The Smartest Pick Cubs Made in 2020 MLB Draft
The Chicago Cubs have a stacked roster, but it is no secret the team doesn't plan to pay all its stars. Kris Bryant and the team are on bad terms over his service-time grievance and he could be the first big name to go.
That made the 2020 MLB Draft an important one for the Cubs. The team decided to stick to their board and keep things simple in the first round. The result was taking not only a top high school player, but one who grew up near Wrigley Field, one of many factors making this their smartest selection.
With the 16th overall pick of the 2020 #MLBDraft, the #Cubs select @CaravanBaseball SS Ed Howard, No. 15 on the Top 200 Draft Prospects list: https://t.co/SLD5rlTR8X
— MLB Draft (@MLBDraft) June 11, 2020
Watch live: https://t.co/cmm19LFrdg pic.twitter.com/xmEUW0C5x2
Ed Howard was born in 2002, if you want to feel old, and went to Mount Carmel High School in Chicago. The Cubs were extra smart here because it is next to impossible for a hometown kid to turn down this opportunity and go play college baseball. Howard had a commitment to Oklahoma before being drafted, but now slots in as a slick-fielding Cubs top prospect at a position of need, pending signature.
Jeff Passan says he got a text from a scout saying (on the Cubs picking Ed Howard) "this is the best pick of the draft so far." pic.twitter.com/zFSG85mfVa
— Matt Clapp (@TheBlogfines) June 11, 2020
Howard represented the Chicago area in the Little League World Series and has the chance to be a legend in the city.
Javy Baez is currently holding down the shortstop position, but he is set to be a free agent in 2022 and is not going to be cheap. Howard may have been drafted with that in mind. Either way, the Cubs kept it simple, and the front office took a top player without having to send a scout outside of the city limits.