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Re-Grading Every Cubs First Round Pick Under Jed Hoyer

An A+ in 2013? An F in 2017? Hindsight is 20/20, but the Cubs can learn a thing or two from it.

By Zoe Grossman

Jed Hoyer, Cubs President of Baseball Operations, speaks on the phone before a game at Wrigley Field
Jed Hoyer, Cubs President of Baseball Operations, speaks on the phone before a game at Wrigley Field / Griffin Quinn/GettyImages
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2015: OF Ian Happ, 9th Overall

Grade: A

If you look back at the 2015 draft class, Happ was the best available college prospect that the Cubs could get at No. 9.

The two-time Gold Glover has been a mainstay in left field since he debuted in 2017, boasting a career .992 fielding percentage at the position.

Happ's power and average numbers have been slightly inconsistent across his career, and he hasn't been able to replicate the numbers he produced during his All-Star season in 2022.

2017: P Brendon Little, 27th Overall

Grade: F

The Cubs had two opportunities to select first-round pitchers in 2017, and the first was Little, who came out of junior college ball with a 2.53 ERA.

Things went awry almost immediately for Little when he posted a 9.37 ERA in six High-A starts. Perhaps that was a sign of what was to come for Little's Cubs stint, which officially lasted 0.2 innings as he gave up three earned runs and took the loss against the Blue Jays on Aug. 30, 2022.

Little would not pitch for the Cubs again after that outing, his ERA forever remaining 40.50 as a Northsider. The aforementioned Blue Jays purchased his contract after the 2023 season.

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