Who Should Cubs Take With 2nd Pick?

[Giantmetfan07]

Obviously none of us really know that much about the draft class in MLB but I'm kinda curious what you guys think the Cubbies should do with their pick. They have the 2nd overall pick in next month's draft and have kept an eye on two pitchers: Mark Appel & Jonathan Gray. A quick scout on each guy:
 
Mark Appel, RHP Stanford University

Appel has gone from a solid swing-and-miss guy as a junior, for an elite draft prospect, to a terrific one. Gaining over a strikeout an inning isn’t a guarantee of MLB success, but the failure to do so is pretty much a death-nail in a player’s big league dreams. Daniel Moskos, Greg Reynolds and Jeremy Sowers were all taken in the top 10 as college pitchers who failed to strike out a batter an inning and all three were among the biggest busts in recent draft history. (Side note: there may be more guys who fit the bill drafted earlier but college stats are really hard to come by before 2001-ish.) In fact, only Paul Maholm has drafted in the top 10 overall as a college pitcher who struck out under a batter an inning in college and has gone onto any sort of quality big league career – Maholm struck out 101 opponents in 107.2 innings for Mississippi State his junior year before being taken eighth overall by the Pirates in 2003.
 
Appel’s stuff is sharp. His fastball sits 92-95 MPH and is thrown with a down-hill plane. Appel’s go-to secondary offering is a plus change-up and he mixes in an average slider as well. His breaking ball is currently his third best pitch, a low-80’s slider with late 1-7 break, but has the potential to be above-average. Appel’s control is strong (14 BBs in 78.2 IP). He’s a big, strapping, athletic guy who can throw three quality pitches for strikes and comes from a big-time program. There’s a lot to like about Appel’s future.

 
Jonathan Gray, RHP Oklahoma

Physical:  He is a Big Pitcher with a strong lower and upper body.  He has rounded shoulders and a frame that can handle a heavy workload.

Mechanics: Gray positions himself in the middle of the rubber.  In the windup he stands at a 45 angle off the rubber.  He takes a small side step before he rocks into his delivery and drops his hands to his belt and up to his chest before positioning himself to make the pitch.  He has a high leg kick with a good drive from his back leg.  He gets good extension on his landing and lands with a slightly bent knee.  He keeps his is lead shoulder closed allowing him to hide the ball longer.  Gray shows a nice clean arm action from the ¾ arm slot.  He also shows good arm extension on his release of all of his pitches.

Fastball:   Gray’s fastball is easily a plus pitch.  His fastball sits comfortable at around 95 to 97 and hits triple digits at times with good tailing action.

Secondary Pitches:  Gray’s slider is an above average pitch now but could be a plus pitch later on.  It sits 85 to 87 with a tight hard 11 to 4 break.  He can sometimes leave it up but it shows a ton of potential.
 
Change up:  Gray’s Change up is at best an average pitch right now.  It sits around 84 to 82 with tailing action and it shows some promise.

Command:  Gray shows great command of his fastball moving the ball all over the zone.  His command of his other pitches isn’t as good but they aren’t that far behind.

 

[snipezo]

Isn't Appel projected to go #1?

 

[Giantmetfan07]

i've heard either Manaea or Appel. although I honestly wouldn't even know where to look for mock drafts. 

 

[snipezo]

If u have insider or know how to hack it, Keith Law usually has draft rankings.

 

[Giantmetfan07]

yea i don't pay for that garb anymore. I was hoping baseball america would have something but not yet,. 

 

[dcpwner]

its looking like appel...apparently gray has surpassed appel in most of the rankings and is now expected to go #1...although I personally think Appel is going to be the better MLB pitcher

 

[JZsportswhiz]

What do you guys think of the Bryant pick?

 

[dcpwner]

I'm iffy on it really. He is projected to play 3B, which is nice, but our farm system seriously lacks pitchers and has a solid base of Baez and Soler already as hitters.