Chicago Cubs: Team goes heavy on pitching in Day 2 draft picks

Round 1-7 saw the Chicago Cubs be aggressive in addressing several needs. Now they have a little more freedom to stray from the plan.

Round 8, 252nd overall: Davidjohn Herz, LHP (Terry Stanford High School)

Herz is a southpaw pitcher from Fayetteville, North Carolina who has a verbal commitment to the University of North Carolina in the fall. The new Chicago Cubs draft pick has a fastball that already sits in the low to mid 90’s and at 6-1, 175 pounds and has room to mature both physically and fastball velocity.

He’s gained 10 mph on his fastball since 2016. Back in mid-April, “DJ” tossed a 1-hit 11 strikeout performance for his Terry Stanford Bulldogs. Head coach Sam Guy had this to say about the now Cubs draft pick:

"“He had better command of his fastball and his curveball, which we’ve really been working on,” Guy said. “Plus, worked his changeup a little bit and he threw a couple there that were really, really nasty. He did what he does.” – Fayobserver"

Round 9, 282nd overall: Tyler Schlaffer, RHP (Homewood Flossmoor High School)

The Cubs went into their backyard to grab right-handed starting pitcher Tyler Schlaffer. He already throws 95 mph and as he grows into his body, his fastball could reach the upper 90’s. Schlaffer has a verbal commitment to University of Illinois at Chicago.

Scouts already see his curveball being better than average but he needs to work on his changeup. His head coach gave him high praise:

"“He attacks the strike zone with confidence,” McCarthy said. “When he goes out there and throws like he’s capable in the first inning, it sets the tone for the rest of the game. He has dominant stuff. He’s a power pitcher.” – Chicago Tribune"

Round 10, 312th overall: Wyatt Hendrie, C (Antelope Valley College)

Hendrie primarily played in the outfield during his high school career and recently made the switch to catcher. He decided to continue his development behind the plate at Antelope Valley Junior College.

This past season he played in 38 games and slashed 0.410/0.479/0.660 to go along with 2 home runs and 26 RBI’s. It’s an extremely small sample size but could development into a solid catcher over time.

"Hendrie is short but solid at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, has a plus arm and is the rare catcher who is an above-average runner. His receiving is still a bit rigid because he is new to catching after primarily playing the outfield in high school, but he has the ingredients to project as an average or better defensive catcher. Hendrie is a contact hitter with a flat swing who hit .410/.479/.660. He controls the barrel and manages the strike zone well, but his power projection is limited because his swing is very compact. – BaseballAmerica"