NEWSLETTER
The 2024 MLB Draft is officially “this” month. You know, because it’s July now. Two weeks away …
A couple new mock drafts to share today, with the MLB Pipeline crew updating their thoughts here. For the Cubs, it’s a new-ish name reaching the Cubs:
“14. Cubs: Trey Yesavage, RHP, East Carolina
Yesavage would be a nice addition to what has become a hitter-heavy Cubs system. (James) Tibbs, (Christian) Moore and (Cam) Smith would be leading hitting contenders, with (Seaver) King, (Ryan) Waldschmidt and Stanford catcher Malcolm Moore also getting looks.”
Yesavage, one of the top college arms in the draft (though pretty clearly behind Chase Burns and Hagen Smith), has frequently been mocked in spots well ahead of the Cubs’ pick at 14. In this version, because so many of the college bats have flown up, and because both of the top two prep bats (Konnor Griffin and Bryce Rainer) get picked in the top 10, Yesavage falls into the Cubs’ lap. Doesn’t mean they’d actually take him in this scenario, but he’s very well-regarded. Wouldn’t be a shock if they were thrilled to get him.
Meanwhile, Baseball America dropped its 5.0 version of the mock, you see some of the same college/prep bat climbing going on, but one of the better second tier college bats still makes it to 14:
“14. Cubs — James Tibbs III, OF, Florida State
College performers are tied to the Cubs most commonly, and the best available of that phylum of player is Tibbs III, who has a chance to go as high as No. 8 and probably won’t last too long beyond this pick. This feels like the high-water point for someone like Malcolm Moore, who would be the first catcher off the board if he was the selection here in this scenario (something I wouldn’t have expected and am not sure is too likely).”
Tibbs is perhaps the most-mocked name to the Cubs throughout the last couple months, and that is probably as much about how the talent pool shakes out as it is about actual behind-the-scenes connections to the Cubs. On paper, Tibbs looks like a good value at this spot, and fits the mold the Cubs have targeted before (up-the-middle, good athletes, has already shown productivity rather than just projection). When he lasts to 14, he’s therefore pretty likely to get mocked to the Cubs.
That’s also maybe the third time Moore has been mentioned in connection with the Cubs, though he winds up going more than a dozen picks later in this draft (so would he be a huge under-slot maneuver by the Cubs?).
Yesavage goes with the next pick in this one, by the way, and Wake Forrest slugger Nick Kurtz goes just before the Cubs. Not sure what the Cubs would do if Kurtz is there for them at 14, given that (1) he’d probably cost way over slot to sign and may totally muck up your draft strategy/prep; and (2) he’s gotta be slipping for a reason.
