The day 1 draft pick of Hayden Simpson caused an uproar all throughout the Interwebs in both Cub and Non Cub sites. Let me go on record that I don't mind the pick, per se, just where Simpson was picked. I think the Cubs should have waited until the 3rd round to select him. I am hopeful that Simpson will turn into a useful player but unless he turns into a near stud, I don't think good teams gamble like this in the first round.

Having said that, it actually kept me up last night trying to figure out what Tim Wilken was doing with the pick. I have concluded this. All of the players available to the Cubs had some flaws. They were asking too much money. They needed to be moved from their current position. They had command issues. They lacked power or speed or they had a hole in their swing. They threw too many pitches in college and were injury risks.They didn't have great stuff. Selecting any of them would have been somewhat risky also. I am referring to guys like Alex Wimmers, Asher Wojciechowski, Anthony Ranuado, Zach Cox, Josh Sales, Justin O'Connor.

Now each of those players profiled as a first round pick and I'd have gone that route but each of them has some flaws in their game. There were no slamdunk picks at 16 here. So I think Wilken looked at Simpson. He saw someone who was refined, could throw hard and had a ton of success in college and decided he wanted him. He figured, hey, all the other prospects here have issues that are making us not take them. Why not take Simpson? I think the fact that he heard rumblings about the Angels, who had like 86 first round picks, considering taking him forced his hand.

I don't like the pick, but that's the justification I'm going with.

Today is Day 2 and they will be picking through the 30th round. I will enter picks in here with some commentary from Andy Seiler's Bonus Baby Site as the Cubs make their pick. I will stop after round 10. Maybe the second round pick will be a highly projectible player who has big time signing bonus expectations like AJ Cole, Stetson Allie or Austin Wilson. I'm done speculating on what the Cubs will do.

Round 2: Reggie Golden OF Wetumka HS (WA): Here's some video from MLB.com. I like this pick a lot more than the first round choice. Golden is a high risk, high reward player. Judging by his size, he has compared to Ron Gant. In the video you can see him popping a HR at Wrigley Field. Feels right. Just saying.

Round 3: Micah Gibbs C LSU: Switch hitting catcher who is quite good defensively. He showed big time power this last year but there appears to be a question about whether or not he will have the bat speed necessary to play catcher regularly in the majors. I'm happy with him and will have some video soon. I think the Cubs needed catching depth in their system. Unless you're a Wellington Castillo fan (or God help you, a Robinson Chirinos fan), Gibbs immedietely becomes the top catching prospect in the system.

Round 4: Hunter Ackerman LHP Louisburg Junior College (NC). I'll copy and paste the scouting report from Andy Seiler here:

“Hunter Ackerman is a short left-handed junior college pitcher from Louisburg Junior College in North Carolina. Ackerman originally came to Louisburg from Cosby High School in Midlothian, Virginia, which is just outside of Richmond. He wasn’t much of a prospect at all coming out of high school, and most teams barely gave him a second thought last spring, so he went undrafted. He landed at Louisburg, where he’s put together an excellent freshman campaign. That campaign has gotten him more scouting attention, and he’s no longer an unknown name. As with most junior college freshmen, the leverage he has is enormous, so he could easily fall down draft boards, but there’s plenty of reason to think that he could start his career as soon as the draft is over. He has a ceiling as a possible number five starter or middle reliever, and that is quite obtainable in fairly short order. His fastball is an average pitch that sits 87-89, and he gets good sink on it, making him a groundball pitcher. He adds in a potential average curveball that needs more zip behind it, and his last pitch is a potential solid-average changeup, meaning he shouldn’t be useless against right-handed hitters if he ends up having a career in the bullpen. This is no LOOGY. He has built up enough draft stock to become a seventh to twelfth round pick on talent, but if his leverage as a freshman comes into play, he’ll likely be a late-round pick with interest for next year.”

Not sure what to think about this. I do think this is where you pick the players you fall in love with. Ackerman may be a signability question mark here. I think if he asks for too much, he isn't the guy you throw Samardzija money at.

Round Five: Matt Szczur OF Villanova. Now this is what I'm talking about. I knew nothing about this player prior to the draft (just like Haydon Simpson) but this is a Simpson-esque pick. He is fast and hit really well at Villanova. He was a wide receiver on the Villanova football team so this article asks the obvious questioin and appears that not only does Szczur consider himself a baseball player, he says he only considers himself a baseball player. Going in the fifth round, he might get higher than slot money but who cares, the Cubs can afford it.

According the article, he was considered by Baseball America to be the second fastest runner among all college positon players eligible to be drafted and he put up some gaudy numbers. This is my favorite pick of the draft and to think the Cubs got this guy in round five....

Round Six: Ivan DeJesus OF Cupeyville School (PR) Puerto Rican OF with the famous name. Here is a picture of him and notes from his commitment to UAB to play baseball. My read on him is that he is very raw with quite an upside if the Cubs can sign him away from UAB. This is the second high school player the Cubs have taken in the draft after Reggie Golden.

Round Seven: Ben Wells RHP RHP Bryant HS (AR) Can't find too much on him yet. Seems to be a big right hander out of high school. Picked seventh, my gut tells me he doesn't sign. Who knows. Only comment from Andy Seiler was "I don't like this pick at all". I'll see what I can get when I do a complete wrap up in a couple of days.

Round Eight: Cameron Greathouse LHP/OF Gulf Coast CC (Fl) In my cursory look, this is a better selection than Wells. I did see video of him and I'm no scout but I think this guy needs to really clean up his motion or else he's going to hurt his shoulder. Apparently he's also an outfield prospect with a little upside there also.

Sweet Lou unveiled the "new look" Cubs lineup today in an effort to ignite a stagnant Cubs offense.  The new look yielded the same results and two all too familiar culprits.

Randy Wells churned out another quality start by allowing an earned run on six hits and two walks over six innings.  It looked like things were about to fall apart in the fifth inning when Wells loaded the bases with two outs and subsequently allowed a run-scoring infield single to Luis Castillo.  However, Wells was able to strike out an over-eager David Wright on three pitches to end the threat and the inning.

Lou went to the bullpen in the seventh inning, and like a match to a powderkeg, the fireworks promptly began for the Mets.  Feeling left out from the rest of the pen, the previously unscored upon James Russell served up a home run to Angel Pagan immediately after beaning Jose Reyes on an 0-2 pitch.  And the fun didn't stop there.  With two outs in the inning, Lou brought in implosion specialist Jeff Samardzija who promptly issued a walk to David Wright and a double off of the wall by Jason Bay.  Even Sean Marshall got in on the fun in the seventh by allowing an RBI single to future Hall of Famer Ike Davis (he has a career batting average of .500!) and allowed a run to score on a wild pitch to the next batter.

There isn't much to say that hasn't already been said about the bullpen woes of the Cubs.  It's thirteen games into the season and the roles in the bullpen are about as defined as they were coming into Spring Training.  The Shark looks like he has no idea where his release point is at and really needs to be put on the first bus down to Iowa to get some substantive instruction (like: how a sinker is supposed to sink).  With Andrew Cashner dominating hitters in Double A (3 GS, 17.1 IP, 5 ER, 25:4 K:BB) and the instability of the club's MLB bullpen, I think it is safe to begin the "Cashner Watch" (in spite of this) He was a very good closer for TCU, and I believe he could be useful at the major league level.

Then again it's not like the offense helped Wells out tonight, either.  On a positive note, the new leadoff hitter Marlon Byrd went 3-4 with an RBI and the oft-criticized Alfonso Soriano went 2-4 (albiet, with a double that could have been streched out if he hustled).  Byrd's comfort in the leadoff spot may have something to do with the fact that he spent a fair amount of time in that spot during his time with the Phils.  It seems that some Chicago sports personalities are against the move, as they believe Byrd is more valuable in a lower lineup spot because he is 'clutch'.  Considering the Cubs could use any spark possible at the top of the lineup, I think Byrd did a fine job of working the count and setting the table; both qualities I attribute to a successful leadoff hitter.

Aside from Byrd and Soriano, all the other offensive statistics are appaling.  The team went 1-10 with runners in scoring position.  The 3-4-5 hitters went 1-11 with two walks.  Aramis Ramirez continued his frigid start to the season with an 0-4 showing which dropped his average to .157.  Even more troubling, Ramirez only saw a total of 14 pitches in his 4 AB's.  It seems like Ramirez is pressing right now and the Cubs as a whole are suffering because of it.

On a positive note, Theodore Roosevelt Lilly allowed only one run over seven innings in his final rehab start for Class A Peoria.  He threw 88 pitches in the outing and stuck out nine batters while only walking one.  Theodore, well aware of the offensive struggles in his absence and always the consummate team player, even attempted a stolen base.  It looks like he will make his first start with the big club on Sunday against the Brewers.

Tomorrow the Cubs look to even the series against right hander Mike Pelfrey.  Lou may not trot out the new look lineup tomorrow, but hopefully the end result will be different.

The Cubs leave Atlanta and head to Cincinnasty with a 1-2 record. Things could be worse, and they most certainly could be better.

The team lost on Opening Day, in a game where Carlos Zambrano decided to stop pitching and start throwing fastball after fastball. Presumably, the idea was to generate a bunch of contact early in counts, and hope batted balls turned into outs instead of towering home runs to right field.

We all know how that went.

Carlos will have a chance to bring his ERA down from 54.00 on Saturday, in Game 2 of this upcoming series with the Reds. In fact, if he manages to allow one or fewer runs in 7.2 or more innings pitched, it'll come all the way down to below 9.00. For what that's worth.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Game 1: Carlos Silva vs. Homer Bailey

I thought all along that Silva would be stashed in the 'pen as a long reliever, and that Gorzo and Marshall would take over starting duties until Mr. L-to-the-Illy came back. But here we are on the fourth game of the 2010 season, with Silva the Hutt slated to start.

Whether he wins or loses, Silva will probably give up several hits -- maybe six or seven in six innings pitched. He won't strike many batters out, and the difference between winning and losing may come down to how many walks he gives up. We want singles and ground ball outs, not walks and fly balls. A lot like Randy Wells, actually.

Also, Alfonso Soriano has three hits in as many at-bats against Homer Bailey. Just saying.

I bet the final score is 6-4. One team will win and the other will not win.

Game 2: Carlos Zambrano vs. Aaron Harang

So like I was saying, Big Z gets a chance to redeem himself on Saturday, as he faces Aaron Harang for the billionth time in his career.

I'll predict Carlos gives up four in six, Harang gives up three in seven, and that Jeff Samardzija puts this one out of reach for the Cubs, allowing two or three runs himself in an inning of relief.

Game 3: Tom Gorzelanny vs. Mike Leake

Again, I find myself saying, "As long as he doesn't walk a bunch of batters he'll be fine." No doi, AJ. But it's really true of Gorzo, also. He's not gonna rack up strikeouts, and he has OK stuff. His problems always seem to happen when he walks five or six batters in the midst of a five or six inning start.

I'm gonna guess he walks three, and gives up several runs -- but that it won't matter, because the Cubs are facing a rookie right-hander, a class of pitcher that always seems to confound them. They might not score more than two runs against Leake.

For pessimism's sake, I'll suppose the Reds win the first game, giving the Cubs a second consecutive series loss and a 2-4 record by the time they get home.

I'll be especially pissed if Theriot strikes out four more times or Grabow issues three more walks, but I'll probably be able to forget absolutely everything bad about this series if Tyler Colvin stays hot and does some cool stuff.

I love Tyler Colvin. There, I said it.

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Yesterday, we talked about how Jim Hendry gives out big contracts. Well, today's subject is no different. Jeff Samardzija was given a huge deal out of Notre Dame to skip the NFL entirely. It was a great deal for Jeff. For the Cubs? Well, that verdict is still out.

Samardzija has been tossed around more than a toddler would a Raggedy-Anne doll. The Cubs don't seem to know what they want him to do. Starter-Reliever-Starter-Reliever-Starter-----no back to Reliever....you get the point. It really showed last year when "The Shark" was all out of whack. Samardzija threw 34 2/3 innings last year with a 7.53 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP, which was, well, terrible for any pitcher. Even more so for one being paid like a Major Leaguer.

Samardzija really hasn't pitched great at any level, expect two years ago with the Cubs. Most of that was probably because the hitters hadn't seen his stuff. He has struggled with his control, which will keep him from reaching his goals if he can't locate pitches.

This season the Cubs are going to let him battle for one of the two starting spots open with Ted Lilly still rehabbing his shoulder. He pitched the other day and threw two scoreless inning, but gave up a walk, a hit and hit somebody as well. I still think that Samardzija's best place will be in the pen, but he still has to learn control. WIth Guzman out of the picture now, it looks like he will at least break camp with the Cubs.

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Even though the Worldwide Leader was providing video to a national audience, I have to say--this game was difficult to watch. I myself was done around the same time as Samardzija was.

Since I didn't watch the entire play-by-play, let's look at the box score, which should be telling enough.

Samardzija: 3.1 IP, 7 ER
Marshall: 3.1 IP, 5 ER

Not surprising. Having said that, it's almost infuriating how much this team is jerking around these two quality young arms. Fact: Jeff Samardjiza is not ready to pitch in the major leagues! Fact: Sean Marshall is a reliever! Guh.

Here's another good one, related to pitch count:

Pitches-strikes: Marmol 12-9

At least we know the kid's CAPABLE of throwing strikes. Now if only he could chill the eff out and do it when the game is on the line. I wonder if Marmol will get any better when the Cubs have a new manager (read: next year).

On offense, no one really stood out. Theriot got three singles; Fuld got a hit in his pinch hitting appearance; Fukudome had another double. A bunch of "meh," really.

So here we are, another game back. That whole thing I mentioned yesterday about "running out of time?" Yeah, that's still in effect.

Go Cubs!!!

Following yesterday's Fuld-for-Miles move, the Cubs have another roster swap to announce.

According to ESPN.com, the Cubs will send Jose Ascanio back to Iowa, and will recall fan favorite Jeff Samardzija to replace him. Samardzija will operate out of the bullpen for the Cubs.

In terms of pure stuff, it seems like Samardzija should have Wells' rotation spot, and Wells should be in the 'pen. But Wells has done nothing but succeed while pitching as a starter, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Jeff's issue has always been control, and if you check his player page with the Iowa Cubs, you'll see that he's still been walkin' dudes, even in his past few games. Hopefully he's able to throw strikes at the major league level.

As a refresher, here's our current bullpen:

Gregg (CL)
Marmol (SU)
Heilman
Marshall
Hart
Patton
Samardzija

Getting Guzman back from the DL will make that a pretty serviceable group, if you ask me.

Quick Links: The Great Shark Debate, by Goat Reader HarryCaray
The Top 20 Cubs Prospects - #1 Jeff Samardzija
2008 Season Recap - Jeff Samardzija
The Big 25 for 2009, as I see it

Editor's note: This article was originally going to be written by Byron, who chose instead to go MIA.  I'm calling him out for shirking his duties as a part of our new cruelty policy. 

Meet the next generation's Kerry Wood -- conditional upon a whole bunch of statements that start with the word "hopefully."  Like, Hopefully, Jeff Samardzija will be able to dominate NL hitters the same way that Kerry Wood used to before his arm tried to make a runner.  Hey, speaking of that, Hopefully, Jeff Samardzija won't suffer from all the debilitating arm injuries that Kerry Wood had.  Hopefully, he's ready sooner rather than later.  Hopefully.

One of the things I really appreciate about the Shark is that he really wants to be a Cub.  He's like us, but with an arm that can throw lightning and luxurious hair.  When he decided to be a baseball player for the Cubs, he demanded a no-trade clause.  And he has so much potential that the Cubs gave him what he wanted. 

In his first major league season, the Shark was a late-season call-up and he immediately joined Carlos Marmol in the ranks of awesome setup man.  In 27.2 innings, he went 1-0 with an ERA of 2.28 and 25 strikeouts.  The only point of concern is his control, or lack thereof.  There were times - especially toward the end of the year - where his control evaporated and he wasn't at all effective.  In September alone, Samardzija threw 8.1 innings, and he walked 8 while only striking out 6.  Ugly.

This year, it looks as if he's going to start the season in Iowa.  That's fine with us.  His 5 strikeouts and 2 walks in 8 innings of work are respectable; his ERA of 6.75 isn't.  He has options, though, and it won't be a bad thing for the Shark to get at least a few starts under his belt against Triple A hitting before he either steps in for Rich Harden or replaces an ineffective Sean Marshall/Aaron Heilman/whomever. 

Either way, Samardzija will probably - or at least hopefully, anyway - play a big role on the Cubs for the next long while.  But for the sakes of our stomach ulcers, it's probably not a bad thing that the Cubs are so deep in pitching that they're not relying on him.  Carlos Zambrano aside - and really, he sort of snuck up on us - the last few Great Pitching Hopes have either somersaulted into failure (Harkey) or just plain never lived up to the hype (Gonzalez, Wood, Prior, Cruz, etc. etc. etc. etc.).  Samardzija definitely has his own share of hype to deal with, but for once the Cubs are already strong without their future prospective ace.  For once, this guy is not the cake but instead may be the icing. 

Since nothing new was posted today, I thought I'd briefly mention a Tribune article which states that Jeff Samardzija will get a shot at starting in 2009.  According to Paul Sullivan of the Tribune, whose article is linked in the previous sentence, it's his gig to lose. 

Unfortunately for him, there's a lot of politicking involved in any decision.  If he wins the role, the Cubs probably won't have room for Angel Guzman, who's likely to be cut.  If he loses the role, he can be sent to Iowa where he'll get to hone his craft while other guys who want to be a starter will continue to get their chance.

I'd have to say that Shark would need to out pitch his rivals by a wide margin to actually start the season in the rotation.  But as I posted earlier this past week, he'd be my first choice unless he lost it by a wide margin.

Perhaps the biggest wild card you can find anywhere on the entire Cubs' team roster going into 2009 is Jeff Smardzija.  Some feel he should start in AAA as a starter and be called up later to be used when/as needed.  Still some hold the belief that he should begin the season in MLB as a strong foundation in the set-up bridge that gets the ball to Carlos Marmol.  Its a tough decision for any organization to face.  Samardzija certainly can provide a valuable arm in the bullpen immediately, but many feel his long-term career path will take shape as a starter.  So its quite a toss-up.  Does the team leave him in AAA at the detriment of the bullpen and valuable outs late in games?  Or do you work with what's currently in the bullpen and let Samardzija develop as a starter in AAA?

Samardzija just turned 24 years old, and he's a big kid at 6'5" 220 lbs.  He possesses an above average fastball at this point, which he featured at 94.7mph on average, in nearly 70% of the pitches he threw in relief on the big league team in 08.  He also has a few secondary pitches that need to be further developed, but its a clear possibility that both his slider and split-finger pitches could soon be plus pitches.  Also his 56.5% first pitch strike rate is good with room for improvement in the future as well.  The strikeouts will always be there for this kid, but if he can cut down on the walks he will be tough in any role.

As a a reliever -MLB-   27.7IP, 25K, 15BB, 1W, 1S, 2.28ERA

As a starter in the minors his numbers were a little less than stellar until he arrived in AAA in 2008.  For the most part his ERA was in the high four's for the brunt of his innings in A and AA from 06-08. There is little argument that he was able to turn things around from the time he arrived in AAA going (4-1) which then launched him into the Cubs' bullpen in late July.  There is little doubt that Samardzija's arm can be utilitzed by the cubs major league team in the very near future, however, its still unclear what level the Shark lands at or what role he can play in the teams' success in 2009.

It’s currently 4 a.m. and I’m surfing Jeff Samardzisoiajsdkj’s (that was actually easier than trying to type his real name) personal website, so cut me a little slack if my grammar is lacking.

Wait what’s that I just said about a Samardzija website? Did you hear that correctly? Yes friends, young Jeff does indeed have his own website and here it is. Enjoy it and all its Modest Mouse glory. Seems a bit much for someone who has only pitched 27.2 innings of big league baseball, but so does a no-trade clause in your first professional contract.

Anyway, Samardzija made his first and somewhat highly anticipated MLB appearance of the season on July 25 against the Marlins and Cubs fans instantly fell in love despite the fact that he blew a save in said game. Maybe it was his flowing locks or his high 90’s fastball, but the collective boner Cubs nation got lasted for much longer than any male enhancement pill could ever provide. Maybe we should see a doctor?

Lou seemed to find a nice spot for the hard-throwing righty somewhere around the seventh inning(depending on the situation) and he would often use Jeff as a lead in to fellow flamethrower Carlos Marmol. While command was an issue at times, Samardzija provided some fire and timely strikeouts from the ‘pen. He wasn’t as dominating or intimidating as the aforementioned Marmol, but he was a nice appetizer for the bigger meal to come.

Despite struggling in the Cubs minor league system, Samardzija was called up from Iowa to replace a shelved Kerry Wood who was suffering from a blister on his throwing hand. Many thought Jeff would return to the land of corn soon after Wood’s return, but the move proved to be a permanent one and a good one at that.

While Jeff’s success might have come as surprised based on his minor league performances, maybe we all underestimated his ability to play in front of a large crowd. Unlike so many young players, Samardzija already had a wealth of experiences in playing before huge stadiums from his days as a member of Touchdown Jesus. In a way, maybe the Wrigley crowd helped him. Maybe he felt more at home on a mound in front of 40,000 people.

In the brief time that the Cubs have been in the postseason, Samardzija’s name has already come up several times as a possible piece of a trade that would bring San Diego’s ace Jake Peavy to the North Side, but now those rumors seem to be dead as Jeff was unwilling to waive his no-trade clause. Supposedly the Cubs are now exploring the idea of letting Samardzija compete for a spot in the rotation.

While I find this idea intriguing, I feel there are many factors that could affect Jeff’s role next season – namely the status of Peavy and Ryan Dempster. With Kerry Wood now out as a member of the Cubs, it also becomes more important for Samardzija to stay in the bullpen and perhaps take on the role of set-up guy if the Cubs are to use Marmol as their closer.
Either way, 2009 is sure to be a much more important year for Samardzija than 2008. Based on what we’ve seen (which is not much) that might be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your point of view.

Don’t worry though. If he sucks then the Cubs can just trade him away…oh wait.