With the 47th Pick, Cubs Pick North Florida Outfielder Donnie Dewees

Surprisingly, the Cubs took another bat by selecting outfielder Donnie Dewees with their second round pick at #47. For a while last week, Dewees was in discussion to be selected in the first round by the Cubs at number nine.

The 6 foot, 185 pound outfielder had a solid season in 2015. He had a 29-game hitting streak while batting .438  along with 15 HRs and 23 steals for the University of North Florida. He led all of Division I with 96 hits and ranked second in slugging.

Reasons to Like Dewees
1. Like Ian Happ, he has an established hit tool
2. Hits gap to gap and spreads the ball around
3. Athletic
4. Great speed
5. Can play left and center
6. Good top of the order type hitter
7. Bats left and throws left
8. Already faced adversity with a wrist injury and missed all of the 2014 college season but came back to be an All-Star in the Cape Cod League that summer

Here is what Baseball America said of his skills:

He has a compact swing, good bat-to-ball skills and a feel for the barrel. He doesn’t project as a power hitter in the professional ranks, but he can drive the ball to all fields and is a plus runner. He tracks down balls well in the outfield, but he has well-below average arm strength. That may mean he will move to left field at the next level, which would put more pressure on his bat.

And here’s the video profile on Dewees from MLB.com:

Dewees will likely make the Cubs Top 30 Prospect list in the 20s when the list is redone. As for where he will play, like Happ, Dewees and his advanced hit tool should start at Eugene this month and go to South Bend in August.