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Fantasy drafts are all the rage these days. I was in a fantasy football draft that I walked away from about the time I joined the Editorial page here. While very fun, faux drafts, and the leagues they represent, tend to be time-encompassing. Not only do you need to prep for the draft, you need to know which free agents are representing. And which options to utilize week-to-week. Leagues with a draft can take far more time than you bargained for, if you want to do it right.
This June, it will be really helpful for the Cubs that they have had so many scouts out finding guys that hopefully can move up through the system. They will need two entirely different draft boards.
The reason two boards are needed is that the club has no idea who the first three picks will be.
If Carlos Rodon, Brady Aiken, or (likely) Tyler Kolek slip to 1.4, the Cubs will likely select one of them. None of them, especially Rodon, would come cheap. While the temptation is to think Rodon could be strong-armed into signing below the slotted value, Scott Boras clients don't usually settle. They just don't.
If the Cubs end up saving some (Nick Gordon) or a huge amount (Max Pentecost) on the 1.4 selection against the cap (Remember when GMs didn't care about draft bonus spending?), the bevy of prep pitching that will be available for teams with cap space in the second through fourth rounds will be in play. If the top pick takes up the bulk of the first pick slot room and more, the chances at up to three (just a guess) intriguing prep arms might be pushed back to one. As many options as seem to be in play at 1.4, who gets called then changes the next few rounds of strategy rather markedly.
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I'm cutting this one a bit short, as I'm planning a draft-week extravaganza. I hope to post something every day the week of the draft, from a primer, to evaluating a draft class immediately, a dozen names to watch for, and a chances-in-a-hundred piece on who the Cubs might get.
While I already have my own draft day cheat sheet (which you will get to see in about a week), here is one from in-house at SBNation. I haven't given it much of a look, but your thoughts are welcomed. It's almost here, and Max Pentecost is in the NCAA tournament.