Re-Grading Every Cubs First Round Pick Under Jed Hoyer

There may be no hotter seat in sports right now than the one Cubs president Jed Hoyer occupies.

Since Hoyer took over baseball operations duties from his longtime collaborator Theo Epstein on Nov. 17, 2020, things haven't gone quite as the organization and its fans had hoped.

Hoyer's record since his takeover is now an underwhelming 267-304 (0.468) as of July 2, and the Cubs have failed to make the playoffs in every season under his leadership.

To make matters worse, the Cubs' current skid has left them seven games under .500 and 11.5 out of first place (worse than any point last season).

An anemic offseason for Hoyer had critics calling his ability to construct a winning roster into question, and that sentiment has only become more heightened.

With the MLB Draft weeks away, Hoyer and the Cubs will be under a lot of pressure when they pick at No. 14. Now, it feels pertinent to look back at what Hoyer has done for the Cubs in that coveted first round since he joined the club in late 2011.

2012: OF Albert Almora, 6th Overall

Grade: C+

As Hoyer's first draft pick as General Manager, Almora wouldn't make his big league debut until mid-2016. Perhaps the most monumental moment of his MLB career was scoring the go-ahead seventh run in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, which the Cubs would go on to win 8-7.

Almora hit .271 over five seasons with the Cubs and could flash the leather in center field, but his 3.3 career WAR is eclipsed by eventual stars selected after him in the 2012 class, most notably Corey Seager (34.0 career WAR) and Matt Olson (30.6).

Almora hasn't played in MLB since his 2022 stint with the Reds.