Scouting report: Cubs prospect Ed Howard
MiLB.com's Scouting Report series spotlights players who are just starting their professional careers, focusing on what the experts are projecting for these young phenoms. Here's a look at fifth-ranked Cubs prospect Ed Howard. For more player journeys on The Road to The Show, click here. Ed Howard seemed destined to
MiLB.com's Scouting Report series spotlights players who are just starting their professional careers, focusing on what the experts are projecting for these young phenoms. Here's a look at fifth-ranked Cubs prospect Ed Howard. For more player journeys on The Road to The Show, click here.
Ed Howard seemed destined to play professional baseball.
From his Little League World Series highlights with Jackie Robinson West in 2014 to his dominance at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, Howard built an impressive resume that led to 2019-20 Gatorade Illinois Baseball Player of the Year honors, his ranking as the No. 1 shortstop prospect in the class, and eventually, a first-round selection in the last year's Draft.
Despite not playing his senior year because of the coronavirus pandemic, Howard was selected 16th overall by the Cubs to become the first Illinois high school position player to be drafted in the first round since Jayson Werth in 1997.
"We knew that he had the intangibles that we were looking for. We're ecstatic. Having the opportunity to select Ed Howard with our first pick was literally our best-case scenario, and we couldn't be more thrilled," Dan Kantrovitz, vice president of scouting for the Cubs told MLB.com in June.
The #Cubs tonight selected shortstop Ed Howard out of Mount Carmel High School in Chicago with the 16th overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. pic.twitter.com/PQCDQpTLv6
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 11, 2020
Less than a year out of high school, Howard participated in the instructional league. After that, Howard went straight into Spring Training before opening the 2021 season with Myrtle Beach.
"I always knew he was a very gifted defender but he wasn't really strong the last time I saw him. I'm really surprised at how physical he is now. He's strong in his shoulders and back and he's really hitting the ball hard in BP, making good swing decisions. I could gush about his tools all day. But I'm also very impressed with his makeup and maturity and high baseball IQ." Matt Dorey, the Cubs' vice president of player development, told MLB.com in October.
"I just get to focus on baseball 24/7. It's pretty much a job now and I get to do what I love everyday. Being true to myself, I always feel like I'm in my position because I deserve it," Howard said on The Show Before the Show podcast in December. "I've been listening a lot, taking everything in, learning to play the game at a high level and how to be a pro. I know how special it is, being a hometown kid, having a great opportunity here with the Cubs. It's special, a lot of people dream of moments like these and I have the opportunity to live it. I really feel like this is the right spot for me,"
Howard's belief in himself and love for the game is what has continued to elevate him to the next level. The people around him know that, and Howard knows there is always more work ahead of him.
“I’m big on being not only a great player on the field, but I’m big on being a great person off the field. My parents are real into that. They push me to be my best self all the time,” Howard told NBC Sports Chicago in June.
“He’s a humble, hard-working kid. He loves the game. He’s going to be great in the clubhouse at the professional level. He’s all of that. Besides all of the obvious talent on the field, he has the intangibles, too,” Howard’s high school coach Brian Hurry told MLB.com in June.
Ed Howard! 😱
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 17, 2021
The @Cubs’ No. 5 prospect lays out to snare a liner for @Pelicanbaseball. pic.twitter.com/C97dcdUInc
When being scouted initially, Howard was said to have great defensive skills at his position, with good range, hands, arm and instincts -- all desirable qualities for a great shortstop.
"He's probably certainly one of the elite defenders in the Draft. It's a guy that we've just known a long time. We've seen him develop as a hitter and have always seen an elite defensive glove at shortstop," Lucas McKnight, Cubs scout told MLB.com in June.
"Fundamentals have to be down. You kind of learn at a young age, and I feel like the older you get, you learn on hitter tendencies and to always be at the right place, at the right time. Those are the best shortstops. I've watched a lot of shortstops, everyone's game a little different and you can learn and take little things from different players, but you got to be yourself," Howard said on the MiLB podcast.
Now the club's No. 5 prospect, Howard seems to have that star potential that the restructuring Cubs will look to build around. After recovering from a hamstring injury suffered on May 21, Howard has shown consistent improvement at the plate in his first professional season. Up to that point, he was batting .208/.288/.245 in 53 at-bats. But in July, he batted .216/.266/.295 while going deep for the first time in his Minor League career.
Here's what the experts at MLB Pipeline have to say about Howard:
Scouting grades (20-80 scale)
HIT: 50
POWER: 50
RUN: 55
ARM: 55
FIELD: 60
OVERALL: 55
"The starting shortstop on the Jackie Robinson West (Chicago) teams that advanced to the 2014 Little League World Series finals, Howard became just the third Windy City-area product selected in the first round by the Cubs. The top true shortstop in the 2020 Draft, he followed in the footsteps of Brian Rosinski (1975) and Don Schulze (1980) when Chicago took him 16th overall last June. Signed for $3,745,500, he impressed the Cubs with his physical and mental maturity during instructional league.
"The best defensive player in the system, Howard is a no-doubt shortstop. He has smooth, athletic actions as well as quick hands and a solid to plus arm capable of making throws from a variety of angles. He has the high baseball IQ to make the most of his tools and the internal clock to slow the game down on both sides of the ball.
"While Howard drew some mixed reviews as a hitter on the high school showcase circuit, he has an efficient right-handed swing and mature approach that should allow him to make consistent contact. He generates promising bat speed and is adding strength to his projectable 6-foot-2 frame, so he could develop at least average power. He's a solid runner who's an asset on the bases."
Michael Huang is a contributor to MiLB.com.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Everything you need to know for Triple-A Opening Day
First, there was big league Opening Day. Now it's Triple-A's turn to take the spotlight. The Minor League season opens Friday when the Triple-A International League and Pacific Coast League seasons get underway for the first of MiLB’s two Opening Days. And right out of the gates, several of baseball's
Top prospects to watch at Triple-A -- one for each organization
It’s Triple-A’s turn up to bat on Friday. The regular season begins for the Minor Leagues’ highest level one day after the action starts on the Major League side. Fun fact: it’ll be the earliest start to a Minor League season since 1951 (March 27). Double-A, High-A and Single-A will
Here's where every Top 100 prospect is expected to start the season
The 2025 Opening Day prospect roster announcements began last week when the Cubs informed Matt Shaw (MLB No. 19) he was making the trip overseas to compete in the Tokyo Series. Roki Sasaki (No. 1) also received the good news, but his assignment was much less of a surprise. Now
Nationals prospect King joins MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Here are the 2025 All-Spring Breakout Teams
Fifteen games, several jersey swaps and countless highlights later, the second edition of Spring Breakout has officially concluded – and it lived up to its billing. Of the 16 contests sprinkled across four days, only one game (Dodgers vs. Cubs) was rained out. Coincidentally, the Cubs were one of two
Rox young sluggers aim to bring pop back to Coors Field
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Coors Field may provide the best run-scoring environment in Major League Baseball, but the Rockies haven’t taken advantage of it in recent years. Even without adjusting for Coors, they have fielded offenses worse than the league average the past three seasons, and they scored the fewest runs
Astros brass sees potential in consistently 'underranked' farm system
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The last time the Astros landed in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s farm system rankings was before the 2019 season. Since those rankings expanded to all 30 teams ahead of the 2020 season -- 11 lists in total -- they’ve never ranked higher than
Complete results and highlights from Spring Breakout
The second edition of MLB Spring Breakout is complete, and there was no shortage of highlights from the future stars of Major League Baseball over the four-day showcase. Here's a complete breakdown of the 16-game exhibition:
Southpaw Spring Breakout: White Sox future on display with Schultz, Smith
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- If all goes as planned for the White Sox, left-handers Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz won’t spend much time following each other to the mound in a single game. Schultz, the No. 1 White Sox prospect and No. 16 overall, per MLB Pipeline, and Smith, who is
In first pro game, Rainer offers pop, promise to Tigers fans
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Bryce Rainer’s pro career consisted of workouts and batting practice until Sunday.
'Me and Brady on the dirt again': House, King reunite at Spring Breakout
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The 2025 Spring Breakout was a flashback for Brady House and Seaver King. Over 10 years ago, the infielders were travel ball teammates in Georgia who shared the dream of making it to the Major Leagues. Now, they are top prospects in the same organization,
Lambert -- 'an adrenaline guy' -- hoping to be next Mets bullpen gem
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Ryan Lambert loves throwing hard. He relishes the idea of getting to two strikes and blowing hitters away. “Get me in a game,” Lambert said, “cool things will happen.”
Stewart embraces Spring Breakout: 'What's not to love?'
PHOENIX -- Sal Stewart was one fired-up Reds prospect. On Sunday in the first inning during the organization's 9-7 Spring Breakout win over Brewers prospects, Stewart lifted a 2-2 pitch that sailed over the center fielder's head to the wall. Already not known as a speedster, he stumbled running between