The Worst Draft of the

Posted by Lionel on June 20, 2009.

The Cubs have had some terrible drafts in their history. But with the news of a previous 6th rounder being released this week, I thought it was time to revisit the issue and see just what was the worst draft the Cubs have had since we stopped using 19 at the beginning of our year.
The '02 draft
To say that the Cubs had the potential for a great draft would be an understatement. 10 picks in the first 4 rounds. No, that wasn't a typo, 10 picks. But it got better. The Cubs had a first round pick plus 3 supplemental first rounders, giving them 4 of the first 41 picks. The Cubs used those four picks on 4 pitchers. All would eventually get released before making to the majors.
But really, that wasn't a terrible draft, it just hurt because of all the top picks. The Cubs 2nd round pick was Justin Jones, who was the minor leaguer sent to the Twins in the 4 team trade tornado that landed the Cubs Nomar and Murton. Their 3rd round pick was Billy Petrick, who made 8 relief appearances for the Cubs in 2007. One of their two 4th round picks was Rich Hill. Some of you may even remember their 9th rounder, Adam Greenburg. Greenburg was the kid who got called up by the Cubs and in his first AB, was plunked on the head and had to be D.L'd. In the 14th round, they picked Rocky Cherry, who also made it to the Cubs in '07 as a reliever. Micah Hoffpauir (13th round) and Randy Wells (38th round) are still on the Cubs.
The '04 Draft
Nearly the opposite of the '02 Draft, the Cubs were left shorthanded after "losing" their 1st round pick to the Twins for signing free agent LaTroy Hawkins (if it's any comfort, the Twins selection didn't do anything). The Notre Dame connection came into play for the first time when the Cubs selected Grant Johnson in the 2nd round. He, along with 3 of the next 4 picks, are no longer in the system, and Mark Reed (the 3rd rounder who still is in the Cubs system) has a career .233 BA in the minors.
But there were a few bright spots. 8th rounder Eric Patterson and 11th rounder Sean Gallagher landed the Cubs Rich Harden. In another deal with the A's, 17th rounder Jerry Blevins was thrown in the deal that sent Rob Bowen to the A's and Jason Kendall to the Cubs. Sam Fuld was the Cubs 10th round pick and a guy who played in 14 games for the '07 club. He is still in the system.
'05 Draft
This draft was the worst of the millenium, hands down. Like '02, the Cubs selected pitchers with each of their first four picks. And like '02, the Cubs had an extra pick early on, albeit a 3rd round pick. And unfortunately like '02, none of the 4 pitchers are still in the system, although Donald Veal and Mark Holliman were lost when they weren't protected in the Rule V draft. With 6th rounder Kyle Reynolds being released this week, the Cubs have only 2 guys from the top 10 rounds who remain in the system.
The highlights? Ummm, is drafting Bob Brenly's son a highlight? Alright, so the Cubs do have a few guys left beyond their 35th round selection, but not much in terms of prospects. Their top drafted player left is 4th rounder Dylan Johnston, who was demoted from Peoria to Boise after hitting just .185 this season. 8th rounder Jake Muyco is in his first full season as a relief pitcher after being drafted as a catcher. That's about it. 9th rounder Matt Avery was traded earlier this year for Ryan Buchter, who is having a solid season at Peoria. 12th rounder Yusuf Carter was taken in the minor league portion of the Rule V draft last winter.
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