The Cubs had the 31st pick, and no supplemental picks, so it was a thin draft. The later rounds Wednesday, and even the last twenty, could be important. Or void of any usable talent.

Let’s take a look at what was a fairly “old” batch of players, not a lot of prep and JuCo players. If you follow me on twitter (@harrypav) you’ve probably heard some of this before. Sarah’s covered the earliest rounds, so I’ll “focus” more on today’s picks.

Cubs picks by level - 2009 Rounds 1-30

College 20
Junior College 2
High School 8

Starting with the “infielders”:

Infield is where the Cubs went young in quantity, almost. Three prep stars, one JuCo and five college players. Still, more than half the picks are out of high school.

LeMahieu keeps the LSU middle-infielder pipeline intact. Fellow high schoolers Springfield isn’t quite a local product, but he’s in the state. Taylor (stats) and Darvill (video) may be more signable. DJ Fitzgerald posted above average numbers in just about every category in what looks like a hitters’ league.

Petraitis was picked 13 rounds earlier than where the Cubs selected him in 2008. Rohan can bomb, but may be immobile (I think baseball cube gives him a power rating of 98 and a speed rating of 4). Bour has a brother in the Reds system and may be similar to Rohan (albeit from the left-side).

With the exception of the athletic Walker, the Cubs picked their outfielders from the college ranks. Walker is the 103rd ranked prep defensive back in the nation. Do the math, that means he’s a good football player.

The Cubs picked “Bryan Shields” but all other references to his name appear to be Cody. He seems to have a potent bat, at least of the metal variety.

The Cubs picked two catchers in a row. Sheppard is a local star, that should get some press. Burruel exploded for 15 home runs in 27 games as a senior, which certainly got him some attention. Williams started four years at Duke, and Jones was a second team All American.

Kirk has been referred to as a sign-ability choice, and a reach. Erickson is coming off Tommy John Surgery, but Rusin and Raley look to be in the bland and safe category. Mincone looks solid, thick and balanced in this video.

Even more college pitchers. The exception being Esquivel, from the West Side of Chicago and the ace of De La Salle’s staff.

Dail was involved in a horrible accident, when a teammate in the Cape Code League ran over and pinned him under his truck. Alcohol, and a felony, were involved. Dail recovered, but apparently left UNC for Mt. Olive after the incident.

Clubb is another re-draft, originally selected by Tampa in the 42nd round of 2008’s draft. Grife threw a no-hitter in April, but doesn’t appear to be Mr. Upside, although he strikes out a lot of guys.