Cubs Draft Thread

[Saul Goodman]

The geniuses on MLB Network talked about this little lefty who can throw 96.  Too bad he's a righty.


Click for MLB.com scouting video

Hayden Simpson, rhp, Southern Arkansas
"He's putting together about as good of a college career as you can. I think he's 28-1 or 29-1 in college now. I'm not sure what year he lost a game, I know it wasn't this one. I haven't seen him a second time, but I saw his first start of the year and. . . they left him in a little longer than you'd like to see—I think he threw 115 pitches in his first start—but he was sitting 92-94 and touching 96 for the first couple innings. It fell off a little bit but he can spin a curveball too. He's not a big guy—I would say he's about 5-11, 175—but he's got a good arm and his numbers are backing it up. His delivery gets out of whack every once in a while and he struggles throwing strikes, but he can usually put it back together. His stuff is just overpowering at that level. I think he's striking out 13 or 14 per nine and guys aren't making solid contact off of him at all. I think he's a bullpen guy. That first outing, he fell back down to 90-92 late in the game. He never dipped below 90 on my gun and he reached back a couple times when he saw the finish line. I know his second start of the year, his velocity did fall a little bit—I think he was 88-93, working much more with an average fastball, so I'm interested to see him when I get back in there a second time and see how he's holding up over the course of the year. I heard last year he finished the season as strong as he started it, but it seems this year there's a little bit more variation in the velocity." - BA

sfbennett1 (Edmond, OK): Cubs Fans (Wrigley): WHO?!?!?!

Kevin Goldstein: Our first complete and utter shocker in the draft as the Cubs take Heyden Simpson, a D-II pitcher from Arkansas. Just floored. Undersized righty with very good velo, but not a ton of other stuff.

J.P. (Chicago): Hayden Simpson? Too soon?

Kevin Goldstein: As the scouting cliche goes, it just takes one team to like a guy. I am totally floored on this one.

J.P. (Chicago): Kevin, was this a signability pick? Should we expect the Cubbies to take a guy with big money demands in the 2nd or 3rd ala Samardzija?

Kevin Goldstein: I don't know what it was. Just totally dying here on that one. Biggest first round shocker since Matt Thornton? Wow, as if the Rays needed a break here, they get the best high school hitter in the draft at 17. Teams with previous picks with regret this one.

1976reds (Virginia): Is this the highest a DII player has been picked?

Kevin Goldstein: Tim Belcher was the first pick overall out of an NAIA school, so it's hardly unprecedented.

[Lance Dicksons Arm]

Well, we do have this to fall back on per Muskat:

"Simpson was recently named the Daktronics National Pitcher of the Year, only the second pitcher in Gulf South Conference history to earn the honors and first since Bubba Dixon did so in 1994. "

I think I speak for everyone when I say/type that we all hope he turns out to be the next Bubba Dixon.

Edited to provide a link to Bubba's excellent career:  http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=dixon-001gar

BTW, if you look on MLB's "draft tracker" as of right now, it looks like they had no material prepared for Simpson...whereas the other players drafted have at least a paragraph which introduces them.  It appears that Goldstein might not have been the only one surprised by the pick.

[Andy]

It was a bad sign when MLB Network had to go to the bloggers in the stands (OK, not really bloggers--Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo) because even John Hart didn't know who Simpson was.

But so far, Tim Wilken's first round picks have been Vitters, Cashner and Brett Jackson, so I'm not going to pretend I have any real idea if this is a bad pick or not.

[JD]

It's an awesome pick.  He's from Arkansas. 

[Armchair_QB]

It's an awesome pick.  He's from Arkansas. 

And he's a Mulerider.

[CBStew]

It's an awesome pick.  He's from Arkansas. 

And he's a Mulerider.

So how is he related to Homer?

[Quality Start Machine]

It's an awesome pick.  He's from Arkansas.  

And he's a Mulerider.

So how is he related to Homer?

He throws a cutter. He's related to O.J.

[Saul Goodman]

Nice nutpunch from Fox Sports this morning.

[Yeti]

Interesting

Simpson's birthday is unknown, though experts estimate it at 1874.

Cubs fans were able to crash the University of Southern Arkansas athletics page.

Hayden Simpson was briefly a left handed pitcher. The switch occurred on June 7, 2010 at 8:45 PM-E and he returned to his right hand by 9. Contrary to popular belief, this was not due to a masturbatory strain.

Baseball guru David "The Hands" Wyzmen reports that Simpson has the least amount of velocity differential between his fastball and his changeup with the former clocking in at 56 mph and the latter at 55. Wyzman gave him a one hand rating (out of a potential 58).

Simpson's biological father is MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds.

In New Zealand, pulling a "Hayden Simpson" is a Cricket term for soiling yourself while backlifting.

Hayden Simpson was made an Easter Egg in the video game Pong. If a player can continue a volley for 24 hours without scoring or being scored upon, the screen will flash the text "Hayden!", then the Pong cartridge will collapse into a supermassive black hole.

[morpheus]

Nice nutpunch from Fox Sports this morning.

I think I speak for everyone here when I say

FUCK DAYN PERRY

[BH]

I love how the picking of hayden simpson even surprised him. He had friends over to see who would get drafted, thinking he wouldn't be picked until the 2nd round at the earliest. The only reason i think this is a good pick is because of how bad keith law thinks it is.
Why anyone questions Tim Wilkens draft strategy is beyond me, he's been pretty efficient at GETTING IT DONE.

[Chuck to Chuck]

I love how the picking of hayden simpson even surprised him. He had friends over to see who would get drafted, thinking he wouldn't be picked until the 2nd round at the earliest. The only reason i think this is a good pick is because of how bad keith law thinks it is.
Why anyone questions Tim Wilkens draft strategy is beyond me, he's been pretty efficient at GETTING IT DONE.

Agreed.  It's nice having competence in charge of the draft.  Now, if we could get someone in charge of roster construction, pro scouting, and salary negotiation, Jim Hendry might be able to do his job.

What his job would be at that point, I have no idea.

[Andy]

Hayden might not be the brightest bulb in the box.  He said he didn't think he was going to get drafted until the 2nd round at the earliest, but had friends over to watch the draft to see where they went.

The second round starts at noon today.

Arkansians know how to party.

[R-V]

I love how the picking of hayden simpson even surprised him. He had friends over to see who would get drafted, thinking he wouldn't be picked until the 2nd round at the earliest. The only reason i think this is a good pick is because of how bad keith law thinks it is.
Why anyone questions Tim Wilkens draft strategy is beyond me, he's been pretty efficient at GETTING IT DONE.

Agreed.  It's nice having competence in charge of the draft.  Now, if we could get someone in charge of roster construction, pro scouting, and salary negotiation, Jim Hendry might be able to do his job.

What his job would be at that point, I have no idea.

I'm actually kind of surprised that you didn't suggest this pick was made because of budgetary constraints. The thought crossed my mind.

[Yeti]

I love how the picking of hayden simpson even surprised him. He had friends over to see who would get drafted, thinking he wouldn't be picked until the 2nd round at the earliest. The only reason i think this is a good pick is because of how bad keith law thinks it is.
Why anyone questions Tim Wilkens draft strategy is beyond me, he's been pretty efficient at GETTING IT DONE.

Agreed.  It's nice having competence in charge of the draft.  Now, if we could get someone in charge of roster construction, pro scouting, and salary negotiation, Jim Hendry might be able to do his job.

What his job would be at that point, I have no idea.

I'm actually kind of surprised that you didn't suggest this pick was made because of budgetary constraints. The thought crossed my mind.

That was suggested on Mully and Hanley this morning. If they did that, then its the worst something something since something something. I can understand them being cheap on the present because it sucks, but don't be cheap fucks for future talent.. But if this guy is actually good, then my complaint is null and void.