The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in Chicago, Illinois. They play in the National League Central division. Since the institution of MLB's Rule 4 Draft, the Cubs have selected 68 players in the first round. Officially known as the "First-Year Player Draft", the Rule 4 Draft is MLB's primary mechanism for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings, with the team possessing the worst record receiving the first pick. In addition, teams which lost free agents in the previous off-season may be awarded compensatory or supplementary picks.
Of the 68 players picked in the first round by the Cubs, 32 have been pitchers, the most of any position; 24 of these were right-handed, while 6 were left-handed. Sixteen players picked in the initial round were outfielders, while ten shortstops, two catchers, and one player each at first base, second base, and third base were also taken. The Cubs drafted 26 players out of high school, and 32 out of college. Chicago has drafted eleven players from high schools or colleges in the state of California, with six more coming from Texas and five from Indiana. The Cubs have also taken four players from their home state of Illinois.
The Cubs' most recent World Series championship, in 2016, was the team's first in 108 years. Four of the Cubs' first-round draft picks—Javier Báez (2011), Albert Almora (2012), Kris Bryant (2013), and Kyle Schwarber (2014)—were on the 2016 World Series roster. No pick has been elected to the Hall of Fame. Bryant is the Cubs' only first-round pick to be named Most Valuable Player in either the National or American League, winning NL honors in 2016. He is also one of two picks to have been named NL Rookie of the Year with the Cubs, receiving this award in 2015; the other is Kerry Wood, selected in 1995 and named Rookie of the Year in 1998. One pick—1985 selection Rafael Palmeiro—is a member of both the 3,000 hit club and the 500 home run club. The Cubs have held the first overall pick in the draft only once, in 1982, when they selected Shawon Dunston.
The Cubs have received 13 compensatory picks, including nine selections made in the supplemental round of the draft since the institution of the First-Year Player Draft in 1965. These additional picks are provided when a team loses a particularly valuable free agent in the previous off-season, or, more recently, if a team fails to sign a draft pick from the previous year. As the Cubs have signed all of their first-round picks, they have never been awarded a supplementary pick under this provision.
Key Year Links to an article about that year's Major League Baseball draft Position Indicates the secondary/collegiate position at which the player was drafted, rather than the professional position the player may have gone on to play Pick Indicates the number of the pick § Indicates a supplemental pick '16 Player was a member of the Cubs' 2016 championship team
Picks
YearNamePosition School (location)Pick Ref1965Right-handed pitcherCoffee High School(Florence, Alabama)1966Right-handed pitcherHighland High School(Highland, Illinois)1967ShortstopDorman High School(Spartanburg, South Carolina)1968OutfielderUniversity of Oklahoma(Norman, Oklahoma)1969ShortstopSt. Edward's University(Austin, Texas)1970OutfielderUniversity of Maryland, College Park(College Park, Maryland)1971Right-handed pitcherBrebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School(Indianapolis, Indiana)1972Left-handed pitcherLa Quinta High School(La Quinta, California)1973First basemanUniversity of Tulsa(Tulsa, Oklahoma)1974OutfielderKnoch High School(Saxonburg, Pennsylvania)1975OutfielderEvanston Township High School(Evanston, Illinois)1976Right-handed pitcherEl Camino High School(San Francisco, California)1977Right-handed pitcherUniversity of South Carolina(Columbia, South Carolina)1978CatcherIndiana State University(Terre Haute, Indiana)1979Right-handed pitcherBaylor University(Waco, Texas)1980Right-handed pitcherLake Park High School(Roselle, Illinois)1981OutfielderWichita State University(Wichita, Kansas)Left-handed pitcherHillsborough High School(Tampa, Florida)1982ShortstopThomas Jefferson High School(Brooklyn, New York)ShortstopWhittier College(Whittier, California)OutfielderThomas Richard Robinson High School(Tampa, Florida)§1983Right-handed pitcherEverman Joe C. Bean High School(Everman, Texas)1984Left-handed pitcherMorehead State University(Morehead, Kentucky)1985OutfielderMississippi State University(Starkville, Mississippi)Right-handed pitcherUniversity of California, Berkeley(Berkeley, California)1986OutfielderNewark High School(Newark, Delaware)1987Right-handed pitcherCalifornia State University, Fullerton(Fullerton, California)1988Second basemanGeorgia Institute of Technology(Atlanta, Georgia)1989OutfielderLancaster High School(Lancaster, South Carolina)1990Left-handed pitcherUniversity of Arizona(Tucson, Arizona)1991OutfielderUniversity of Pennsylvania(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)1992Right-handed pitcherPepperdine University(Malibu, California)1993OutfielderUniversity of Texas at Austin(Austin, Texas)Right-handed pitcherLe Moyne College(Syracuse, New York)ShortstopIndiana University Bloomington(Bloomington, Indiana)§1994Right-handed pitcherEast High School(Denver, Colorado)1995Right-handed pitcherGrand Prairie High School(Grand Prairie, Texas)1996Right-handed pitcherNorth Vermillion High School(Maurice, Louisiana)1997Right-handed pitcherJohn F. Kennedy High School(Granada Hills, California)1998OutfielderHarrison High School(Kennesaw, Georgia)1999OutfielderWichita State University(Wichita, Kansas)2000ShortstopMiami Coral Park High School(Miami, Florida)2001Right-handed pitcherUniversity of Southern California(Los Angeles, California)2002Right-handed pitcherRutgers University–New Brunswick(New Brunswick, New Jersey)Left-handed pitcherBall State University(Muncie, Indiana)§Right-handed pitcherPurdue University(West Lafayette, Indiana)§Right-handed pitcherOrange Coast College(Costa Mesa, California)§2003OutfielderDunedin High School(Dunedin, Florida)20042005Left-handed pitcherSpringville High School(Springville, Utah)2006OutfielderClemson University(Clemson, South Carolina)2007Third basemanCypress High School(Cypress, California)CatcherAuburn University(Auburn, Alabama)§2008Right-handed pitcherTexas Christian University(Fort Worth, Texas)ShortstopVanderbilt University(Nashville, Tennessee)§2009OutfielderUniversity of California, Berkeley(Berkeley, California)2010Right-handed pitcherSouthern Arkansas University(Magnolia, Arkansas)2011 '16ShortstopArlington Country Day School(Jacksonville, Florida)2012 '16OutfielderMater Academy Charter School(Hialeah Gardens, Florida)Right-handed pitcherMissouri State University(Springfield, Missouri)§Right-handed pitcherHeritage High School(Brentwood, California)§2013 '16Third basemanUniversity of San Diego(San Diego, California)2014 '16CatcherIndiana University Bloomington(Bloomington, Indiana)2015OutfielderUniversity of Cincinnati(Cincinnati, Ohio)2016 2017Brendon LittleLeft-handed pitcherState College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota
(Bradenton, Florida)Alex LangeRight-handed pitcherLouisiana State University(Baton Rouge, Louisiana)302018Nico HoernerShortstopStanford University(Stanford, California)242019Ryan JensenRight-handed pitcherFresno State(Fresno, California)242020Ed HowardShortstopMount Carmel High School(Chicago, Illinois)162021Jordan WicksLeft-handed pitcherKansas State University(Manhattan, Kansas)212022Cade HortonRight-handed pitcherUniversity of Oklahoma(Norman, Oklahoma)72023Matt ShawShortstopUniversity of Maryland(College Park, Maryland)132024Cam SmithThird basemanFlorida State University(Tallahassee, Florida)142025Ethan ConradOutfielderWake Forest University(Winston-Salem, North Carolina)172026Cade TownsendRight-handed pitcherUniversity of Mississippi(Oxford, Mississippi)23
Notes
See also Chicago Cubs minor league players
Footnotes Through the 2012 draft, free agents were evaluated by the Elias Sports Bureau and rated "Type A", "Type B", or not compensation-eligible. If a team offered arbitration to a player but that player refused and subsequently signed with another team, the original team was able to receive additional draft picks. If a "Type A" free agent left in this way, his previous team received a supplemental pick and a compensatory pick from the team with which he signed. If a "Type B" free agent left in this way, his previous team received only a supplemental pick. Since the 2013 draft, free agents are no longer classified by type; instead, compensatory picks are only awarded if the team offered its free agent a contract worth at least the average of the 125 current richest MLB contracts. However, if the free agent's last team acquired the player in a trade during the last year of his contract, it is ineligible to receive compensatory picks for that player. The Cubs gained a compensatory first-round pick in 1981 from the Cincinnati Reds for losing free agent Larry Biittner. The Cubs gained a compensatory first-round pick in 1982 from the Montreal Expos for losing free agent Tim Blackwell. The Cubs gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1982 for losing free agent Tim Blackwell. The Cubs gained a compensatory first-round pick in 1985 from the Baltimore Orioles for losing free agent Tim Stoddard. The Cubs gained a compensatory first-round pick in 1993 from the Atlanta Braves for losing free agent Greg Maddux. The Cubs gained a supplemental first-round pick in 1993 for losing free agent Greg Maddux. The Cubs gained a supplemental first-round pick in 2002 for losing free agent David Weathers. The Cubs gained a supplemental first-round pick in 2002 for losing free agent Rondell White. The Cubs gained a supplemental first-round pick in 2002 for losing free agent Todd Van Poppel. The Cubs lost their first-round pick in 2004 to the Minnesota Twins as compensation for signing free agent LaTroy Hawkins. The Cubs gained a supplemental first-round pick in 2007 for losing free agent Juan Pierre. The Cubs gained a supplemental first-round pick in 2008 for losing free agent Jason Kendall. The Cubs gained a supplemental first-round pick in 2012 for losing free agent Aramis Ramírez. The Cubs gained a supplemental first-round pick in 2012 for losing free agent Carlos Pena. The Cubs lost their first-round pick in 2016 to the St. Louis Cardinals as compensation for signing free agent Jason Heyward.
References General references
"Chicago Cubs First Round Picks with Signing Bonuses ". Fueled by Sports . Retrieved July 4, 2016. In-text citations