Ed Howard

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #17 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Howard grew up on Chicago’s South Side and led the city’s Jackie Robinson West All-Star team to the Little League World Series in 2014. He followed with a standout career at Mount Carmel High, 15 miles south of Wrigley Field, and was drafted 16th overall by the Cubs in 2020. Howard jumped straight to Low-A Myrtle Beach for his pro debut in 2021 but struggled with the aggressive assignment. He hit just .225 with a 30% strikeout rate and missed nearly a month with a strained hamstring.
  
  Scouting Report: Howard has long stood out for his athleticism and defense at shortstop. He is an electric, rangy defender who makes both the flashy and routine plays with his soft hands, plus arm strength and an excellent internal clock. He moves fluidly across the diamond, takes good angles to the ball and keeps his throws on target to project as a plus-plus defender. Howard’s offense has further to go. He struggles to recognize or hit breaking balls and hits the ball on the ground too often. He has plenty of bat speed, shows solid hand-eye coordination and flashes average power, but his poor pitch recognition precludes him from being more than a below-average hitter.
  
  The Future: Howard’s defense will buy him time for his bat to develop. He’ll start 2022 back in the Class A levels.
  
• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #5 prospect in 2021
  Hitting: 50. Power: 45. Running: 55. Fielding: 60. Arm: 60.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Howard led Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West to the Little League World Series championship game in 2014 and emerged as the top prep shortstop in the 2020 draft class after a standout career at Mount Carmel High, 15 miles south of Wrigley Field. Howard didn’t get to play his senior year before the coronavirus pandemic canceled his high school season, but the Cubs had seen enough of the hometown product to draft him 16th overall and sign him for $3.745 million to forgo an Oklahoma commitment.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Howard is a gifted defensive shortstop who is mature beyond his years. He makes both flashy plays and routine ones with his reliable hands and a plus, accurate arm. He has a solid internal clock and moves fluidly across the diamond, showing impressive body control for his age and elite athleticism. Howard makes contact in the strike zone against fastballs and recognizes spin, but he needs to refine his approach and add strength to impact the ball. Optimistic evaluators project .260 with 15-18 home runs as Howard’s modest offensive ceiling. His elite work ethic gives him a chance for more.
  
  THE FUTURE: Howard’s defense gives him a strong foundation. How his offense develops will determine if he becomes the Cubs’ shortstop of the future.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #20 prospect in 2020 draft
  Howard is the top prep shortstop in a light high school class at the position. Midwest area scouts should have good history with him considering he played alongside D-backs 2018 second-round pick Alek Thomas as an underclassman at Mount Carmel (Ill.) High. Howard wowed scouts as a junior in Perfect Game’s Jupiter WWBA tournament, showing high-level ability on both sides of the ball. While he has upside as a hitter, the most polished part of Howard’s game is his defense. He’s a no-doubt shortstop as a solid athlete with reliable hands and a strong, accurate throwing arm. He moves fluidly in the middle of the diamond and has the ability to throw from all angles with excellent body control and a solid internal clock. He’s the clear-cut top prep defender at the position and has the potential to be a plus defensive shortstop in the big leagues. The one critique in Howard's defensive game is scouts would like to see better foot speed. He’s a solid runner, but not a burner by any means. Teams have to project more on Howard’s offensive game, particularly after he didn't play any games this season due to the coronavirus pandemic. He shows good bat speed, some bat-to-ball skills and a lithe, 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame that has plenty of room to add muscle. Howard is more of a gap-to-gap, line-drive type hitter at present, and scouts want to see him refine his approach. Howard did a nice job progressing through last summer and showed he can make adjustments. Howard is committed to Oklahoma, but it’s rare for the top high school shortstop to not go in the first round. A team that buys his upside could take him in the middle or back half of the first round.

• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 40/High
  
  Track Record: Howard grew up on Chicago&#39s South Side and led the city&#39s Jackie Robinson West All-Star team to the Little League World Series in 2014. He followed with a standout career at Mount Carmel High, 15 miles south of Wrigley Field, and was drafted 16th overall by the Cubs in 2020. Howard jumped straight to Low-A Myrtle Beach for his pro debut in 2021 but struggled with the aggressive assignment. He hit just .225 with a 30% strikeout rate and missed nearly a month with a strained hamstring.
  
  Scouting Report: Howard has long stood out for his athleticism and defense at shortstop. He is an electric, rangy defender who makes both the flashy and routine plays with his soft hands, plus arm strength and an excellent internal clock. He moves fluidly across the diamond, takes good angles to the ball and keeps his throws on target to project as a plus-plus defender. Howard&#39s offense has further to go. He struggles to recognize or hit breaking balls and hits the ball on the ground too often. He has plenty of bat speed, shows solid hand-eye coordination and flashes average power, but his poor pitch recognition precludes him from being more than a below-average hitter.
  
  The Future: Howard&#39s defense will buy him time for his bat to develop. He&#39ll start 2022 back in the Class A levels.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Howard grew up on Chicago’s South Side and led the city’s Jackie Robinson West All-Star team to the Little League World Series in 2014. He followed with a standout career at Mount Carmel High, 15 miles south of Wrigley Field, and was drafted 16th overall by the Cubs in 2020. Howard jumped straight to Low-A Myrtle Beach for his pro debut in 2021 but struggled with the aggressive assignment. He hit just .225 with a 30% strikeout rate and missed nearly a month with a strained hamstring.
  
  Scouting Report: Howard has long stood out for his athleticism and defense at shortstop. He is an electric, rangy defender who makes both the flashy and routine plays with his soft hands, plus arm strength and an excellent internal clock. He moves fluidly across the diamond, takes good angles to the ball and keeps his throws on target to project as a plus-plus defender. Howard’s offense has further to go. He struggles to recognize or hit breaking balls and hits the ball on the ground too often. He has plenty of bat speed, shows solid hand-eye coordination and flashes average power, but his poor pitch recognition precludes him from being more than a below-average hitter.
  
  The Future: Howard’s defense will buy him time for his bat to develop. He’ll start 2022 back in the Class A levels.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 45. Running: 55. Fielding: 60. Arm: 60.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Howard led Chicago's Jackie Robinson West to the Little League World Series championship game in 2014 and emerged as the top prep shortstop in the 2020 draft class after a standout career at Mount Carmel High, 15 miles south of Wrigley Field. Howard didn't get to play his senior year before the coronavirus pandemic canceled his high school season, but the Cubs had seen enough of the hometown product to draft him 16th overall and sign him for $3.745 million to forgo an Oklahoma commitment.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Howard is a gifted defensive shortstop who is mature beyond his years. He makes both flashy plays and routine ones with his reliable hands and a plus, accurate arm. He has a solid internal clock and moves fluidly across the diamond, showing impressive body control for his age and elite athleticism. Howard makes contact in the strike zone against fastballs and recognizes spin, but he needs to refine his approach and add strength to impact the ball. Optimistic evaluators project .260 with 15-18 home runs as Howard's modest offensive ceiling. His elite work ethic gives him a chance for more.
  
  THE FUTURE: Howard's defense gives him a strong foundation. How his offense develops will determine if he becomes the Cubs' shortstop of the future.
• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 45. Running: 55. Fielding: 60. Arm: 60.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Howard led Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West to the Little League World Series championship game in 2014 and emerged as the top prep shortstop in the 2020 draft class after a standout career at Mount Carmel High, 15 miles south of Wrigley Field. Howard didn’t get to play his senior year before the coronavirus pandemic canceled his high school season, but the Cubs had seen enough of the hometown product to draft him 16th overall and sign him for $3.745 million to forgo an Oklahoma commitment.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Howard is a gifted defensive shortstop who is mature beyond his years. He makes both flashy plays and routine ones with his reliable hands and a plus, accurate arm. He has a solid internal clock and moves fluidly across the diamond, showing impressive body control for his age and elite athleticism. Howard makes contact in the strike zone against fastballs and recognizes spin, but he needs to refine his approach and add strength to impact the ball. Optimistic evaluators project .260 with 15-18 home runs as Howard’s modest offensive ceiling. His elite work ethic gives him a chance for more.
  
  THE FUTURE: Howard’s defense gives him a strong foundation. How his offense develops will determine if he becomes the Cubs’ shortstop of the future.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 50. Power: 45. Running: 55. Fielding: 60. Arm: 60.
  
  TRACK RECORD: Howard led Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West to the Little League World Series championship game in 2014 and emerged as the top prep shortstop in the 2020 draft class after a standout career at Mount Carmel High, 15 miles south of Wrigley Field. Howard didn’t get to play his senior year before the coronavirus pandemic canceled his high school season, but the Cubs had seen enough of the hometown product to draft him 16th overall and sign him for $3.745 million to forgo an Oklahoma commitment.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Howard is a gifted defensive shortstop who is mature beyond his years. He makes both flashy plays and routine ones with his reliable hands and a plus, accurate arm. He has a solid internal clock and moves fluidly across the diamond, showing impressive body control for his age and elite athleticism. Howard makes contact in the strike zone against fastballs and recognizes spin, but he needs to refine his approach and add strength to impact the ball. Optimistic evaluators project .260 with 15-18 home runs as Howard’s modest offensive ceiling. His elite work ethic gives him a chance for more.
  
  THE FUTURE: Howard’s defense gives him a strong foundation. How his offense develops will determine if he becomes the Cubs’ shortstop of the future.