CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs not only like Ian Happ’s big bat but also his versatility and potential to play either infield or outfield.
The Cubs made the 20-year-old switch-hitting Bearcats outfielder the No. 9 pick in Monday’s major league draft.
Happ batted an American Athletic Conference-leading .369 and also topped the conference in on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and tied for the lead in walks.
A semi
finalist for the 2015 USA Baseball’s Golden Spike award, Happ was seen as one of the top three pure college hitters in the draft by Baseball America.
“Ian has proved to be one of the better performers in college baseball over the past couple of seasons,” said Jason McLeod, Cubs Senior Vice President of Scouting and Player Development. “He’s a switch-hitter who hits for average and power while showing advanced plate discipline. We feel he’s athletic enough to play the infield or outfield.”
Happ scored 47 runs and collected 18 doubles, 14 home runs and 44 RBIs for the Bearcats. He also walked 49 times to compile a .492 on-base percentage.
In the second round, the Cubs selected North Florida outfielder Donnie Dewees with the 47th overall selection.
Dewees, 21, batted .422 with 88 runs, 18 home runs and 68 RBIs in 60 games and led the nation in hits (106), runs, slugging percentage and total bases (188). Earlier in 2015, Dewees held the nation’s longest hitting streak of 31 games.
The draft resumes on Tuesday with rounds three through 10 and additional rounds on Wednesday.