Cubs’ top draft picks from last 10 years
The Cubs made right-handed pitcher Lange, out of LSU, their top pick (30th overall). He’s now with the Cubs’ Myrtle Beach Class A+ affiliate. (Nati Harnik / AP)
By Tim Bannon
Chicago Tribune
A look at the Cubs’ top draft picks from the last 10 years and where they are now.
Hatch, a right-handed pitcher out of Oklahoma State. was the Cubs top pick in 2016, 104th overall. He’s now with the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate, the Tennessee Smokies. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
Happ was the ninth overall pick in 2015 out of the University of Cincinnati. He joined the major-league club in 2017 and has been a regular this season. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Schwarber, originally a catcher and now an outfielder, was the fourth overall pick out of Indiana. He made his big-league debut in 2015 and other than a brief minor-league stint in 2017, has been in the majors ever since. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)
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Bryant was the No. 2 overall pick in 2013 (behind Mark Appel). He made his major-league debut on April 17, 2015. Bryant was Rookie of the Year in 2015 and MVP in 2016. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Zastryzny, a left-handed reliever out of the University of Missouri, was the 41st pick in 2013. He was called up to the majors in 2016 and over three seasons has pitched in 13 games, with a career ERA of 4.06. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Almora was the No. 6 pick in the 2012 draft out of West Academy high school. He has been with the big-league club since 2016. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)
Johnson was the first pitcher Theo Epstein drafted, coming to the organization with the 43rd pick in 2012 draft. The Cubs called him up in 2017, but he was put on waivers in September and now pitches for the Giants. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
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Baez was the No. 9 pick in the 2011 draft, out of Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Fla. He joined the major-league club in 2014. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Szczur, out of Villanova, was the 159th pick in the 2010 draft. He made his big-league debut in 2014. After the Cubs cut him in 2017, he signed with the Padres, for whom he still plays. (Denis Poroy / Getty Images)
Cubs made Jackson their top pick in 2009 (31st overall) out of the University of California-Berkeley. He had 140 at-bats for the Cubs in 2014 with a .195 batting average. In 2014, he was traded to the Diamondbacks, appearing in seven games. After leaving baseball, he took up acting and appeared in the 2016 Fox series “Pitch.” (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)
Cubs drafted LeMahieu (LSU) 79th in 2009. He made his major-league debut with the Cubs in 2011, playing in 37 games that season. Before the 2012 season, Cubs traded him and Tyler Colvin to the Rockies for Ian Stewart and Casey Weathers. LeMahieu is in his seventh season in Colorado. (David Zalubowski / AP)
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Right-handed pitcher Cashner, out of TCU, was the Cubs’ top pick, 19th overall, in 2008. The Cubs called him up in 2010, when he went 2-6 with a 4.80 ERA. In 2012, Cubs traded him to the Padres for Anthony Rizzo. Cashner is now pitching for the Orioles. (Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
A Chicago native, Tim Bannon joined the Tribune in 1995, after stints at the Sun-Times, Daily Herald and Anderson (Ind.) Daily Bulletin. Before joining the sports department in 2009, he helped coordinate the Tribune’s cultural and entertainment coverage. He was lead editor for the Tribune series on a tornado that killed eight people in Utica, Ill., which won the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing.