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Kingston High School graduate Zack Short was protected by the Chicago Cubs this week, being added to the team's elite 40-man roster. Had he not been protected, he would have been eligible to be picked by any team in the Rule 5 Draft next month.
Any team that picks a player in the Rule 5 Draft has to keep the prospect on their 25-man MLB roster for the entire season, or else forfeit the player back to his original team. Players who signed with their current club at age 18 or younger and have played professionally for at least five years are eligible to be selected, as are those who signed at 19 or older and have at least four years of professional experience.
Players who fit those guidelines and aren't placed on the 40-man roster is liable to be picked up by any team in the league, which will pick in descending order from where their records finished last year.
The 24-year-old former Hurley resident, who attended Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, currently ranks as the ninth of the Cubs' 30 top prospects in the team's system. The shortstop is coming off an injury-marred year that saw him hit just .235 with a .767 OPS across two levels of Minor League ball after he was slowed down by an injured finger.
Short was drafted in the 17th round by the cubs in the 2016 MLB Draft. He was in Spring Training last year with the big league club, but a broken finger suffered early in the season hampered him throughout the season.
In his minor league career, Short has hit for a .241 average and OBP of .377. Short has clubbed 37 home runs, stole 43 bases and drew a whopping 261 walks in 371 minor league games.
According to Cubs Insider, “Short has gotten by in the system because of an outstanding plate approach that has see him post on base percentages from .360-.400 in the minors. He showed that propensity to draw walks in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, reaching at a .360 clip.”
During his time at Kingston High School, Short played three years of varsity baseball, hitting .410 with 11 steals and a team-high 32 RBIs during his junior year. He was the co-captain of teams that won two Class AA New York State titles and was an all-league, all-section and all-state selection.
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