Cubs begin process of honing in on Draft strategy

ST. LOUIS -- The Cubs have the fourth pick overall in the June 5 First-Year Player Draft, and the scouts and crosscheckers met last Monday in Chicago to go over their strategy, general manager Jed Hoyer said Saturday.

"We're trying to make sure we get looks at the right guys," Hoyer said. "It was a chance to gather for a day and figure out if we're light in certain areas or if we need to focus on certain guys. We're a couple months away and a lot has to shake out."

And a lot can change in the next couple of months.

"We're dealing with 18-year-old kids and 21-year-old kids, and when that's the case, guys can really improve in a hurry and guys can get hurt," Hoyer said. "One of the biggest challenges with pitching is you think a guy won't be there in the second round, but all of a sudden he has an arm injury or his velocity dips, and we might well be looking at him and we have to make an educated decision. That is a real challenge."

The Cubs have the 45th selection in the second round, so they're also looking beyond the first pick. They're not in a position to narrow the list down to a final 25, Hoyer said.

"That may be different a month from now or six weeks from now," he said.