The pressure is already on Ed Howard, the 18-year-old shortstop who went to his hometown Cubs Wednesday with the 16th pick in the draft.
Local interest in the Mount Carmel product, who was a key member of the unforgettable Jackie Robinson West Little League World Series squad in 2014, clearly is high.
How soon will he reach the majors?
What’s taking him so long?
And did the White Sox — a team many hoped would pounce on Howard with the 11th pick — blow it by going in a different direction?
“The White Sox, that’s their pick,” Howard said. “They did what they felt was best. Do I agree with them? No. But I’m excited to be with the Cubs, man.”
Excited and confident.
“I feel I deserve to be [considered] the best shortstop in the draft,” he said.
See what we mean?
The pressure is on Cubs president Theo Epstein, too. Maybe it always is. But some unfruitful free-agent moves, persistent trouble developing homegrown pitchers and sweeping change in the organization — the scouting department, the player-development process, a new manager and coaching staff — have put 2016 pretty far in the rearview mirror.
Especially with only five rounds — down from 40 — in this year’s draft, Epstein has to push all the right buttons if the Cubs are going to have a resurgence.
Howard — a 6-2, 185-pound defensive whiz kid — will climb through the Cubs system and arrive, two or three years hence, at Wrigley Field to tremendous anticipation and fanfare. That’s the big idea, anyway. If things don’t play out that way, baseball fans on both sides of town will hang an “L” on Epstein.
That’s getting way ahead of ourselves — sorry — but it’s what everybody signs up for when a hometown kid is drafted in the first round.
“I wanted to be a hometown kid,” Howard said. “I’m excited it’s with the Cubs. … I think it’s special. It’s unique, and I’m eager to take on that challenge.”
In a video conference with the Cubs before the draft, Howard was specifically asked about handling a hometown scenario.
“He just gave us a stellar answer on that front,” new VP of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said. “We don’t have any concerns with how he’s going to handle being in Chicago.”
The Cubs are scheduled to make four picks — 51st, 88th, 117th and 147th — on Thursday.
