Jeff Samardzija had been projected as a low first-round pick in April's NFL draft, but the lure of playing for the Cubs led him to sign a five-year, $10 million deal. "But I think just playing (Class A ball) this summer and seeing where it could go, it really made me take that next step and run with it," the Valparaiso native said. "I love the sport so much and every day I looked forward to the opportunity of playing for the Cubs. The fact that I was drafted by the Cubs made it a really easy decision." Samardzija was 8-2 with a 4.33 earned-run average in 15 starts his junior season at Notre Dame and was ranked No. 20 on Baseball America's top prospects list when the Cubs drafted him. "I think I am a pretty aggressive pitcher and I like to pitch with an offensive mentality and make things happen early [in the count]," he said. "I like quick innings to get our offense out there swinging the bats. Make it kind of quick as a pitcher and get a lot of ground balls and double plays."