Albert Almora Jr. was the first pick in the Theo Epstein Era. He made his MLB debut in 2016. Almora Jr. played for the Cubs for 5 seasons, hitting .271/.309/.398 with 28 home runs and 134 RBI. Additionally, the Cubs used two compensation picks to select Pierce Johnson and Paul Blackburn in 2012. However, these two players didn’t have any MLB appearances with the Cubs. Paul Blackburn was traded to the Mariners in 2016 and the Cubs designated Pierce Johnson for assignment in 2017. In the 2013 draft, the Cubs selected Kris Bryant in the first round. Kris Bryant was the centerpiece of the Cubs before being traded to the Giants last year. In total, he played 7 seasons for the Cubs, slashing .279/.378/.508 with 160 home runs and 465 RBI. He won the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year award and in 2016, he won the NL MVP award. Bryant crushed 2 HRs in the 2016 World Series. In 2014, Kyle Schwarber was chosen by the Cubs in the first round and he made it into the big leagues the next year. Despite missing most of the 2016 season, Kyle Schwarber didn’t miss the 2016 World Series. He had 7 hits in the 2016 World Series. The most memorable hit is probably that Schwarber singled in the top of the 10th inning in Game 7. Schwarber spent 6 seasons with the Cubs, batting .230/.336/.480 with 121 home runs and 279 RBI. In addition, Theo Epstein selected Ian Happ in the first round of the 2015 draft. Moreover, Alex Lange was selected in 2017 and Nico Hoerner was chosen by the Cubs in 2018. These three players already made it into the big leagues. Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner are currently playing for the Cubs. Happ hits .270/.373/.449 with 6 HRs and 29 RBI by far this season and Hoerner bats .294/.324/.412 with 3 home runs and 16 RBI. Furthermore, Alex Lange was traded to the Tigers in 2019 and he made his MLB debut in 2021.
In the Theo Epstein Era, he did choose several good players in the first round. However, looking at his decision in the second round, the result might not be that good. Among those players who were selected by the Cubs from 2012 to 2020, only 3 players made it into the big leagues. Duane Underwood Jr. tossed 36.1 innings for the Cubs from 2018 to 2020. Rob Zastryzny threw 34.2 innings for the Cubs from 2016 to 2018. Furthermore, Cory Abbott tossed 17.1 innings for the Cubs last season. Under Theo Epstein’s leadership, the Cubs made 5 playoff appearances and eventually won the World Series title. Additionally, he selected Kris Bryant in the 2013 MLB draft and Bryant later became the NL MVP in 2016. He did select some great players in the first round. However, some decisions he made in the second might be worth discussing. Well, from 2012 to 2020, 8 players who were selected by the Twins in the second round made it into the big leagues and 7 players who were selected by the Astros in the second round made it into the big leagues.
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