After taking a trio of hitters and a college pitcher on Day 1 of the MLB Draft, the Cubs continued down the offensive path on Day 2.
Theo Epstein's front office selected Duke outfielder Jimmy Herron in the third round with the 98th overall pick.
Herron is a junior that stands 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and hits righty while throwing lefty, which is an odd combination and draws an immediate thought to Rickey Henderson and Ryan Ludwick, MLB outfielders who also hit righty and threw lefty:
In reality, Herron's offensive profile is actually somewhat similar to Henderson's, at least in college. Like Henderson, Herron is a high on-base guy with good speed.
The Cubs' third-round pick stole 62 bases over the course of his three-year career and drew 96 walks against only 83 strikeouts.
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Herron posted a .315/.415/.452 slash line (.867 OPS) in college, including an OBP of at least .412 in each season. He was caught stealing just twice in 23 attempts this spring.
Like Nico Hoerner — the Cubs' first-round selection — Herron also played in the Cape Cod League in 2017.
Herron hit .338 with a.924 OPS ono the East Coast last summer, stealing 13 bases and drawing 20 walks in 42 games.
With Day 2 in the books, the Cubs' strategy to restock their farm system has become clear. They've opted for more polished college players in 9 of the 12 picks over the high-risk/high-reward of high school players who also come with signability concerns.
The Cubs have also selected 7 hitters out of those 12 picks, all of whom boast an advanced approach at the plate that lends itself to contact and patience over power and strikeouts. Once again, while much of the rest of the league is ziggning, focused on launch angle and sacrificing contact for power, the Cubs are zagging, picking up a heap of guys who walked more than they struck out in college or high school.
Here is the complete rundown of the Cubs' draft picks to date with a pair of compensatory picks:
1 (24) - Nico Hoerner, SS, Stanford
2 (62) - Brennen Davis, OF, Basha High School
2C (77) - Cole Roederer, OF, Hart High School
2C (78) - Paul Richan, RHP, University of San Diego
3 (98) - Jimmy Herron, OF, Duke
4 (128) - Ethan Roberts, RHP, Tennessee Tech
The Cubs finally added another pitcher to their system with the 128th overall pick Tuesday. Roberts has been a reliever throughout his career at Tennessee Tech, making 24 appearances in 2018 with a 4-1 record, 2.25 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 85 strikeouts in 60 innings.
Throughout his collegiate career, he struck out an astounding 227 batters in 156.2 innings, averaging roughly 2.1 innings per appearance, which would lend itself nicely to the changing nature of big-league bullpens that are asking relievers to get more than 3 outs on a regular basis.
5 (158) - Andy Weber, 2B, Virginia
Another polished college hitter, Weber enjoyed a breakout season as a junior with Virginia this spring, hitting .344 with a .415 on-base percentage and .536 slugging (.951 OPS). He collected 27 extra-base hits in 54 games, including 19 doubles, 3 triples and 5 homers. He also drove in 49 runs and scored 42 while walking 22 times vs. 32 strikeouts.
Weber is listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and hits left-handed. He was named a Third Team All-American last month and reached base successfully in 50 of his 54 games played. Weber has seen time at second base and third base in college and represents another guy who can move around the diamond in the Cubs system.
6 (188) - Kohl Franklin, RHP, Broken Arrow High School
Franklin is a big right-handed pitcher, listed at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds after his senior year of high school. He hails from Tulsa, Okla., and was voted to the 1st Team All-American this season in the West Region.
7 (218) - D.J. Artis, OF, Liberty University
Artis - listed at 5-foot-9, 165 pounds - bats and throws left-handed. He was drafted by the Red Sox in the 40th round of high school in 2015 and chose instead to attend Liberty in Virginia, where he was a three-year starter and hit .339 with a .495 on-base percentage and .982 OPS over his career.
The North Carolina native actually saw a dip in production throughout his time at the program, watching his average fall each season from .369 to .359 to .292 this past spring. He still walked far more (166) than he struck out (107) and stole 72 bases in 85 tries.
Artis was named the Big South Conference's Freshman of the Year in 2016 and the Player of the Year in 2017.
8 (248) - Zach Mort, RHP, George Mason
The Cubs continued to take chances on collegiate players in the 8th round, as they grabbed up Mort, who began his career at George Mason as a reliever before morphing into a starter the last two seasons. The junior made 15 starts in 2018, going 6-3 with a 2.48 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 108 strikeouts in 105 innings. He also displayed remarkable control, walking just 13 batters all season for an incredible 8.31 K:BB ratio.
9 (278) - Derek Casey, RHP, Virginia
The Cubs scooped up Weber's college teammate in the 9th round, adding Casey, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound pitcher who just completed his senior season. He went 7-4 with a 3.48 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 106 strikeouts in 95.2 innings across 14 starts.
Casey was 16-7 in his career at Virginia with a 3.52 ERA but saw a major jump in whiffs from his junior (7.32 K/9) to senior season (9.97 K/9).
10 (308) - Luke Reynolds, 3B, Southern Mississippi
A left-handed bat, Reynolds again fits the mold the Cubs are clearly looking for with an advanced approach at the plate and exceptional patience. He drew 63 walks in 59 games in 2018, compared to only 52 strikeouts. Coupled with a .400 average, Reynolds posted a .562 on-base percentage and 1.289 OPS that ranked in the Top 3 across the entire United States:
Reynolds also crushed 20 doubles and 15 homers while driving in 60 runs and scoring 69 times in those 59 games. He began his career at Hinds Community College in 2014 before heading to Mississippi State in 2015. He did not play in 2016 and then transferred to Southern Miss and had to sit out the 2017 season. Because of that, Reynolds is already 23 years old and will be 24 in his first full professional season next year.