They obviously have a very strong track record on first-round picks. They’ve also found some amateur IFA players (Jiménez, Torres) who were key pieces in trades, but those were big-bonus IFA signings who are fairly akin to first-round draft picks.

From after the first round of the draft, however, what do the Cubs have to show from several drafts? Cease was an overslot 6th-rounder who was on a good enough path as a prospect to be a valuable trade chip in the Quintana trade. There are some minor leaguers who are OK prospects and could still take a step forward.

Overall, however, the Cubs currently have very little to show for their non-first round picks from several drafts. It’s true that the odds of any individual player becoming a useful major leaguer fall pretty dramatically after the top half of the first round, but a team still expects to find some useful players from non-premium draft picks (and needs to do so to sustain success).

Judging by the thoughtfulness, originality and quality of your analysis—and the fact that you work as a high-school English teacher (God’s work!)—I suspect that you are as undervalued and underpaid in your field as Hendricks is in his. And that may not be the only thing you have in common.

Keep up the good work!