11th Round (323): Matt Rose, 3B, Georgia State. A junior this past year, Rose was ranked 274 in BA’s top 500 list, and comes with big power (his 16 homers this year were fourth in the nation) from the right side. He also pitched at Georgia State, but, given that Rose was announced as a third baseman, the implication there is that that’s where he would start with the Cubs. Rose won all kinds of awards for his performance in the Sun Belt this year, hitting .289/.391/.613. He struck out 43 times in 204 at bats, and he walked 31 times.
This is exactly the kind of pick the Cubs have taken here in recent years, bucking the trend of over slot reaches in the early going on day three. Instead, the Cubs take a more typical draftee that they really like and actually want to sign, and don’t want to be gone later on in the draft.
And Chris Crawford seems to agree:
12th Round (353): P.J. Higgins, 2B, Old Dominion. Another positional college junior, and another ranked prospect (474 to BA). While he played a variety of positions in college, BA thinks he’s a catcher at the next level, though the Cubs announced him as a second baseman. He hit .335/.402/.452 this year, with 25 walks to just 16 strikeouts. This is clearly another college guy the Cubs simply like, and his versatility could make him an intriguing player going forward.
13th Round (383): Kyle Twomey, LHP, USC. And yet another junior, Twomey is 172 to BA and was a 3rd rounder back in 2012 as a quality prep prospect. He didn’t sign, and has trended the wrong direction since then. Still, he’s a lefty who can throw in the low-90s and has developing secondaries. He had a 2.88 ERA over 93.2 innings this year, striking out 68 and walking 38.
14th Round (413): Jake Kelzer, RHP, Indiana. Yup, another college guy, and Kelzer is a redshirt sophomore. He’s a big dude at 6’8″, 230 lbs. He threw 73 innings this year mostly as a starter, posting a 3.95 ERA and struck out 57. He walked 31, so there are obviously some refinements to be worked out. He would have been caught by Kyle Schwarber last year, so you’ve got to figure that the Cubs saw him plenty. I like the body (only in the draft and prospecting world do you get to say that), so there’s something to dream on.
15th Round (443): Scott Effross, RHP, Indiana. Hey, it’s Kelzer’s teammate. He’s a junior, and he was dominant last year as a sophomore, again, when the Cubs would have been seeing him plenty. Pitching mostly as a reliever this year, Effross posted a 2.35 ERA over 61.1 innings, striking out 51 and walking just 9.
16th Round (473): Michael Foster, CF, Northeastern. As a redshirt junior this year, Foster hit .343/.426/.490, and stole 10 of 12 bases, so he’s got a little speed. Although he played in the infield at Northeaster, the Cubs listed him as a center fielder for the purposes of the draft.
17th Round (503): Casey Bloomquist, RHP, Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo. At 6’3″ 190lbs, Bloomquist has just about ideal starter size, and he was ranked 382 to BA. He looked like a potentially big-time prospect after his sophomore season, but didn’t progress this past year, according to BA. Still, he could be a future back-of-the-rotation type, with nice sink on his low-90s fastball. He had a 2.84 ERA over 98 innings this year, striking out 78 and walking 29.
Cubs are on a bit of a run of pitcher, eh?
18th Round (533): John Cresto, 3B, California (HS). The Cubs’ first high schooler of day three, Cresto was ranked 364 by BA, and is committed to Santa Clara. He’s a really big kid at 6’3″ 210 lbs, and projects to have some power, according to BA.
19th Round (563): Kyle Miller, RHP, Florida Atlantic. Another college junior, he posted a 3.62 ERA over 82 innings, striking out 62 and walking 18. Miller is 6’2″ 170 lbs.
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