but might have some signing issues.

http://ccdt.webs.com/

^is a hand guide. Looks like several of the HS guys have already indicated they don't plan to sign. Those being Bryce Bonnin, Joe Donovan, Tanner Allen, and Alex Cornwell. That does still leave them with Brandon Hughes(240 BA) who I'm guessing signs given he was taken in the 16th round, Kier Meredith(215 BA) who seems to be on the fence from the stuff I've read but seemed like he was expecting 3rd-5th round money which may be doable, Ramsey Romano(494 BA) who would seem unlikely to return for his SR year if the cubs can get in the 200k range, Hunter Ruth(135 BA) who had TJS, Andrew Karp(253 BA) also a college JR who seems obtainable, Ben Ramirez(259 BA) seems unlike, and Russell Smith(455 BA) also seems unlikely.

I'd be pretty happy if they got 3 or 4 of those guys. Kier Meredith seems pretty interesting with 80 grade speed and CF ability. Karp seems like a guy who's probably a good draft low candidate if they can get him signed. Hunter Ruth seems like a good gamble that someone might be worried about TJS recovery. I'm pretty sure they sign Hughes as mentioned. If they get those 4 I'd be really happy.

 

[beckdawg]

Looking like they did manage to nab Ramsey Romano which is a decent get for the 31st round(BA 494 at the 945th pick).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVYqkbjB9ADs699R1loyTKemuCWPi7VePomBGc0/

Also their top 20 rounds are looking fairly likely to sign at this point.