Six years ago, Theo Epstein called his shot.
During the Jackie Robinson West victory rally, the Cubs president of baseball operations took the Millennium Park stage to congratulate JRW on its United States title in the Little League World Series.
“Keep playing the game of baseball,” Epstein said, “keep grinding, keep working in school, go to college, do your thing, and we’ll see you in the draft in about 2023.”
He was just a few years off. On Wednesday, the Cubs selected Ed Howard IV with the No. 16 overall pick. The Mount Carmel High School graduate was the star shortstop on that 2014 Jackie Robinson West team and had shared the Millennium Park stage with Epstein six years earlier.