There have been many hometown Chicago-area kids who have been passed up by the Cubs over the years and I have often wondered, “Why didn’t they take him?”, generally in cases where Cubs top draft picks didn’t work out. Scott Sanderson (who eventually did pitch for the Cubs), Brett Butler and Curtis Granderson are just a few examples.
That’s why I’m very happy that the Cubs selected shortstop Ed Howard from Mount Carmel High School in Chicago with the 16th overall pick in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft Thursday.