Draft and Follow
David Price?
Matt Wieters?
Josh Vitters?
Max Scherzer, maybe?
The Rule 4 Draft (AKA "June Draft", or "First-Year Player Draft") is just about a month away (June 7-8), and the Cubs are preparing their list, and checking it twice.
Thanks to their lousy 2006 season, the Cubs will have the 3rd overall pick in the draft, as well as the #48 overall pick as compensation for losing Type "B" FA Juan Pierre to the Dodgers.
However, in addition to players selected in the draft, the Cubs will be able to sign more players...
With a change in MLB Rule 4, this is the last year that MLB clubs will be able to sign the so-called "Draft and Follow" (D+F) player. A "Draft and Follow" is a player selected by a club in the previous June Draft who does not sign before enrolling or re-enrolling in college, but who is eligible for selection in the next June Draft. This would be any player who enrolls or re-enrolls in a junior college, or any player who has completed three years of eligibility at a four-year college, or any player who is 21 prior to the draft.
The only players who are ineligible as a "Draft and Follow" are high school players who enroll in a four-year college (they are "off-limits" for two years), or JC players who transfer to a four-year school after their freshman year (they is "off-limits" for one year), or any player whose college team (JC or four-year school) is still active in post-season play as of a week prior to the June Draft.
Last year at this time, the Cubs signed 3B-OF Cody Gilbert (2005 34th round pick) and 1B Luther Murphy (2005 46th round pick) as "draft+follow" players (both were attending junior colleges). Murphy has been released, but Gilbert is at EXST and will likely be assigned to Boise next month.
Beginning with the upcoming June Draft, a club has until August 15th to sign a player who under the previous rules would have been a Draft+Follow candidate. If a drafted player is not signed by August 15th, he goes back into the draft the next year.
Last year the Cubs selected 47 players in the Rule 4 Draft, and signed 28. Two have subsequently been released, but the other 26 are currently active in the Cubs organization.
Of the 19 players who did not sign, 18 remain eligible to be signed by the Cubs as a "Draft+Follow" (again, this is the last time for "Draft+Follow") as long as their teams are not involved in post-season play as of the cut-off date a week prior to the draft (May 30th).
The number listed is the round in which the player was drafted by the Cubs last June.
17. Keoni Ruth, 2B, Concordia University (CA)
NOTE: A Hawaiian native who was a star infielder at the University of San Diego when drafted by the Cubs last June, Ruth transferred to NAIA Concordia (CA) after the 2006 season. He will be eligible to be signed by the Cubs as long as #33 ranked Concordia is not playing in the NAIA post-season tournament on May 30th.
18. Jose Hernandez, RHP, Manatee CC (FL)
NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Edgewater HS in Orlando, FL, Hernandez enrolled in a JC, so he is fair game as long as Manatee CC's season is over by May 30th.
22. Jovan Rosa, INF, Lake City CC (FL)
NOTE: Attending the same JC he was at a year ago, Rose can be signed as long as Lake City CC's season is over by May 30th.
25. Jamie Bagley, RHP, San Jacinto JC (TX)
NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Hargrave HS (TX), Bagley enrolled in a JC, so he can be signed as long as San Jacinto's season is over by May 30th, except San Jacinto is the #12 ranked JC team in the country, and the NJCAA World Series is the last week in May.
27. Cedric Redmond, RHP, Oakton CC (IL)
NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Joliet Township HS (IL), Redmond enrolled in a JC, so he can be signed as long as Oakton's season is over by May 30th.
28. Brett Summers, RHP, South Suburban CC (IL)
NOTE: Still attending the same JC he was at a year ago, Summers can be signed as long as SSCC's season is over by May 30th.
29. Jordan Latham, RHP, College of Southern Idaho
NOTE: Still attending the same JC he was at a year ago, Latham can be signed as long as CSI's season is over by May 30th, except CSI is the #13 ranked NJCAA team in the country, and the NJCAA World Series is the last week in May.
31. Bryan Collins, RHP, Central Missouri State
NOTE: Was a sophomore at Alvin CC (TX) when drafted by the Cubs last June, Collins transferred to Central Missouri State for the 2006-07 school year, but as a junior at a four-year college, he can be signed as long as his team (NCAA Division 2 #5 ranked CMS) is not playing in a tournament on May 30th, which is unlikely since the NCAA Div 2 World Series is the last week in May.
35. Marquez Smith, 3B, Clemson
NOTE: Teammate of Tyler Colvin at Clemson, Smith can be signed by the Cubs as a D+F as long as #19 ranked Clemson's season is over by May 30th (which is very unlikely)
37. David Francis, RHP, Walters State JC (TN)
NOTE: A native of Mississauga, Ontario, and a member of Canada's National Junior Team while in high school, Ross "David" Francis enrolled at a JC in Tennessee, and so he can be signed by the Cubs as long as his team is not still playing as of May 30th.
38. Ben Feltner, OF, Texas A+M
NOTE: Was a sophomore at Temple JC (TX) when drafted by the Cubs last June, Feltner transferred to Texas A+M for the 2006-07 school year, but as a junior at a four-year college, he can be signed as long as A+M is not playing in a tournament on May. However, Feltner is a star player at A+M, so he would probably be a "tough sign," and that's only if #18 ranked A+M is not still playing as of May 30th (which is very unlikely).
39. Marcus Hatley, OF, Palomar JC (CA)
NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Mission Hills HS (CA), Hatley enrolled in a JC, so he can be signed by the Cubs as long as his team is not still playing on May 30th.
41. Jonathan Negron, RHP, Baseball Academy of Puerto Rico
NOTE: I have no information about Negron's current whereabouts, so I do not know his status as a D+F. He might be playing at BAPR post-HS.
42. Ben Ornelas, OF, Cypress JC (CA)
NOTE: Ornelas is still at the same JC he was at a year ago, so he can be signed as a D+F as long as his team is not still playing on May 30th.
43. Anthony Morel, SS, Riverside CC (CA)
NOTE: Morel is still at the same JC he was at a year ago, so he can be signed as a D+F as long as his team is not still playing as of May 30th.
44. Daniel Berlind, RHP, Cal Poly
NOTE: Was drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Calabassas HS (CA), Berlind enrolled in a four-year college, so he is "off-limits" until June 2009 and cannot be signed as a D+F in '07.
46. Ryan Shook, LHP, Solano CC (CA)
NOTE: Was drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Valley Christian Academy (CA), Shook enrolled in a JC, so he would be available to be signed as a D+F as long as Solano CC is not still playing as of May 30th.
48. Wally Goodline, RHP, Santa Rosa CC (CA)
NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from North Monterey County HS (CA), Kenneth "Wally" Goodline enrolled in a JC, so he would be available to be signed as a D+F as long as Santa Rosa is not still playing as of May 30th.
50. Ryan Davis, LHP, Columbia Basin CC (WA)
NOTE: Drafted by the Cubs after graduating from Eastlake HS (WA), Davis enrolled in a JC, so he would be available as a D+F if his team is not still active on May 30th.
In addition to Draft+Follow candidates, MLB clubs can sign any "fifth-year college senior" who was not selected in last June's draft, any time after the player's season is over and prior to a week before the next June draft. Last year, the Cubs signed RHPs Rocky Roquet (Cal Poly) and Matt Maradeo (Kutztown), OF Jeremy Williams (York College), and catcher Blake Lalli (Gardner-Webb) as fifth-year seniors priot to the draft.
And then after the June Draft, any player eligible for the draft who was not selected can be signed as a Non-Drafted Free-Agent (NDFA).
International players can be signed at any time, but if a club waits until July 2nd to sign a player, the club can sign the player to a contract for the following season, and that buys an extra year before the player would be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft. So Dominican, Venezuelan, Mexican, Korean, Australian, and Taiwanese players are usually signed (if possible) no earler than July 2nd.
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