Most signs point to Cubs' Hendry returning

06-24-2009 Some "clips"

From: Edmonton Sun.com

"Signings

Tim Wilken, scouting director of the Chicago Cubs, has signed his fifth round choice Wes Darvill, of Langley, B.C and Robert Wagner, of Port Coquitlam, B.C., a 38th-round choice out of Panola Jr. College.

The Cubs will allow Darvill to tour with the Team Canada National Junior Team when it plays Team USA in Cary, N.C. and then heads to Havana, Cuba.

"You don't have many opportunities to play with your countrymen," Wilken said. "I'm all for that."

--

From: SportingNews.com

"Scouting director Tim Wilken said he saw Jackson play in the Cape Cod League last year and liked what he saw so much that the Cubs didn't even have him in for a predraft workout.

Jackson has been compared to Red Sox outfielder Mark Kotsay. He's a high-motor guy who loves to hustle. He also has very strong and quick hands. Strikeouts are a concern -- Jackson led the Bears in that category this year, but he said that was an anomaly. Scouts project him to hit 12 to 20 homers a year.

"He's got all the tools to be a frontline center fielder," one Northern California scout said of Jackson. "He looks the part now."

6/12/09 - Cubs nab variety of talent on final Draft day

Scouting director Tim Wilken chose 36 college players and 14 high school players in the three-day Draft

Here's a link to the full article:

Cubs nab variety of talent on final Draft day

More to follow on the draft.

2009 Draft - Cubs.com article

Excerpts from the article are below.

Here is a link to the Article:


Cubs putting emphasis on depth in '09 Draft | cubs.com News

In other words, the Cubs are hoping that scouting director Tim Wilken, now in his fourth season with the team, can find another Geovany Soto, who was selected in the 11th round of the 2001 Draft.

"Those are the guys we fail to talk about when we talk about our amateur Draft," Fleita said.

And...

In about 50 words
Wilken's approach is to "take the best big leaguer left." He leans toward athletic players -- Tyler Colvin and Josh Vitters are good examples. The Cubs, hoping they can continue to pick low in the First-Year Player Draft, the order of which is determined by where the team finishes the year before, have expanded their scouting efforts, and signed players from Korea and Australia.

More...

Shopping list
Wilken feels this isn't a true first round and that there isn't the superstar talent projected for that round. There is good depth, though, from the end of the first to the fifth round, and Wilken has had each of the Cubs' national and regional scouts picking their top five guys. Then they debate the players' pluses and minuses. With the team's expanded international scouting, Wilken said, he can address some of the organization's needs in the Draft, such as finding more left-handers, catchers and outfielders.

Trend watch
Wilken does not have a preference when it comes to college versus high school players. An example of the type of player he'll look for is outfielder Reed Johnson, who was a 17th-round pick by Toronto in 1999. Wilken was the Blue Jays' scouting director at that time. He also tabbed such players as Casey Blake, Chris Carpenter, Carlos Delgado, Ryan Freel, Shawn Green, Roy Halladay, Orlando Hudson, Jimmy Key and Vernon Wells.

04/28/09 - MLB Draft thoughts/options

I'll be posting internet articles that I come across, relating to my brother's work. I'm really proud of him, and as a bonus... I'll get to keep these links all in the same place!

Here's the link to the story:

MLB Draft thoughts/options

And here's a small excerpt:

The Cubs pick late in the first round this year, 31st overall (Angels, Nationals and Diamondbacks pick in front of the Cubs 2 times for losing type A free agents, or, in the Nationals case, not signing last years 1st rd pick, Aaron Crow).

This will be Tim Wilken's 4th year as Cubs Scouting Director. In the previous 3, he has taken a college position player (Tyler Colvin), a prep position player (Josh Vitters) and a college pitcher (Andrew Cashner). Dating back to his days with the Blue Jays, Wilken has shown a mix of college and high school players, though he tends to lean towards position players in the first round.

This is not a good draft for college bats, but there are some decent options that could be around when the Cubs pick.