During Thursday night’s radio broadcast of the Eugene Emeralds’ game in Salem-Keizer, announcer Pat Zajac announced that Ryan Jensen, the Cubs’ No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, would make his debut the following night. There would be no MiLB.TV service because that particular ballpark isn’t set up for it, so radio and some imagination would have to do.
As a short-season low-A affiliate, Eugene is many draft picks’ first taste of pro ball and it’s the first place many Cub fans can actually set eyes on a prospect. Eloy Jiménez, Dylan Cease, and Ian Happ all got started there in 2015.