MLB Draft: Day 3 Open Thread

Today is the third and final day of the 2019 MLB Draft. Today is the rapid-fire rounds as they’re going to go through rounds 11 to 40 all in one afternoon. You can follow along at MLB Pipeline but be aware, this is just a conference call and the picks will be made as soon as they can be introduced. They have to be to finish today.

Any player taken today can be offered up to $125,000 bonus without it counting against a team’s bonus pool cap. Any bonus over that will have to be covered by the savings from the picks of the first two days.

The Cubs have made ten picks already. Here’s a quick recap of who they have taken:

Rd.(Pick) Player Pos. School Birthday

1 (27) Ryan Jensen RHP Fresno State University (Calif.) 11/23/97

2 (64) Chase Strumpf 2B University of California, Los Angeles 3/8/98

3 (103) Michael McAvene RHP University of Louisville (Ky.) 8/24/97

4 (132) Chris Clarke RHP University of Southern California 5/13/99

5 (162) Josh Burgmann RHP University of Washington 1/27/98

6 (192) Ethan Hearn C Mobile Christian School (Ala.) 8/31/00

7 (222) Brad Deppermann RHP University of North Florida 6/15/96

8 (252) D.J. Herz LHP Terry Sanford High School (N.C.) 1/4/01

9 (282) Tyler Schlaffer RHP Homewood-Flossmoor HS (Ill.) 5/24/01

10 (312) Wyatt Hendrie C Antelope Valley College (Calif.) 2/8/99

Two of these picks, Hearn and Herz, ended up on MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis’ favorite picks of Day 2.

Of Hearn, Callis wrote:

Assuming he’s signable -- and if he’s not, the Cubs wouldn’t have taken him here -- it’s a mystery how the best high school catcher in the Draft lasted 192 selections. Hearn’s raw power and arm strength both grade as plus tools, and he continues to improve as a receiver.

On Herz (who is often listed as Davidjohn but I’ve been assured he goes by D.J.), Callis writes:

Herz has added about 5 mph of fastball velocity in the last year, now operates in the 91-95 mph range and could reside in the mid-90s as he continues to add strength to his athletic 6-foot-2 frame. He gets swings and misses with his low-80s slider as well, though he comes with starter-versus-reliever questions.

You may have noticed there’s a local kid in Schlaffer. He was excited.

This is the second time the Cubs have drafted Deppermann. They took him in the 31st round out of high school in 2014.

Discuss among yourselves.