SAN FRANCISCO — The Cubs announced they had signed 19 of their 20 draft picks as of Saturday afternoon. That included second-round pick Jackson Ferris, a left-hander out of IMG Academy in Florida, and fourth-rounder Nazier Mulé, a right-hander out of Passaic Tech High School in New Jersey.
Ferris and Mulé were the Cubs’ only picks in the first half of the draft who hadn’t yet put pen to paper. As expected, they both signed for over-slot bonuses. Ferris received a $3,005,000 signing bonus ($1,622,700 slot value) and Mulé a $1 million signing bonus ($538,600 slot value).
‘‘I’d be surprised if we end up signing all 20,’’ vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said on the last day of the draft this month. ‘‘Just the way that the draft is structured, you have to put different plans in place for various scenarios that may unfold during the signing process. So I’d look back on this and be really happy if we come out of it with 18 or 19 players signed.’’
Right-hander Brock Blatter, a 19th-round pick out of Billings Central Catholic High School in Montana, is the lone Cubs selection who hasn’t signed. He’s committed to play college baseball at Alabama.
Givens on a roll
When reliever Mychal Givens held the Giants scoreless in the eighth inning of the Cubs’ 4-2 victory Friday, it was his 16th consecutive outing without allowing an earned run, dating to mid-June. He is 6-2 with a 2.66 ERA overall.
Between his string of lights-out performances and his contract — Givens signed a one-year deal this spring with a mutual option for 2023 — he has been in the middle of plenty of trade speculation.
‘‘Right now, I’m wearing red and blue,’’ Givens told the Sun-Times on Friday, ‘‘and I’m happy where I’m at. If they trade me, they trade me — or not. But I’m not worrying about that. It’s something I can’t control that has everything to do with the front office and other teams’ front offices. Right now, I’m just excited and been happy.’’
Not a Cubs fan favorite
Oracle Park celebrated former Giants first baseman Will Clark’s jersey retirement before the third game of the four-game series Saturday.
Fittingly, Clark made history against the Cubs in the 1989 playoffs, a highlight in a career that featured six All-Star selections, a pair of Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove.
In the first game of the 1989 National League Championship Series, Clark went 4-for-4 with two home runs, one of which was a grand slam. His six RBI tied a postseason record, and he set an NL playoff record with 11 total bases in a game.
Adding insult to injury, the Cubs had Greg Maddux on the mound for Game 1 and lost 11-3. After the Giants claimed the pennant in five games, Clark was voted the MVP of the NLCS.
