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Starting with Jason Heyward’s nagging hand injury, the Chicago Cubs have had a few players unavailable in the month of May. Addison Russell isn’t starting for his third straight game because of a sore right shoulder and Kris Bryant is missing his second game in a row because of a stomach illness. Both issues aren’t enough to require a move to the disabled list, but because of the unavailability the Cubs’ hand was forced on Saturday. Ian Happ, the No. 2 prospect in their farm system, was called up and is in the starting lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.
Happ was drafted in the first round of the 2015 draft, ninth overall, and he’s hit since the moment he joined the Cubs organization. Two years later, Happ is starting in right field, batting between Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo.
.@ihapp_1 makes his @MLB debut today in St. Louis.
Game preview: https://t.co/N8e0xxaFK0 pic.twitter.com/CqRytwOvPj
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 13, 2017
Take a closer look at the lineup. Not only are six of the starters home grown, but including Happ, four are first round picks drafted by the Cubs and that’s with Bryant on the bench.
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https://twitter.com/LenKasper/status/863464690315390976
Remember when Cubs first round picks used to be complete busts? Not anymore my friends. Every first rounder for the Cubs starting with the 2011 draft has now made it up to Majors with the Cubs. Javier Baez was Jim Hendry’s last pick, but since then Theo Epstein went on a run of selecting Albert Almora Jr., Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ.
Those four Cubs were top-10 picks, three of which are World Series champs, and all have promising careers ahead of them. Consider it luck, or just a great eye for talent by Epstein and the rest of the front office, but they definitely took chances with Schwarber and Happ. Those, so far have worked out, but again let’s not take this for granted. Here are the previous four top-10 picks the Cubs had before Baez in 2011.
Josh Vitters – 3rd overall in 2007
Ryan Harvey – sixth overall in 2003
Mark Prior – 2nd overall in 2001
Luis Montanez – 3rd overall in 2000
Brutal. Mark Prior, who flamed out after 2003, was by far the most successful from the group and Josh Vitters is the only other player to reach the Majors out of the quartet.
So, once again, thank you Theo.
By the way, remember when the Cubs got Addison Russell from the Oakland A’s for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel? Russell, also a first round pick. That was awesome too. Oh and the other player in the trade, Billy McKinney, was used in a trade to get Aroldis Chapman and then the Cubs won the World Series. Pretty cool stuff.
