Post by Commissioner Erick on Apr 4, 2023 20:09:18 GMT -5
The 2024 Draft was generally light, with some talent at the top of the draft, in the 30s, and lightly sprinkled in afterwards, but with plenty of gaps in the first round as well ,and barren spots afterwards. Drafting a quality player outside of the very top of the draft was hard, as was accumulating depth, so teams trading out, signing compensation free agents, or managing to nab multiple quality players tend to be graded highly. Nabbing a depth piece only wasn't a horrible outcome for the draft either considering the work of some GMs.
Arizona Diamondbacks:
First Round: (25) Marty Benito—P
Supplemental Round: (4) Jim D’Amico—P—Compensation for not signing Marco Gonzales.
Second Round: (23) Josh Cupples—P
Third Round: (23) Trevor Hendricks—P
Best Player: Jim D’Amico
Best Deep Cut: (14) Mario Guzman—RF
Total ML WAR: 5.9
Review: Arizona selected Marty Benito in the first round, a ground ball machine who’s been a little too wild to be effective in the PBA. Still in his prime, there’s a chance he develops into an arm that can be a difference maker.
Arizona’s second pick was a great one as Jim D’Amico has shown he can be a PBA ace. He’s only pitched two half-seasons the last couple of years as he hasn’t shown he can be healthy though. Still, the upside is tremendous though, and considering Arizona received the supplemental pick to draft D’Amico by dodging a bullet and not resigning Marco Gonzales, his selection is one of the best in the draft.
Josh Cupples and Trevor Hendricks both have topped out in the mid-minors, with Hendricks retiring already, but fourth round pitcher Aaron Costain has a big fastball/curveball combination and could be a strong starter if he refines his command.
Fifth round pick Chris Hill is a pitcher to at least jot the name down as a potential bullpen option who has dominated the low minors. 11th rounder Dan Cox can’t hear—he went to the Wisconsin School for the Deaf—but he can slug and was popped by the White Sox in the Rule V draft.
14th rounder Mario Guzman was taken by Baltimore in the Rule V draft prior to 2029. He struggled in his rookie year, but has starting outfielder upside as a player who plays strong defense, has a big arm, runs well, draws walks, and can hit the occasional homer. With seasoning he can be an ideal fourth outfielder at worse.
Grade: A. Getting arguably the best pitcher in the class, a few solid position players, and a couple of fringy arms is a solid haul. To do so in a weak class, while also making the right call to move on from Marco Gonzales makes it an excellent draft.
Atlanta Braves:
First Round: (23) Josh Waterman—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (22) Andy Gleason—2B (Pick acquired from Oakland for Kevin Flippo)
Second Round: (25) Steve Eckroat—CF—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (22) Josh Soltysiak—SS—UNSIGNED
Best Player: Andy Gleason
Best Deep Cut: (11) Scott Bauer—CF
Total ML WAR: 1.2
Review: Atlanta mostly bowed out of the 2024 draft, failing to sign most of their picks. In terms of their own selections, they drafted and failed to sign Josh Waterman, Steve Eckroat, and Josh Soltysiak. Waterman has a shot to make it as a starting pitcher with Philadelphia, Soltysiak was drafted and signed by Atlanta the very next year, and Eckroat has made it as a backup with the Braves. All were solid picks that went unsigned. The comp picks were used to correct their error and sign Soltysiak, also getting career minor league arm John Kadlecik, and low minors bat Max Wagner. That’s a step down from the players drafted in 2024, and Soltysiak could have gotten an extra year of development.
Atlanta also acquired a pick for Kevin Flippo, turning the reliever into Andy Gleason, who hit .320 with 23 doubles his rookie year last year. That’s a win.
Sixth rounder and eighth rounder Lazaro Ramirez and Sam Voss look like mid-minors players, with the rest of Atlanta’s signed picks in the first 10 rounds looking worse than that.
Their 11th rounder Scott Bauer has some potential. He has a long swing, but the ball comes off hard when struck, plus Bauer has good instincts in the outfield. If he can shorten the swing just a bit, there’s a PBA bat in there and he’s young enough to have a shot.
Struggling for backup Catchers, two Braves deep picks made the PBA last year. 23rd rounder Justin Grace made the majors, but shouldn’t have, as he had six hits in 67 at bats for an .090 average. Even with three doubles, that’s a .287 OPS, plus he had three passed balls. 24th rounder Bob Heltsley also appeared behind the dish in five games, but he homered and doubled for a .970 OPS in a robust sample of 12 plate appearances.
Grade: D+. Getting Gleason for Flippo looks good, and Bauer has a shot, but Atlanta whiffed in not signing its own picks. It’s a weak draft so getting one good player is still a passing grade, but Atlanta could have had one of the better drafts.
Baltimore Orioles:
First Round: (14) Sean Devereaux—P
First Round: (16) Matt Rain—RF (Pick acquired from Kansas City along with Jadon Ancrum and Nicholas Castellanos for J.P. Crawford)
First Round: (19) Chris Brandt—P (Pick acquired from Chicago Cubs along with second rounder [*Dan Poole], third rounder [*Ben McCullough], and Giancarlo Stanton for $1)
Second Round: (11) Victor Leon—P (Pick acquired from Tampa Bay for Nick Vespi)
Second Round: (12) Caleb Swift—1B
Second Round: (21)*
Second Round: (24) Dustin Anderson—P (Pick acquired from Tampa Bay along with Ronald Acuna for $1)
Second Round: (34) Dustin Oakes—CF (Pick acquired from Chicago Cubs for Christian Yelich)
Third Round: (13) Jordan Alejandre—1B
Third Round: (24) *
Notes: Received fifth round pick (Hector Mondragon) from Washington for Kyle Hurt.
Best Player: (7) Dan Farris—P
Best Deep Cut: (11) Nigel McKee—P
Total ML WAR: 6.8
Review: Baltimore was active with trades during the draft, picking up a number of extra sections with mixed results.
They made two trades for first rounders. One saw them get Matt Rain and Jadon Ancrum for taking on Nicholas Castellanos’ contract and giving up J.P. Crawford. Crawford would have a strong career in Kansas City, but Salesman had a run as one of the best hitters in the American League. Getting Matt Rain, a serviceable fringe outfielder probably tilts the trade in Baltimore’s favor a bit, though there were more talented players Baltimore could have made with the selection.
The Orioles also took on three draft picks that turned into Chris Brandt, Dan Poole, and Ben McCullough as the cost of taking on Giancarlo Stanton’s $34 million contract. All three pitchers are fringy pitchers, with Poole the most established as an arm that saved 17 games with a negative WAR last year. That wasn’t the best return for taking on Stanton.
Baltimore did make their own first round selection, drafting Sean Devereaux, who had success with the Athletics the last two years and is now with Texas. Devereaux throws six pitches to keep hitters off balance, making up for his lack of movement. In a draft weak on pitching, his selection looks fine.
Baltimore traded Nick Vespi to Tampa Bay for a second rounder that became Victor Leon. Vespi was outstanding for the Rays that year and could have helped Baltimore, while Leon never made it out of the mid-minors. Baltimore got another second rounder from the Rays, taking on Ronald Acuna as the cost of getting a second rounder. The pick turned into Dustin Anderson, a complete bust, and Acuna played in just 13 games for Baltimore despite being healthy the entire season, a complete waste.
The Orioles got a pick that turned into Dustin Oakes from the Cubs for Christian Yelich. Yelich had a huge postseason for the Cubs late in 2023 even if just a rental, while Oakes looks like a fifth outfielder. A young cost-controlled fifth outfielder for a rising team is probably worth more, or at least the same, than a half season of strong performance from a veteran who wouldn’t return.
Baltimore’s own pick was used on Caleb Swift, who had a nice 2028 for Seattle, but struggled in 2029, and despite being young, is in a bit of a crossroads in determining whether he’s a PBA-caliber hitter or merely a Triple-A slugger.
The Orioles selected Jordan Alejandre in the third round, a low-average, big power slugger for the Reds. Just a platoon player on a bad team, he was drafted in fringy territory where not a lot of players have popped.
Their fourth-round selection was spent on Fernando Rosas, a career minor leaguer, but their fifth rounder was used on Andy Hartley, who pitched well in Triple-A last year, and may be able to cut it as an eighth reliever as he throws 100 and has a good changeup.
The Orioles traded away Kyle Hurt for a pick hat became Hector Mondragon. Mondragon has an awesome name, a strong glove, but no bat, making him a player buried in the low minors. Hurt was a fine swingman for a few years in Washington. Baltimore lost that pick.
They picked Jerry Zambrano in the sixth round, a reliever who has pitched well in Triple-A for years. Likely not a PBA pitcher, Zambrano has served Norfolk well for years. Seventh rounder Dan Farris has developed into a relief ace with Seattle and one of the best mid-round selections in the draft.
11th rounder Nigel McKee throws in the upper 90s with movement, but everything moves on the same page making him easy to tee up. If he solves that, the stuff will play in the PBA.
Grade: C. There was a lot of sound and fury with Baltimore’s activity, but a lot of their trades cancel out in the wash. They got some decent players, but could have drafted better ones as well. Overall, a fine use of their assets, but nothing remarkable, especially considering they lost J.P. Crawford to get Jadon Ancrum.
Boston Red Sox:
First Round: (4) Joe Taylor—CF
Second Round: (4) Jonathan Annis—LF
Third Round: (4) Hank Iverson—1B
Best Player: Joe Taylor
Best Deep Cut: (17) Jason Dunker—CF
Total ML WAR: 22.7
Review: Boston had an excellent draft. Their first selection was Joe Taylor, who already has more than 20 WAR, which is more than 28 other teams’ production from the class. Taylor debuted early in 2025, and was still adjusting in 2026, but turned into a superstar in 2027, already posting three Platinum Stick Awards and showing no sign of slowing down. There were other good outfielders taken early in the first round of the draft—Ron Dahl and John Yancey, but Boston identified the best of the best.
In the second round, Boston took Jonathan Annis. The Exorcist has had a couple of strong years, but needs Boston to exorcise its outfield glut to get more playing time. Stretched in Center Field, he’s still a starting outfielder on most teams, taken in the second round of a draft that tails off after the first round.
Hank Iverson was a reach of a pick in the third round, and has already retired, as has fourth round outfielder Tyler Shaver. Fifth round outfielder/relief pitcher Chris Cobos looks like he’ll stall in Double-A.
Eighth round pick Josh Doherty is the only player taken after the first couple of picks who look like he’ll have an interesting career. A Quad-A type who performed well in Double-A, but didn’t get much time in Triple-A, Doherty was cut prior to 2028, where he landed in Algeria, playing for the Potros. He’s posted 71 Saves in two years with a 3.08 ERA, leading the African League in Saves in 2028. In a weak draft, that’s a win.
Grade: A+. Boston drafted the best player in the class, a starter-level player, and an elite overseas reliever. That’s a great haul.
Chicago White Sox:
First Round: Pick acquired from Tampa Bay along with second round pick (*never conveyed) and Blake Snell for Arturo Alvarado. Never conveyed.
First Round: (27) Tom Hedrick—P
Supplemental Round: (5) Gil Alaniz—P—Compensation for not signing Carlos Martinez
Second Round: *
Second Round: (26) Tony Spencer—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (26) CF David Renteria—CF—UNSIGNED
Best Player: (30) Alvaro Vasquez—P
Best Deep Cut: Alvaro Vasquez
Total ML WAR: -0.9
Review: Chicago acquired Blake Snell and two picks that never conveyed due to bureaucratic errors for Arturo Alvarado. Even without the picks, Snell was a useful starter for two years and retired early before his contract became too onerous. Arturo Alvarado was filler for absorbing the contract. Not bad business for Chicago.
They used their own first rounder on Tom Hedrick, a pitcher who immediately blew out his elbow and never became a PBA pitcher.
They allowed White Sox legend to walk in free agency, getting compensation pick Gil Alaniz in return. Chicago was over-leveraged financially, so needed to allow Martinez to walk, where he promptly led the 2024 American League in ERA and WAR. Injuries and age affected his future tenure so 16.4 WAR for $173 million is a slightly inefficient $10.5 million per WAR, but with Chicago still a contender, the opportunity to get a 2.22 season and 7.4 WAR in 2024 could have been the difference in their 88-win team making the playoffs and making a final run. Gil Alaniz has been a negative WAR player who once led the league in losses, not helping their rebuild at all.
They drafted Tony Spencer and David Renteria in the second and third rounds, not signing either. Spencer wouldn’t amount to anything, and Renteria would be drafted again the following year, not signed again, and directed to Japan where he’d become a future All-Star who might be able to play in the PBA. It would take awhile for Chicago to sign their comp selections, making Spencer and Renteria wasted picks. They needed to sign Renteria one of the two years.
Chicago didn’t sign anyone until the ninth round, but they made a few interesting picks deep in the draft. 11th rounder Rey Baes played good defense in the corner outfield and hit reasonably in Triple-A last year. He’s got a bit of speed, a good approach, and the ball comes off his bat nicely. He may be a second-division corner outfielder in the PBA when he matures. 18th rounder Josh Wylie made the PBA last year as an all-glove utility player. He put up 2.0 WAR in the International League despite a 56 OPS+ so the glove is definitely real. However, he put up a 56 OPS+ and a .523 OPS in the International League.
Finally, 30th rounder Alvaro Vasquez made a PBA start and went 6.2 innings allowing a single run. He only struck out two and doesn’t have great stuff, but only 23, he could be a fifth starter. Getting Double-A depth is a win for a 30th rounder, let alone a PBA starting pitcher, so that’s a real win.
Grade: D. They should have tried to find a way to resign Martinez, which signaled the end of their dynasty. Alaniz wasn’t able to jump start their rebuild at all. Getting Snell was nice business, and some later picks worked out well, canceled out by not signing Renteria and throwing away the middle portion of the draft.
Chicago Cubs:
First Round: (19) Pick traded to Baltimore along with second rounder (*Dan Poole), third rounder (*#24 Ben McCullough), and Giancarlo Stanton for $1. Pick turned into Chris Brandt—Compensation for not signing Chris Walsh
First Round: (32) Pick traded to San Francisco along with third rounder (*#34 Josh Harmon) and fifth rounder (Ricky Valencia) for Cobi Johnson. Pick became Rich Sparks
Supplemental Round: Pick forfeited as a result of signing Marco Gonzalez—Compensation for not signing Jerry Zambrano
Supplemental Round: (6) Jesus Sillas—P—Compensation for not signing Sonny Gray—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (21)*—Compensation for not signing James Gonzalez
Second Round: (34) Pick traded to Baltimore for Christian Yelich. Pick became Dustin Oakes
Third Round: (24) *—Compensation for not signing Tobias Fuentes
Third Round: (34) *
Notes: Fourth round pick forfeited as a result of signing Dominic Smith.
Best Player: (15) Nick Polcyn—LF
Best Deep Cut: Nick Polcyn
Total ML WAR: 2.1
Review: Chicago had some extra picks as a result of not signing their 2023 selections and instead of going the 2023 route of simply not signing their drafted players, they went in an entirely new direction to avoid having young talent on the roster and traded their picks away.
They sent along picks in the first three rounds to dump Giancarlo Stanton’s dead money on Baltimore. Stanton would not have another successful season again, and Chicago used the extra money to field one last successful team, winning 104 games in the 2024 season before aging out of being a contender. Including the unsigned 2023 picks that were rolled over to make the trade, Chicago gave up Closer Dan Poole, fringe reliever Ben McCullough, Triple-A hopeful Chris Brandt, upper minors position players James Gonzalez and Tobias Fuentes, and already retired Chris Walsh. The Cubs didn’t lose a ton of talent to get off of $34 million, despite the sheer volume of picks lost in the chain.
Their other trade of a first round pick was arguably worse. The Cubs gave up picks that turned into Rich Sparks, Ricky Valencia, and Josh Harmon for Cobi Johnson. The starting arm Johnson struggled for the Cubs in 2023 and lost his job as a starter in 2024. He’d go on to be a fine back end starter afterwards, but nothing special. The Cubs meanwhile traded away a top-tier reliever in Valencia, a fringe arm in Harmon, and a pitcher who has already showed he can be a solid mid-rotation arm in Sparks. The Cubs bet in Johnson and lost.
The Cubs didn’t sign Jerry Zambrano in 2023, rolling a supplemental pick over that was lost when Chicago signed Marco Gonzales to a disastrous contract. The former Diamondback Gonzales had a strong year for a good Cubs team in 2024, then the wheels fell off. He had shoulder soreness in 2025, then tore ligaments in his elbow in 2026 and 2027, needing surgery to clean up the mess some more in 2028. He pitched 29 innings after 2024, earning about $80 million for those innings. The original compensation pick came from not signing Alex Bregman after 2022, which looks like a colossal error in hindsight, even if he made twice as much as Gonzales.
The Cubs regained a second supplemental pick when Sonny Gray went unsigned and caught on with Texas. Gray had a middling end to his career, though his 2024 was strong and unlike Gonzales, he actually pitched in 2025 and 2026. He also “pitched” in 2027. It probably would have been better for the Cubs to have just resigned Gray. They ended up turning the compensation pick into Jesus Sillas, who has already retired. The Cubs didn’t sign Sillas, and the comp pick turned into Arturo Figueiedo, who also has already retired.
The Cubs traded their own second rounder to the Orioles for Christian Yelich late in 2023. Yelich struggled in the regular season but had a huge postseason before leaving in free agency. Oakes can run and field and may turn into a decent backup outfielder. Time will tell if his career ends up being worth more than Yelich helping lead the Cubs to two wins shy of the 2023 World Series.
As a result of Chicago’s trades, they only lost a fourth rounder when they signed compensation free agent Dominic Smith. The slugger had more than an .892 OPS for three of his four Cubs seasons, and a .812 OPS for the fourth before being traded to Kansas City and opting out of his contract. With a contract paying roughly $15 million a year and only costing a fourth rounder, he was a valuable pickup.
Two late round picks the Cubs actually made and signed have reached the PBA. Byron Winberry was Chicago’s 11th rounder. He’s been a success Triple-A starter and a Triple-A closer, showing some promise as a Cubs reliever as well. He’s an excellent find so late in the draft. Also, Nick Polcyn who hit 16 homers and stole 12 bases playing solid defense for the Cubs last year.
Grade: D: Chicago got neutral value trading away Giancarlo Stanton, but made poor decisions trading for Cobi Johnson, not signing Sonny Gray, and signing Marco Gonzales. They made a couple of great picks deep in the draft, and also made a great decision to sign Dominic Smith. Those decisions save things a little, giving them a D grade.
Cincinnati Reds:
First Round: (21) John Kadlecik—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (19) Sean Park—2B—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (19) Kevin Volquardsen—P
Best Player: (11) Earl Coppinger—LF
Best Deep Cut: Earl Coppinger
Total ML WAR: 0
Review: The Reds didn’t sign their first two selections, getting James Gillen and Jimmy Coates the next year instead. Of the quartet of players, three look like career minor leaguers and Gillen is a solid reliever, so the Reds didn’t do too poorly rolling their picks, though the Park pick could have been any number of decent relievers instead of career Triple-A bat Jimmy Coates.
Kevin Volquardsen gets you a decent Scrabble score depending on where you stick the V or the Q, but he also gets you negative WAR in the International League. The Reds didn’t sign their fourth or fifth rounders, and picks six-through-nine look like deep minor leaguers.
The Reds picked a strong mid-minors arm in Joe Coombs in the 10th round, and selected the big-swinging Earl Coppinger, who hits the ball hard the rare time he makes contact. Still young, there could be a cup of coffee as a righty bench bat on a bad team if you squint.
Grade: D-. The Reds mostly punted on a weak draft, but the compensation picks didn’t turn into future fruit, and they got slim pickings from their own selections. Not an inspired draft.
Cleveland Indians:
First Round: (2) Chad Simon—P
Second Round: (3) Alex Hernandez—P
Third Round: (2) Luis Orellana—P—UNSIGNED
Best Player: Chad Simon
Best Deep Cut: (18) Chad Wynn—SS
Total ML WAR: 7.5
Review: Cleveland guessed right with their second overall pick, getting future ace Chad Simon. Simon won 15 games last year, his first full PBA season, and was worth 3.2 WAR despite leading the league in walks. He throws hard with movement and should be one of the best pitchers in baseball for a few years.
Cleveland missed with its second rounder as Alex Hernandez had bone spurs early in his career and has been wild post-surgery. He’s overseas now, mostly pitching in the Filipino League. Third round pick Luis Orellana went unsigned. He turned into a quality reliever with the Mets. The comp pick turned into Gary Agee, a fringy starting pitcher prospect taken in 2026. Cleveland should have just held on to Orellana.
Fourth round pick Joe Bell is a Triple-A Catcher without much hope of progressing beyond that, but fifth rounder Chris Ford has been a win as a quality starter with the Mariners last year. Sixth rounder Thomas Mitchem may be able to step into a rotation and hold his own on a team with a good defense.
Grade: B. Cleveland got an excellent player, as they should have with the second pick of the draft. Chris Ford gives them a second hit, though the rest of their choices were disappointing.
Colorado Rockies:
First Round: (9) Tom Gunning—3B
Second Round: (9) Charlie Dougan—P
Third Round: (9) Pick traded to San Francisco along with Luis Espinosa for $5 million. Pick became Al Castillo
Best Player: Charlie Dougan
Best Deep Cut: (14) Jason Brown—SS
Total ML WAR: 6.0
Review: A very solid draft class. Colorado has had 4 players make it to the PBA from this draft class, Tom Gunning in the first round, Charlie Dougan in the second round, Kent Guttman in the fourth round and Mike Wright in the seventh round. Dougan has been the best player for Colorado as strikeout issues have limited the hitters' effectiveness. Still drafting Major Leaguers with your first 3 picks in a draft is always good.
Charlie Dougan is a lock-down reliever. He generates a ton of groundballs which is a great fit for the thin air of Colorado. He's coming off a sub 3 ERA season pitching half his games in Coors Field. Additionally he's beloved by local fans endorsing numerous products, including an exclusive line of pants called Dougan's Dungarees in a partnership with right fielder Ralph Porter's jorts company.
Tom Gunning, the Rockies first rounder, has had an interesting history. At the time it was reported the Rockies were heavily looking at outfielder John Yancey but he went a few picks before them to the rival Padres. It was a draft that was strong on college hitters and the Rockies were looking to pick one up. With Yanceyofft the board two of the best left were Tom Gunning out of Stanford and JuCo product Nick Rollins, both third basemen. Unfortunately for the Rockies they had a Hall of Famer already locked in at 3B in Nolan Arenado, so whoever was taken was gonna have a rough time. Colorado ended up taking Gunning and while Rollins has become the better player injuries have really slowed him down. Gunning blocked by Arenado had his ML debut delayed and has constantly been on the block for Colorado. He's put up a 106 OPS+ in 352 games as a pro. Strikeout issues have been the main issue. Still there's a lot of talent there and he's a good change of scenery candidate.
The best deep cut for the Rockies has been Kent Guttman in the 4th round. PBA draft experts loved the pick at the time and Guttman has turned into a solid utility player for the Rockies. There's still some potential there as OSA thinks more highly of him, but he's got to cut down on that 30% career K rate to translate that into reality. The story is the same for Colorado's seventh round pick Mike Wright who struck out 196 times last year for the Reds. The Rockies traded him for future picks in lower rounds and some cash and so far that appears to be working in their favor.
Colorado neglected to make a third round pick choosing instead to trade the pick for cash and a throw in prospect Luis Epinosa. That pick became Al Castillo who has not been worth the $5,650,000 spent by the Giants to acquire him. He's a middle infielder who looks like an AAAA player lacking a ML hit tool. The Rockies came out on top in this trade, but in a draft where they hit on other early picks it might have been better to keep the pick over the cash.
Grade: B+. Dougan is an impact player and Gunning still has value. Guttman and Wright have also been good returns on investment for where they were picked. This draft probably falls just short of an A, as you'd like to see a second big player for that. However, if you're Colorado (or any team) you should be happy with this draft class.
Detroit Tigers:
First Round: Forfeited as a result of signing Carlos Martinez
Second Round: (14) Chris Berth—P
Third Round: (15) Chase Hancock—P
Best Player: Chase Hancock
Best Deep Cut: (20) Sean Nelson—P
Total ML WAR: 2.6
Review: The draft itself wasn't stellar as a whole and Detroit was no exception; currently sitting 20th for total WAR. Their results aren't entirely black and white and some could see their forfeiture of a 1st round pick for signing Carlos Martinez as a big win. He propelled them into the playoffs and finished second in Cy Young Voting that year. While he never matched such a banner year as 2024, he was still an above average player with Detroit, finishing with almost 3 WAR a year over 6 years.
Chris Berth as their 2nd choice is likely to amount to average. He is still only 24, performing above average in Triple-A, and could potentially find a 4/5 spot on an MLB team. Third round pick Chase Hancock is also Detroit’s best from this year. He amassed a very respectable 2.1 WAR in his first year in 2029. If he continues this trajectory he should turn out to be a nice score as a 3rd round pick.
After this there isn't much to speak of. Fourth round choice Josh Piorowski is having a banner minor career, but doesn't project to anything more than a fringe or back up MLB player. The only other notable choice is seventh rounder Matthew Speight who saw a little action in 2029 with the Rockies. With a little seasoning and Coors Lights he could grow into a 4/5 slot. The deep cut for Detroit is 20th rounder Sean Nelson. He saw a little action last year and is expected to start the year in AAA with subtle possibility of making minor impacts as fringe Starter or Bullpen piece.
Grade: B-. This would likely amount to a C- or D had not their shrewd signing of Martinez made a huge impact on the results of the 2024 season. They get props and points for Hancock, as he is currently the top producing 3rd round pick, but this is also negated by choosing poorly in the second and subsequent rounds. Detroit seems to have produced one WAR producing bound player and a few possible back of MLB roster types. They are fortunate the Martinez signing paid dividends otherwise they'd be hanging their heads on these results.
Houston Astros:
First Round: (18) Art Jeffers—P
Second Round: (18) Aaron Smith—P
Third Round: (18) Ryan Cain—P
Best Player: Ryan Cain
Best Deep Cut: (19) Matt Hill—RF
Total ML WAR: 2.8
Review: The 2024 draft wasn’t a great one for pitchers, but Houston drafted arms in the first three rounds. None of them were busts, but none of them project to be impactful arms either. Jeffers pitched well last year and looks like a nasty sinker/slider sidearmer that can eat righties alive. He looks like he can be a successful situational reliever, but even in a weak draft, that’s not a great outcome for a first rounder.
Aaron Smith may be the best of the trio. He’s a power arm with good bite on his two-seamer, and he’s had successful campaigns with the Astros and Brewers. He’s a very good relief arm, which as a second rounder in a weak draft DOES grade well.
Finally, Ryan Cain will challenge Smith for the top arm in the class for Houston. He was a Top 100 Prospect before tearing his UCL. He can be wild and he’ll be 28 year old, so there’s not much projection yet, but he also may be a decent starting pitcher, which gives him more upside than Smith.
Sixth round selection Dennis Davis throws five pitches, but only two of them well, so he’ll likely be a reliever full time. Despite being healthy, he only pitched in six games last year though across all levels, crippling his development.
Eighth rounder Jerry Elke has held his own as a Quad-A slugger the past three years, with 250 PBA plate appearances and a .755 OPS. Not someone who deserves a large role, he’s nonetheless a development success thanks to his high work ethic.
Finally, 13th rounder Chris Crockett played in 29 games last year, though he shouldn’t have played in any. A poor hitter and fielder who has only been above replacement level in one level in one season in his career, somehow Crockett had 87 plate appearances last year, hit for a .546 OPS and only threw out 21% of runners.
Grade: C-: Houston got a few respectable arms and not a lot of upside. In a weak draft, it’s underwhelming, but not damning.
Kansas City Royals:
First Round: (3) Jason Wyngarten—P (Pick received from Los Angeles Angels along with Nicholas Castellanos for Adonys Cardona, Parker McFadden, and Austin Langworthy)
First Round: (16) Pick traded to Baltimore along with Jadon Ancrum and Nicholas Castelllanos for J.P. Crawford—Compensation for not signing Aaron Smith. Pick became Matt Rain
First Round: (20) Mike Insco—P (Pick acquired from Oakland for Joe Taylor)
First Round: (24) Oscar Olvera—LF (Pick acquired from Oakland along with second round pick [#16 *Kyle Sidebottom] for Jacob Heatherly and Doug Clark)
First Round: (26) Pick traded to Tampa Bay along with second rounder (* #24 ended up in Baltimore as Dustin Anderson) and third rounder (* #25 Dan Yancey) for $1. Pick became Alex Vigil.
Second Round: (16) *
Second Round: (24) *
Second Round: (27) John Cox—CF—Compensation for not signing Ryan Fox—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (28) Pick acquired from Seattle for $5 million. Pick traded to New York Yankees along with Anwa Ita, Tso-I Zhao, Arturo Salgado, and Miguel Gomez for Gary Sanchez. Pick became Olaf Khan
Third Round: (25)*
Notes: Traded fifth round pick (Colin Cleary) to Miami along with Eddie Vogler for Phil Maton.
Best Player: Kyle Sidebottom
Best Deep Cut: (15) Fred Huewitt—SS
Total ML WAR: 2.8
Review: As usual, Kansas City was very active wheeling and dealing their picks, making this more of a trade review than a pure draft review. They sent Adonys Cardona, Parker McFadden, and Austin Langworthy to the Angels for Nicholas Castellanos’ dead contract and the number three pick in the draft. The trio given away put up negative career WAR, while Castellanos played one more career PBA game after being acquired. Despite a promising start though, Wyngarten blew out his elbow and isn’t a PBA-caliber pitcher. Joe Taylor was selected one spot after. The process was good, but since this is a results-based outlook, the grade is more of a C-.
Kansas City didn’t sign Aaron Smith in 2023, missing out on a pretty good reliever. They swapped the compensation pick, Castellanos’ dead contract, and Jadon Ancrum for J.P. Crawford. Salesman turned into an excellent hitter, though Crawford was a strong infielder during Kansas City’s ascent to one of the best teams in the AL. The pick they gave up became Quad-A slugger Matt Rain. Kansas City gave up a lot to get Crawford, which holds the pick back, considering they lost a good reliever and a future All-Star, but it’s certainly not a bad trade by any stretch of the imagination.
Kansas City acquired another first rounder from Oakland for Joe Taylor the infielder. Taylor would go on to have a pair of 4.2 WAR seasons with the Giants, while the first round pick turned into Mike Insco, who has been exactly replacement level in Double-A and Triple-A the last three years. Kansas City would rather have Taylor I presume.
Kansas City had more business with Oakland, getting another first rounder from them, as well as a second rounder, for Jacob Heatherly and Doug Clark. The picks turned into Oscar Olvera and Kyle Sidebottom, a Triple-A slugger and a quality PBA reliever. Heatherly and Clark never amounted to anything in the PBA before thriving in the Meridian League. Getting Sidebottom for the pair was a good move.
Finally, Kansas City traded picks that became Alex Vigil, Dustin Anderson, and Dan Yancey for $1. The cash was useless, and vigil and Anderson didn’t amount to anything, but Yancey is a fringe PBA pitcher. Is that worth the cost of not having to pay a signing bonus?
The Royals didn’t sign Ryan Fox in 2023, using the comp pick on John Cox in 2024—who they also did not sign. The comp pick ended up in limbo for awhile, so Kansas City punted on a shot to grab fringe PBA players for nothing.
The Royals purchased a third rounder for $5 million then traded it to the Yankees for Gary Sanchez. Kansas City also gave up the declining Miguel Gomez, and a bunch of prospects that wouldn’t amount to much. The pick became Olaf Khan, but Sanchez nearly carried the team through the postseason to the World Series, which considering the low cost, justified the deal.
They traded a pick which became Quad-A Colin Cleary, and Quad-A Eddie Vogler, for one season of decent relief work from Phil Maton, which is decent value.
Kansas City selected John Jamison in the sixth round, and when not demanding pictures of Spiderman, Jamison has been a replacement level starting pitcher for Cincinnati. That’s a fine outcome for a sixth rounder.
Grade: C+. Kansas City did a lot, giving up big time players, acquiring some stars, missing out on fringe prospects, signing good relievers, and letting talent slip through the cracks. On aggregate, it’s more good than bad, but the picks selected not amounting to much dampers the grade.
Los Angeles Angels:
First Round: (1) Luis Acosta—1B
First Round: (3) Pick traded to Kansas City along with Nicholas Castellanos for Austin Langworthy, Parker McFadden, and Adonys Cardona—Compensation for not signing Steve Rankine. Pick became Jason Wyngarten.
Supplemental Round: (1) Brent Matheos—RF—Compensation for not signing Lourdes Gurriel.
Second Round: (1) Pick traded to Milwaukee for Bryce Montes de Oca—Compensation for not signing Sonny Badillo. Pick became Peter Laporte.
Second Round: (2) Jeff Steed—P
Third Round: (1) Nick Hall—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (3) Hunter Commo—P—Compensation for not signing Kyle Jackson—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (6) Dustin Baier—CF—Compensation for not signing Mincho Maeda—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (21) Pete Clark—1B—Compensation for not signing Beau Lucci—UNSIGNED
Best Player: (17) Hirokatsu Inouye—P
Best Deep Cut: Hirokatsu Inouye
Total ML WAR: 2.1
Review: The Angels had the first pick in the draft and selected a colossal bust in Luis Acosta. Selected first overall, Acosta had detractors when he was selected and immediately proved the detractors right with critics pointing out his slow bat. He put up -0.5 WAR in High-A last year and won’t have a professional career.
The Angels didn’t sign Steve Rankine in 2023, netting a comp pick as a result and trading it, with Nick Castellanos, to the Royals for Austin Langworthy, Parker McFadden, and Adonys Cardona. Langworthy was worth -1.0 WAR, Cardona was worth -1.7 WAR for the Angels, and McFadden worked one Triple-A season for the Angels, netting -1.0 WAR. Just a horrible return. Los Angeles didn’t sign Steve Rankine, who has been a Quad-A arm for Boston, they got out of Nicholas Castellanos’ contract, and the pick ended up as career minor leaguer Jason Wyngarten. Still, giving up the third overall pick for a terrible haul, and to get out of Castellanos’ contract for one season is terrible process.
They let Lourdes Gurriel go in free agency getting a supplemental pick as a result. Gurriel had a very nice run in Seattle and Cleveland for five years, while Brent Matheos has never played above Rookie Ball and never will.
They had two second round picks. The first was a comp pick for not signing Sonny Badillo, that they traded for Bryce Montes de Oca. The pick turned into Peter Laporte, who has been Triple-A depth for the Brewers, while Sonny Badillo hit 34 home runs for Atlanta last year. Montes de Oca was worth negative WAR for Los Angeles. Los Angeles should have simply signed Sonny Badillo.
Jeff Steed was the other second rounder, a promising arm whose star fizzled when he reached the PBA. Nick Hall was the Angels’ third rounder, but he never signed.
The Angels had three comp picks as a result of not signing Kyle Jackson, a Gold Glove winner with the Reds; Mincho Maeda, a Top Prospect, and Beau Lucci, an elite relief prospect. Los Angeles didn’t sign any of those comp picks, rolling them over into the next year. They got some talent from the 2025 draft as a result, but they gave up a lot of talent in 2023.
The teams eighth rounder turned into Kenny Banks, a replacement level outfielder, which is a win in a bad draft. They also selected Hirokatsu Inouye, who has become a top prospect who went 0-12 last year, but has showed that he can strike PBA hitters out and looks like a top tier starter.
Grade: F. The Angels drafted a potential frontline starter and still deserve an F. They wasted elite draft picks, didn’t sign great talent in the past, allowed strong talent to walk in order to throw away compensation picks in a master class of incompetent draft pick management. Maybe Inouye becomes a star and things look better in the future, but what a mess.
Los Angeles Dodgers:
First Round: (22) Arthur Price—P
Second Round: (20) Kevin Ryan—P
Third Round: (20) Mario Guzman—P
Best Player: (4) Tim Hendrickson—C
Best Deep Cut: (12) Mario Fleites—RF
Total ML WAR: 3.5
Review: I think when your best player is a backup Catcher or one of the 24th-26th players on your roster, it speaks volumes about your draft performance. The Dodgers first pick amounts to mostly a bust. The first round was fairly weak but there were ample good players to be had still that would have supplanted Price. The second pick Kevin Ryan is a pass, sort of? Ryan was packaged in a salary dump move eventually to Miami with 1B Seiya Suzuki. Third round pick Mario Guzman amounted to nothing and it was literally rinse and repeat for the rest of the draft with exception being fourth round Catcher Tim Hendrickson. He could possibly be a starter for some teams or good back up for most.
Grade: D-. The Dodgers nearly earned a dreaded F and failed in this draft. The scouts doused any hope with terrible choices throughout. The only saving grace is minute plus Tim Hendrickson; hopefully the Dodgers washed their hands of this scouting staff.
Miami Marlins:
First Round: (10) Isaiah Stephan—CF—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (9) Mike Campbell—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (31) Ken Knighton—P (Pick acquired from Washington along with Carlos A. Romero for Nick Burdi)—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (10) Ryan Youngblood—P
Notes: Received fifth round pick (Colin Cleary) from Kansas City along with Eddie Vogler for Phil Maton.
Traded seventh round pick (Michael Ortega) to San Francisco along with ninth round pick (Matt Hrabel) for Tim Cate.
Best Player: Ryan Youngblood
Best Deep Cut: (20) Bobby Barragan—P
Total ML WAR: -2.2
Review: Miami failed to sign a first and two second rounders, and then released their third rounder less than two months after signing him. That third rounder was RP Ryan Youngblood who the Royals quickly snatched up and used to help acquire a Gold Glov Center Fielder in Quentin Holmes.
They traded Phil Maton for a 5th round pick in SP Colin Cleary and a 1B in Eddie Vogler. Vogler is a fringe Major Leaguer but did put up a 122 OPS+ and 1.4 WAR in the 80 games he has played in the majors. On a talent starved team like the Marlins it is curious that he hasn't gotten more chances than that. Colin Cleary had 1.8 rWAR last year which is a win for a 5th round pick. However, he likely outperformed his talent level so he might not be that going forward. All in all, this trade worked out for Miami, as Maton was a decent reliever stuck on a bad team and wasn't particularly notable after leaving them.
Miami also made a move getting Tim Cate from the Giants for a seventh and ninth round pick. But there was really no need to give up assets for rights to a guy they had just picked in rule V. On the Marlins roster no one was competing with Cate and he didn't need any additional time in the minors. He showed that right away putting up 1.0 WAR on a team that had less than 7 WAR from all its players total.
So why does Miami have negative WAR for this draft? It is because they gave their sixth round pick First Baseman Danny Stile 884 plate appearances over two seasons to put up a 52 OPS+ and -2.4 WAR. Stile was on a nice trajectory after Double-A, but the Marlins chose to skip Triple-A for him and it had disastrous consequences.
Grade: D-. Miami got some nicer players with later draft picks, but undid the good with too much bad. Failing to sign your first three picks in a draft and releasing the fourth less than two months after he's been signed is never a smart idea.
Milwaukee Brewers:
First Round: (6) Fidel Molina—Compensation for not signing Joe Taylor
First Round: (11) Nick Rollins—3B
Second Round: (1) Peter Laporte—P (Pick received from Los Angeles Angels for Bryce Montes de Oca)
Second Round: (10) Ferdinand Lemstra—P
Second Round: (17) Harold Kennedy—RF—Compensation for not signing Ron Ryser—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (11) Willie Maisonet—P
Third Round: (31) Fumio Nishimura—SS (Pick received from Washington for $4 million)—UNSIGNED
Best Player: Nick Rollins
Best Deep Cut: (12) Kevin Furtado—LF
Total ML WAR: 8.1
Review: The Brewers didn’t sign Joe Taylor in 2023, losing out on a player that would twice put up 4.2 seasons. The compensation pick turned into Fidel Molina, an oft-injured pitcher who has turned into a back-roster reliever. Not signing Taylor was a mistake.
The Brewers did make up for it by drafting big risk big reward Nick Rollins. The infielder is constantly injured to the point of being undependable. However, when he has played, he’s hit for big power and he has 35 career homers in only 674 career plate appearances, despite inexperience and injuries. He forces teams to carry a good backup, but with the versatility to play Second Base as well as Third Base, he’s talented enough to justify the dependability issues.
Milwaukee gave up Bryce Montes de Oca for the pick that became Peter Laporte. Laporte is a swingman that hasn’t gotten much of a shot on a deep Brewers team, so it’s unclear how he’d hold up in the PBA. He has good movement and control, but may not have the stuff to cut it as a starter. Meanwhile, de Oca had a good 2025 and could have helped an excellent Brewers team, but was horrible in 2024 fell off soon after 2025.
Milwaukee didn’t sign Ron Ryser in 2023, and while a bit player, Ryser had a postseason that allowed Toronto to win the AL pennant in 2028. The comp pick turned into current slugging prospect Harold Kennedy in the Twins system, who Milwaukee didn’t sign. His comp pick begat Kevin Fleishman, an okay reliever for the Padres. Milwaukee should have just signed Ryser and closed some loops.
Milwaukee’s own second rounder was used on Ferdinand Lemstra and their own third rounder was used on Willie Maisonet—pitchers who never put it together in the minors. They purchased another third rounder from Washington for $4 million and used on Fumio Nishimura, an infielder without the bat to play above A-ball. The Brewers didn’t sign the Japanese native, turning the comp pick into decent reliever Grant Stumpf. That’s probably a good piece of business for $4 million.
Milwaukee’s fourth rounder was used on Tyler Miles, an arm who held his own as a 25-year-old rookie for the Twins last year and should cut it as a mid-rotation arm. Their sixth rounder was spent on Bill Pollard, a young slugger who produced 20 homers and 85 RBIs for the Cubs in 2028, before struggling for the Mets last year. He looks like a starting outfielder though, which is a great find in the sixth round.
12th rounder Kevin Furtado is an aggressive swinger with a bat that makes loud contact. He had 20 doubles and 17 homers for the Reds last year. He doesn’t offer much defense and no speed, but power from a 12th rounder is a win.
Milwaukee signed most of their mid and late round picks and many project to be decent players who can maybe make it to the upper minors, which adds a bit to the grade as they’re still young enough to pop.
Grade: B-. The Brewers got a star in Rollins and some nice pieces deep in the draft, overcoming the misses with the pitchers they selected early on. If Rollins continues to struggle to see the field and some of their deeper picks don’t hit, this grade may look a touch worse over time.
Minnesota Twins:
First Round: (28) Adam Espinoza—3B
Second Round: (30) Joey Magnone—1B
Third Round: (30) Alex Presley—P
Best Player: (5) Scott Beaubien—P
Best Deep Cut: (12) Pete Southern—LF
Total ML WAR: 1.2
Review: Minnesota drafted infielder Adam Espinoza late in the first round with their first pick. Espinoza has hit in Triple-A the last two years, plus he runs well, and has defensive versatility. He doesn’t quite have the offensive calling card to really make him a standout player though. Bobby Siegel was taken five spots after Espinoza.
Joey Magnone has been an interesting case study on just how far an empty average can take you if you have few other skills. Magnone hit for an empty .287 in 2027, and hit .271 with a .433 slugging percentage last year. He was worth a bit of WAR both years. He hit .272 in 2028, but with virtually no walks, crumbling to a negative WAR player. Magnone can’t play anywhere but First Base, doesn’t offer many steals, and is aggressive at the plate. With a profile like that, he needs to be able to hit .300 or play Gold Glove defense. It’s a weak draft, so getting someone who can hold their own in the PBA warrants a passing grade, but it doesn’t warrant high marks.
Alex Presley was Minnesota’s third rounder, and he was cut before his first full season and has been in the Japanese minors ever since. He wasn’t a good pick. Ryan Adams was their fourth rounder, a Quad-A bat with some power, but not much else. He’s okay as a fourth rounder, but nothing impressive.
Fifth rounder Scott Beaubien touches 100 and keeps the ball low. He’s been wild, but successful his first two years and has a future in Minnesota’s bullpen. Pete Southern was Minnesota’s 12th rounder. He has huge power and could be a force overseas, but doesn’t have the hit tool to even be a good Triple-A player.
Grade: D+. Espinoza and Adams grade out as D+ picks, Magnone gets a C-, and Presley is an F. Beaubien gets them back to a D+, but the group hasn’t done enough to warrant more than that. Espinoza will need to produce for the Twins to get a higher grade.
New York Yankees:
First Round: Pick forfeited as a result of signing Amed Rosario
Second Round: (28) Olaf Khon—P Pick acquired from Kansas City along with Anwa Ita, Tso-I Zhao, Arturo Salgado, and Miguel Gomez for Gary Sanchez—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (29) Jalen Washington—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (29) Pick traded to San Francisco for Mychal Givens. Pick became Chris Malloy.
Best Player: (10) Brian Strack—SS
Best Deep Cut: (30) Tony Padilla—P
Total ML WAR: -0.2
Review: The Yankees lost their first round pick to sign Amed Rosario. In a weak draft, giving up a first round pick to sign a good player makes sense, but Rosario battled injuries and a crowded Yankees infield and started more than 103 games just once in five years. For $56 million over five years, not a terrible contract, it still wasn’t worth it.
The Yankees gave up a huge name to make up for the lost draft pick, getting a second rounder from Kansas City, plus a bunch of prosects, for Gary Sanchez. The star Catcher was entering the final year of his contract, but still produced 6-WAR for Kansas City and hit at least 30-homers every year for five years with Toronto on his next contract.
As for the haul, the draft pick turned into Olaf Kohn, a good looking pitcher who just debuted last year as a 26-year-old, but never signed with the Yankees. The Yankees didn’t get much with the comp pick, making the decision a waste.
Miguel Gomez was the replacement Catcher. He had two years left on his contract and had a decent first year, but while Gomez had a solid season, Sanchez hit 51 Home Runs and led Kansas City to the ALCS. Gomez had a bad 2025, rebounded slightly in 2026, and was replacement level for two years to finish out his career. Compared to Sanchez, he looked disastrously bad.
As for the prospects, Anwa Ita and Tso-I Zhao are still very young and still prospects, but don’t look like more than Triple-A players, while Arturo Salgado is a replacement level reliever. Despite the quantity, it’s been a depressing return for trading a future Hall of Famer.
The Yankees own pick was used on Jalen Washington, a limited pitcher in the Orioles system. He wasn’t signed, but the Yankees didn’t get a talented return with their compensation picks in 2025. They traded their third rounder for Mychal Givens, immediately cut him, and watched him have a poor close to the year with the White Sox in a bizarre saga. Givens had a good year as a starter in 2024, and the draft pick turned in to Chris Malloy, a solid backup Catcher.
The Yankees didn’t sign their fourth or fifth rounder, and none of their other players have pitched in the PBA or ever project to except for 30th rounder Tony Padilla, who put up a 6.30 ERA in 10 innings last year.
Grade: F. The Yankees gave up a Hall of Fame Catcher for nothing, lost their best draft pick to sign an oft-injured player they didn’t need, and traded away a third-round pick, cutting the player they acquired two weeks later. Not just a bad draft, but a spectacular disaster.
New York Mets:
First Round: (8) Liam Thomas—P
Supplemental Round: (2) Mark Moore—P—Compensation for not signing Dominic Smith
Supplemental Round: (3) Justin Rott—P—Compensation for not signing Amed Rosario
Second Round: (7) Luis Orellana—P
Third Round: (8) Khalil Banks—P—UNSIGNED
Best Player: Liam Thomas
Best Deep Cut: (12) Phil Reynolds—RF
Total ML WAR: 6.8
Review: The draft was utterly uneventful for the Mets with the exception of the Home Run they hit drafting Liam Thomas eighth overall. He seems like a steal there as well and seems destined to amount to one of the top five picks of the draft. He was, however, flipped in what seems to amount to a diversify trade with the Cubs for a third round pick (which failed), mid to back end SP Jorge Ramirez (1.7 WAR 2029), OF Bill Pollard who had a 2 WAR rookie campaign in 2028 with Cubs and shows plus power, and finally a promising SP Jason Partridge who is ranked currently #46 Top prospect. He has had decent results in Triple-A and will need to fulfill his promise to likely justify this trade.
Aside from Thomas both their Supplemental picks don’t look like they’ll amount to anything but minor players, and the same seems the fate for third round and unsigned pick Khalil Banks. Second round pick Luis Orellana should be a mid range MLB reliever for years to come so a base hit here for the Mets.
But really that is it. They failed to sign any picks from Rounds 4-7 and those players all floundered nevertheless. The only remaining player who has any hope of breaking into the MLB is maybe deep cut Alex Ruiz. Ruiz has had a very good minor career for the Reds and one day might catch a break but seems very unlikely.
Grade: B+. The Mets hit a three-run homer in drafting Liam Thomas and he has earned 6.3 WAR in in his first two seasons and seems destined to grow further. Their grade could probably be revised if the prospect Partridge amounts to a 3-4 starter with some success. The rest of the draft really is a non starter but most teams would consider a bonafide stud/star like Thomas a successful draft.
Oakland Athletics:
First Round: (17) Ryan Fox—P—UNSIGNED
First Round: (20) Pick traded to Kansas City for Joe Taylor—Compensation for not signing Devin Martin. Pick became Mike Insco.
First Round: (24) Pick traded to Kansas City along with second round pick (*Kyle Sidebottom) for Jacob Heatherly and Doug Clark—Compensation for not signing Randy Elsass. Pick became Oscar Olvera
Second Round: (16) *
Second Round: (22) Pick traded to Atlanta for Kevin Flippo—Compensation for not signing Mike Sizemore. Pick became Andy Gleason
Third Round: (17) Jim Beaudin—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (29) Anthony Stone—P—Compensation for not signing Eric Burris—UNSIGNED
Best Player: (12) Tyler Hadd—CF
Best Deep Cut: Tyler Hadd
Total ML WAR: 0
Review: Five full seasons post draft and going into a sixth there isn't a single player in Oakland's farm that OSA thinks has any more than 2-star potential. Part of this is either trading or failing to sign anyone from the first 3 rounds of the draft. In giving up these picks Oakland acquired Jacob Heatherly, Doug Clark, Joe Taylor, and Kevin Flippo.
Clark and Heatherly were last seen playing in the Meridian league, meanwhile one of the picks Oakland gave up for these two became Kyle Sidebottom. Sidebottom looks like he will become a great SP. Not ideal for Oakland.
Joe Taylor was acquired from the Royals for a first round pick and he went on to have two solid years with the Giants, but the A's only gave him 5 plate appearances in the majors before moving him there to help dump Byron Buxton's contract. The pick given up became Mike Insco who won't see the majors so that offsets having to use Taylor as a salary dump somewhat. However the story is not complete without mentioning that before any of this, Oakland had Joe Taylor to begin with and moved him to the Royals for 3 million dollars. Not really sure what their thought process in all this was.
The last notable trade was Kevin Flippo for a second round pick. Flippo has been a career swing man and he put up 1.5 WAR for Oakland. The pick became Andy Gleason a nice young 2B for the Astros. Not as bad as the other trades but Gleason is the better player.
Oakland failed to sign either of their third rounders or first rounder Ryan Fox. Fox just had a solid 2 WAR rookie year for the Rangers.
Grade: F. Oakland likely had to make these trades of early picks for budgetary reasons but the return for all these picks is bad compared to what teams have been able to acquire historically. Furthermore the rest of Oakland's draft contributed absolutely nothing to the roster, and doesn't look like it will in the future. When it comes down to it, Oakland will have likely sent away 3 early round picks for a total of 1.5 WAR from a swingman pitcher and a salary dump.
Philadelphia Phillies:
First Round: (33) Bobby Siegel—1B
Second Round: (35) Justin Link—P
Third Round: (36) Matt Thomasson—P
Notes: Traded fifth round pick (Philip Wirths) to San Francisco along with Andy Buzzell and Jorge Polanco for Christian Arroyo.
Best Player: Bobby Siegel
Best Deep Cut: (13) Paul McClain—3B
Total ML WAR: 22.0
Review: Philadelphia had an excellent draft. They didn’t have an early pick in the first round, but still nabbed the clear second best player from the class in Bobby Siegel. The First Baseman has already led the National League in home runs and OPS and has 113 career homers already, despite only being 23 years old. He’s a superstar and the best pick of the draft.
Philadelphia’s second through fourth rounders have been solid as well. Justin Link has performed well in the upper minors and held his own in a cup of coffee for Philadelphia last year. He throws hard and has limited extra base hits throughout his career. In a weak draft, his selection looks a touch uninspired, but mostly fine. Matt Thomasson progressed quickly through Philadelphia’s minors before hitting a wall in the upper minors. He pitched pretty well for Philadelphia last year and could slot in as a fifth starter.
Philadelphia’s fourth rounder was used on Jay Tudor in a terrific selection. Tudor gets good movement on his fastball and cutter, limiting homers with them. He was worth 4.1 WAR in 2029 and looks like a strong number-two caliber pitcher.
Philadelphia’s ninth rounder, Joel Mathewson, peppers the gaps and hits a ton of doubles. He can’t hit lefties, but was still taken in the Rule V draft by Toronto this past year. That’s a nice sign of confidence.
Finally, 13th round Third Baseman Paul McClain had a solid .753 OPS against left-handed pitching for the Phillies last year. Getting an offensive player who can hit in the 13th round is a huge accomplishment that Philadelphia should be proud of.
Grade: A+. Siegel isn’t quite as versatile as Joe Taylor, but he’s a damn good hitter and was taken towards the end of the first round, not the top. The Phillies also got a quality starting pitching, some fringe pitching depth, and a backup/platoon Third Baseman. In a weak draft, that’s a sensational haul.
Pittsburgh Pirates:
First Round: (5) Ron Dahl—CF
Second Round: (5) Chris Reynolds—SS
Third Round: (5) Stanislaw Gromadzki—CF
Best Player: Ron Dahl
Best Deep Cut: (18) Art Slusher—C
Total ML WAR: 7.5
Review: Pittsburgh selected Ron Dahl fifth overall. He’s shown promise, but he hasn’t developed into the plus player Pittsburgh hoped they were getting when they drafted him. Dahl’s hit in the .240s three of his four seasons, with few walks and low teens homers. He needs to up either his patience, his power, or his average to be a plus player. At worst, he’s a second-division starting Center Fielder, which is fine, but looks worse than John Yancey who was taken two spots later.
Chris Reynolds was Pittsburgh’s second round pick, a backup infielder in Triple-A without much upside. He has negative career PBA WAR in 113 games, and looks worse than middle infielders taken in the second and third round, like Andy Gleason, and Simon Ferguson.
Stanislaw Gromadzki was a bust of a third rounder who never has and never will play above A-ball. Fourth rounder Israel Cruz has fared better, as a replacement level backup Catcher. He makes contact and can throw out runners, making him a fine third round pick.
Sixth round pick Dan Jasperson has made it as a successful reliever for the Rangers. Just 27, his cutter/changeup combo should leave him a successful reliever for a few years. Seventh round pick Eddie Torres dominated Double-A last year and had a cup of coffee with Pittsburgh in 2028 and looks like a viable relief candidate.
Eight round pick Hector Avila is an infielder with decent patience and some gap power, but likely doesn’t play good enough defense or have an offensive calling card to make him a viable PBA player, even as a backup.
11th rounder Ken Falcone has an upper 90s heater, with a good curveball. A bit homer prone, Falcone could make it as a lefty reliever in the next couple of years. 15th rounder Jeremy Loomis doesn’t throw hard, but gets great movement with his cutter, slider, and circle change. That puts him on the big club’s radar.
18th rounder Art Slusher was a replacement level Catcher in 2027. Not a great defender, he can take a pitch and wait for one to drive. He’s hit well in Triple-A and is a win as a third Catcher.
Grade: C-. Pittsburgh gets credit for quantity more than quality. Ron Dahl was a fine selection in the first round, but he may not be a plus Center Fielder when his career is done. Pittsburgh also didn’t get much from their second and third round picks. However, the Pirates picked up a few backup Catcher types and some decent relievers. That’s enough to get them an adequate grade.
San Diego Padres:
First Round: (7) John Yancey—CF
First Round: (12) Roger Ash—P—Compensation for not signing Mike Darrow
Second Round: (6) Mike Pease—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (7) Marquis Williams—P
Best Player: John Yancy
Best Deep Cut: (11) Dave Morales—SS
Total ML WAR: 11.2
Review: San Diego didn’t get much from the draft class, but they made sure to nail their first round pick. John Yancey has been a first division player, drawing walks, hitting homers, playing defense, and being a weapon on the field. The only player taken after Yancey with more WAR was is Bobby Siegel. He was an excellent pick.
The Padres didn’t sign Mike Darrow in 2024, getting a compensation pick as a result. Darrow never panned out, but the compensation pick was used on Roger Ash, a pitcher who never made it above Triple-A. San Diego could have made a better selection.
The Padres drafted Mike Pease in the second round, but didn’t sign him—a good decision as Pease as been mired in the mid-minors most of his career. The compensation pick was used on Phil Hatch though, who’ll likely suffer the same fate.
Marquis Williams was San Diego’s third rounder. His nickname is Garbage, appropriate as he’s never made it above rookie ball in six season. Fourth rounder Jon Koback gets good downward action on his pitches, and may be able to make the PBA as a reliever, but now 28, he’s running out of time.
Grade: B+. San Diego didn’t get a lot from the draft, but they got John Yancey, which alone gives them the fourth most WAR in the class.
San Francisco Giants:
First Round: (15) Mike Salcido—3B
First Round: (32) Rich Sparks—P (Pick acquired along with third rounder [*Rich Harmon] and fifth rounder [Ricky Valencia] for Cobi Johnson
Second Round: (15) Brian Hampton—C
Third Round: (9) Al Castillo—SS (Pick acquired from Colorado for Luis Espinosa and $5 million)
Third Round: (12) Adam Hall—P (Pick acquired from Tampa Bay along with Mark Swafford for Braxton Garrett)
Third Round: (16) Chris Williams—1B
Third Round: (27) Simon Ferguson—2B (Pick acquired from Seattle for Josh Stephen)
Third Round: (28) Chris Malloy—C (Pick acquired from New York Yankees for Mychal Givens)
Third Round: (34)*
Notes: Received fourth round pick (Nick Rushing) from Tampa Bay as well as fifth round pick (Greg McCord) for $5 million.
Received fourth round pick (Mike Bishop) from Washington for $2 million.
Received fifth round pick (Phillip Wirths) as well as Jorge Polanco and Andy Buzzell from Philadelphia for Christian Arroyo
Received seventh round pick (Michael Ortega) from Miami along with ninth round pick (Matt Hrabel) for Tim Cate.
Best Player: Brian Hampton
Best Deep Cut: (26) Bill DeRose—P
Total ML WAR: 18.9
Review: The Giants were still a team well underbudget in 2024, and they used their surplus cash to acquire a ton of picks. Their initial pick was 15th overall. They picked Mike Salcido, a fringy, but versatile player who can play the infield and the outfield and make contact at the plate. Not a plus player, his selection looks disappointing with numerous position players establishing themselves after being taken in the late first and early second rounds.
The Giants traded Cobi Johnson to the Cubs late in 2023 as Chicago was making a playoff push, getting three draft picks in return. Johnson would go on to be a fine back end pitcher, but the Giants got Rich Sparks, Ricky Valencia, and Rich Harmon. Sparks would be a legitimate starting pitcher on 28 other teams, Valencia has turned into an elite reliever, and Harmon has been fine as a replacement level reliever. That’s a great haul for Johnson, with San Francisco making successful selections with the received picks.
San Francisco used their own second rounder on Brian Hampton, who was an All-Star, a Gold Glove winner, and turned in a fantastic postseason in 2029. He’s one of the best Catchers in the game and a great selection in the second round.
The Giants ended up with five extra third rounders, in additional to their own pick that they used on middling power prospect Chris Williams.
In addition to the Rich Harmon acquisition referred to earlier, the Giants picked up a pick from the Rockies for $5 million and Luis Espinosa. The pick turned into Al Castillo, whose bat never played to the level of his glove, making him a poor player in the PBA. Espinosa got hurt and never got his career off the ground, struggling and being cut by Meridian League teams three times. The $5 million could have been used more productively.
The Giants also got Mark Swafford and a pick that became Adam Hall from Tampa Bay for Braxton Garrett. Hall has had success as a swingman, while Garrett put up less than 1.0 WAR in 169 games, albeit with a solid 4.13 ERA. That trade is currently a slight edge for San Francisco, but Hall was worth -1.0 WAR last year and another poor year tips the scale back in Tampa Bay’s favor.
San Francisco acquired a pick that became Simon Ferguson for Josh Stephen, a huge win, as Stephen played only a handful of PBA games in his career and Ferguson has established himself as a starting-caliber infielder. San Francisco also got solid backup Catcher Chris Malloy, giving up Mychal Givens in the process. Givens was good, but nearing the end of his career, while Malloy could start for most teams. That turned out to be an excellent deal.
The Giants purchased some mid-round picks for cash, getting picks that became Nick Rushing and Greg McCord for $5 million, and Mike Bishop for $2 million. Rushing was a good PBA reliever last year, McCord is a tall, menacing slugging prospect, and Bishop has been a quality PBA player. Getting all three for $7 million is a steal.
San Francisco also traded Christian Arroyo, netting a pick that became Phillip Wirths, as well as Jorge Polanco, and Andy Buzzell in return. Arroyo fell off after leaving San Francisco, while Wirths was a huge member of San Francisco’s bullpen down the stretch of last year. Jorge Polanco had a roller coaster 2028, but was at least replacement level, while Buzzell too has been mostly replacement level, except when he turned in one of the PBA’s most inexplicable No-Hitters. Some replacement level arms and a good reliever for a second division Third Baseman like Arroyo was a fair return.
San Francisco’s own fourth rounder was used on power bat Sam Henry, who may be able to make it someday as a slugger against lefties, while the Giants picked up upper minors defender Dwayne Hiseler in the fifth round.
They traded Tim Cate for seventh and ninth rounders that became Michael Ortega and Matt Hrabal. Ortega looks like he’ll top off as a Quad-A reliever, while Hrabal may be able to succeed in Triple-A. Tim Cate was a solid back-end arm for Miami for a half decade, so the return wasn’t great.
San Francisco selected Michael Green in round 10, and he looks like a good young prospect currently in Seattle. He has a good bat, can make contact, and his power will play at the position. He can also slide over to Third Base or Right Field in a pinch.
21st rounder Keshawn Gray pitched briefly for the Athletics in 2027 and was a disaster with an 8.07 ERA and -2.0 WAR. He’s been fine in Triple-A, he just never should have seen the PBA. Finally, Bill DeRose pitched well for Oakland in 2028 after being taken in the 26th round. He has a curveball that misses bats, but doesn’t have the fastball to be a consistent PBA player. Still, a positive player in round 26 is a steal.
Grade: A. San Francisco got so many quality players with its own picks, and got even more depth with the trades they made. Not every trade was a hit, but most were, giving San Francisco extra chances to get young talent into their system despite a weak draft. With the sheer volume of successful results, the Giants get, at minimum, an A.
Seattle Mariners:
First Round: Pick forfeited as a result of signing Lourdes Gurriel
Second Round: (28) Pick traded to Kansas City for $5 million. Ended up with New York Yankees as Olaf Kohn.
Third Round: (27) Pick traded to San Francisco for Josh Stephen. Pick became Simon Ferguson
Best Player: (4) Joe McCurley—P
Best Deep Cut: (13) Chris English—SS
Total ML WAR: 4.0
Review: Seattle traded away a bunch of picks for present value, but still selected a few strong players. They were in the midst of a strong run with five playoff appearances in six outings, including four division wins. They signed Lourdes Gurriel to a seven year contract with a four-year opt out at roughly $21 million a year. He put up 16.2 WAR, earned two All-Star nods, and cost roughly $84 million, about $5 million a WAR. He was a very efficient signing and helped Seattle remain one of the best AL teams during the middle of the decade. In a weaker draft, losing a draft pick to get a two-time All-Star is worth it.
Seattle essentially sold the pick that became Olaf Kohn for $5 million. The Mariners were able to remain a force, and got some cash to help, though Olaf Kohn looks like a strong pitching prospect. Cash helps on the margins, but Kohn looks like a solid mid-rotation arm that could have helped bridge the gap. The argument with that decision in hindsight can go either way.
Seattle traded its third rounder for Josh Stephen. Stephan was sub-replacement in 2024 and never played in the PBA again. Ferguson’s become a good second division Second Baseman. Seattle should have kept the pick.
The Mariners chose Joe McCurley in the fourth round. A strong mid-rotation arm, McCurley has allowed less than a homer-per-nine despite pitching in Coors Field. Still young, McCurley is one of the bet arms in the draft and he was taken in round four.
Seattle selected Sean Campbell in the fifth round, and the outfielder has made the PBA despite playing to negative WAR. The outfielder runs well, plays good defense, and has some pop. He’s not a bad fifth or sixth outfielder.
Sixth rounder Matt Leatherman has been overmatched by Triple-A hitting, but seventh rounder Allen Whitmore is a hit. He showed good pop with the Phillies last year and looks like a starting outfielder, an excellent find in the seventh round. Whitmore may turn out to be the best player in the draft, given Philadelphia’s track record with developing power hitters.
Grade: A-. Seattle drafted a very good starting pitcher and a very good outfielder during the middle rounds of the draft, signed an All-Star to a reasonable contract, and earned some cash. Seattle should have held on to the pick that became Simon Ferguson, and perhaps should have held on to Kohn, but it was a successful use of draft assets nonetheless.
St. Louis Cardinals:
First Round: (30) Ed Bice—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (32) Curtis McDowell—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (32) Phil Hatch—P—UNSIGNED
Best Player: (6) Randy Elsass—LF
Best Deep Cut: (16) Tom Vogel—P
Total ML WAR: -0.1
Review: The Cardinals punted on the draft, not signing their first five picks, a trio of upper minors arms in Ed Bice, Curtis McDowell, and Phil Hatch. Bice and McDowell have worked in the PBA, but none have proven themselves. It took sometime for the comp picks to work their way through, but St. Louis eventually received Ken Davis, who looks like a Triple-A caliber infielder, and Emil Marks, a potential mid-rotation arm. That’s not a bad trade off, but it took two years for those picks to be realized.
The Cardinals first signed pick was Randy Elsass, a speedy fielder who has hit well in the minors, but hasn’t had a shot in the PBA. Tampa Bay acquired him and should finally give him a chance to play in the PBA his year. Eighth rounder Mike Macri never had a shot above Short-A with St. Lous, but hit 57 homers for France last year.
16th rounder Tom Vogel made the Cardinals in 2028 and was homer prone, but decent enough in 10 starts, posting -0.1 WAR. That’s fine for a 16th rounder.
Grade: C-. St. Louis didn’t sign any of their early picks, eventually getting slightly better players two years later, which is mostly a wash. They made a few decent picks in the middle rounds in a non-descript draft.
Tampa Bay Rays:
First Round: (13) Ryan Strickland—P Pick traded to Chicago White Sox along with second rounder (* #11 Victor Leon) and Blake Snell for Arturo Alvarado. Picks never conveyed—UNSIGNED
First Round: (26) Alex Vigil—P—UNSIGNED (Pick acquired from Kansas City along with second rounder (* #24 ended up in Baltimore as Dustin Anderson) and third rounder (* #25 Dan Yancey) for $1)
Second Round: (11) Pick traded to Baltimore for Nick Vespi. Pick became Victor Leon
Second Round: (24)* Pick traded to Baltimore along with Ronald Acuna for $1. Pick became Dustin Anderson
Third Round: (12) Pick traded to San Francisco along with Mark Swafford for Braxton Garrett. Pick became Adam Hall.
Third Round: (25)* UNSIGNED
Notes: Traded fourth round pick (Nick Rushing) to San Francisco along with fifth round pick (Greg McCord) for $5 million.
Best Player: (23) Steve Magnuson—SS
Best Deep Cut: Steve Magnuson
Total ML WAR: 0.0
Review: The Rays traded out of the draft to save as much money as possible. They gave up useful starter Blake Snell and some picks that never conveyed for Arturo Alvarado. Alvarado never amounted to anything, while Snell was solid for a couple of years. Strickland never signed and doesn’t look like a PBA player.
They got three draft picks from the Royals for $1, but the players turned into an unsigned Alex Vigil, Dustin Anderson, and Dan Yancey. Yancey has potential to be a useful arm, but Anderson never amounted to anything and the Vigil comp pick didn’t convey for some time. Yancey for $1 works out, but it wasn’t as much free value as one would expect.
The Rays gave up a pick that became career minor leaguer Victor Leon to Baltimore for Nick Vespi, who had an excellent 2024 for the Rays. The Rays gave up a second rounder to dump Ronald Acuna on the Orioles for $1. The pick became Dustin Anderson, who didn’t amount to anything, but Acuna had three more solid seasons left in the tank.
The Rays traded a pick that became Adam Hall, plus Mark Swafford for Braxton Garrett. Hall has had mixed results as a swingman, while Garrett had mixed results as a swingman. It’s likely Swafford only has even mixed results in Double-A.
The Rays traded picks that became Nick Rushing and Greg McCord for $5 million. Rushing has pitched well for the Dodgers, McCord has big power potential for the Giants, and $5 million didn’t help the Rays return to the playoffs in the middle part of the decade.
The Rays didn’t make any worthwhile picks later in the draft, with barren selections with the picks they decided to keep and sign.
Grade: F. The Rays gave away Blake Snell, Ronald Acuna, Alex Vigil, Dan Yancey, Adam Hall, Mark Swafford, Victor Leon, Nick Rushing, and Greg McCord. They received a pair of first round comp picks, a third round comp pick, Nick Vespi, Arturo Alvarado, and $5 million and used their comp picks to mostly unload salary in future years. It wasn’t a good use for their draft picks.
Texas Rangers:
First Round: Pick forfeited as a result of signing Kyle Hendricks
First Round: Pick forfeited as a result of signing Sonny Gray—Compensation for not signing Charlie Dougan
Second Round: (13) Jason Crabbe—CF
Third Round: (14) Corey LaRosa—C—UNSIGNED
Best Player: (4) Aaron Wallace—P
Best Deep Cut: (11) Joe Bryson—C
Total ML WAR: 6.6
Review: Texas lost both their first round picks signing compensation-eligible free agents to help make the playoffs after a two-year absence. They grabbed Kyle Hendricks for three seasons at roughly $13 million a year. He got hurt in 2024 limiting his effectiveness over the rest of the contract he signed with Texas, but turned in three solid seasons for them with good postseason results as well. He was decent value for the money, and arguably worth a first round pick in this draft.
They didn’t sign their 2023 first rounder Charlie Dougan, watching him turn into an excellent reliever in Colorado. They gave up the comp pick to sign Sonny Gray to a cheap one-year deal worth less than $8 million. Gray was excellent for Texas his one year with the team and well worth his contract. For only one season though, it may have been worth an excellent future reliever, or it may have been worth a late first round pick, but it probably wasn’t worth both.
Texas kept their second round pick, using it on Jason Crabbe. The speedy outfielder has been good in a smaller role as he’s a great baserunner and corner outfielder, but he doesn’t hit for a high enough average to be a plus hitter. He’s gotten on base at less than a .300 clip as a full time starter, but hit for a .798 OPS with a .257 average starting only 80 games in 2028. He’s easily the best outfielder taken for a few rounds though.
Texas drafted Corey LaRosa in the third round, but didn’t sign him. LaRosa looks like he may stick as a backup Catcher someday. The compensation pick was lost to sign Nick Gordon to a two year contract with a player option where he got hurt and missed most of year one and opted out of year two. Texas did get more out of Gordon than a possible backup Catcher though.
The Rangers’ fourth rounder was used on Aaron Wallace, who has turned into a terrific reliever. He has 10.6 strikeouts-per-nine and 3.26 career ERA. He was a strong fourth round pick.
Shimei Chiba was the final Rangers pick to make the PBA. He was a 10th round pick who was an ineffective pitcher in 2027 and 2028 despite decent peripherals. He has a 6.07 career ERA, but a more respectable 4.82 FIP. He rarely gave up homers, but was a little wild. Also, despite being right-handed, he gave up a ton of hard hit balls and doubles to right-handed hitters.
Grade: A-. Texas largely made good use of their picks, getting reasonable PBA players who helped them reemerge as an AL threat. Jason Crabbe and Aaron Wallace were also good picks in their rounds, and Chiba provided positive WAR as a 10th rounder. Giving up Charlie Dougan and a pick for one-year or Sonny Gray wasn’t great value, and the relative lack of depth dings the grade a touch.
Toronto Blue Jays:
First Round: (31) Jimmy Coates—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (33) Tim Hopkins—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (33) Sterling Chapman—CF
Best Player: (25) Art Gomez—P
Best Deep Cut: Art Gomez
Total ML WAR: -0.4
Review: The Blue Jays didn’t sign their first two picks, Jimmy Coates and Tim Hopkins, neither a player with a PBA career. The comp picks became Gordie Davis, a fringy slugging prospect without a position, and Fumio Nishimura, an infielder who’ll likely never play in Double-A, let alone the PBA. Getting nothing from their second round pick is rough, but swapping Coates with Davis was a nice move. A better move would have been simply drafting Rich Sparks or Bobby Siegel.
Sterling Chapman was selected in the third round, a Center Fielder without the glove to play it well, nor the bat to overcome it. The Blue Jays didn’t sign picks four-through-six, grabbing Jason Carney, a Triple-A Center Fielder in the seventh round without a bat for the pros.
Eighth round pick Ryan Weber has a big arm and big power, but doesn’t make enough contact to take advantage.
Toronto’s best selection was a deep pick, Art Gomez, in the 25th round. Gomez throws hard, but struggles with mechanics, leaving him extremely homer prone. He was also rushed to the PBA very soon, and may be able to improve over time. He has the repertoire and the desire to challenge the zone to have a high ceiling.
Grade: D+. Gomez was a great pick in the late rounds, but Toronto didn’t get much out of their other selections. He’ll really need to pop for the grade to improve in the future.
Washington Nationals:
First Round: (29) Jared Liddell—3B
Second Round: (31) Pick traded to Miami along with Carlos A. Romero for Nick Burdi. Pick became Ken Knighton
Third Round: (31) Pick traded to Milwaukee for $4 million. Pick became Fumio Nishimura
Third Round: (35) Shane Stoebner—P—Compensation for not signing Josh Swanson
Notes: Traded fourth round pick (Mike Bishop) to San Francisco for $2 million.
Traded fifth round pick (Hector Mondragon) to Baltimore for Kyle Hurt
Best Player: (7) Koichi Fukuchi—RF
Best Deep Cut: (18) Josh Nicholson—SS
Total ML WAR: -2.0
Review: The Nationals traded many of their picks from this draft and still ended up with the second lowest WAR total from the class. They spent their first rounder on Jared Liddell, a high school First Baseman who’s never hit in the minor leagues and looks like a complete bust.
They traded their second round pick along with Carlos A. Romero for Nick Burdi. Romero was a horrible PBA pitcher and Knighton is a fringy minor league arm. Nick Burdi had a few good, if homer-prone, years for Washington. That deal was a win for Washington.
They dumped one of their third rounders on Milwaukee for $4 million. The pick turned into Fumio Nishimura, a career minor leaguer. Washington’s $4 million was a much better asset. They kept their later third rounder, a pick received for not signing Josh Swanson the year prior. Swanson looks like a Triple-A outfielder, while their pick of Shane Stoebner looks like a Triple-A reliever. That deal is a sideways trade.
Washington dealt a fourth round pick that turned into Mike Bishop for $2 million. Bishop had a strong rookie year in 2028 with 2 WAR and a .782 OPS, already turning into an investment worth $2 million. Washington, even with its financial troubles in the mid-2020s should have held on to Bishop.
They acquired Kyle Hurt for their fifth rounder. Hurt was an average reliever for Washington, while the pick turned into Hector Mondragon, a player who has never had positive WAR above rookie ball. A clear win for Washington with that trade.
Washington selected Eric Williams with its sixth round pick. He has good power for a minor leaguer, but he doesn’t get good enough contact or play good enough defense to be more than an upper minors slugger. Their seventh rounder was used on Koichi Fukuchi, who had a good cup of coffee with Washington in 2028 and has held his own in Triple-A.
18th rounder Josh Nicholson has played 109 games in the PBA. He never hit in the minors and has been wretched at the plate in the PBA while playing below-average defense. It’s great that he’s played in the PBA, but maybe he shouldn’t have.
Grade: C+. Washington had an interesting draft, winning the Burdi and Hurt trades, plus selling their second rounder. They also lost the trade for their fourth rounder, and Liddell was a horrible pick. Add it up and it’s an average grade.
Arizona Diamondbacks:
First Round: (25) Marty Benito—P
Supplemental Round: (4) Jim D’Amico—P—Compensation for not signing Marco Gonzales.
Second Round: (23) Josh Cupples—P
Third Round: (23) Trevor Hendricks—P
Best Player: Jim D’Amico
Best Deep Cut: (14) Mario Guzman—RF
Total ML WAR: 5.9
Review: Arizona selected Marty Benito in the first round, a ground ball machine who’s been a little too wild to be effective in the PBA. Still in his prime, there’s a chance he develops into an arm that can be a difference maker.
Arizona’s second pick was a great one as Jim D’Amico has shown he can be a PBA ace. He’s only pitched two half-seasons the last couple of years as he hasn’t shown he can be healthy though. Still, the upside is tremendous though, and considering Arizona received the supplemental pick to draft D’Amico by dodging a bullet and not resigning Marco Gonzales, his selection is one of the best in the draft.
Josh Cupples and Trevor Hendricks both have topped out in the mid-minors, with Hendricks retiring already, but fourth round pitcher Aaron Costain has a big fastball/curveball combination and could be a strong starter if he refines his command.
Fifth round pick Chris Hill is a pitcher to at least jot the name down as a potential bullpen option who has dominated the low minors. 11th rounder Dan Cox can’t hear—he went to the Wisconsin School for the Deaf—but he can slug and was popped by the White Sox in the Rule V draft.
14th rounder Mario Guzman was taken by Baltimore in the Rule V draft prior to 2029. He struggled in his rookie year, but has starting outfielder upside as a player who plays strong defense, has a big arm, runs well, draws walks, and can hit the occasional homer. With seasoning he can be an ideal fourth outfielder at worse.
Grade: A. Getting arguably the best pitcher in the class, a few solid position players, and a couple of fringy arms is a solid haul. To do so in a weak class, while also making the right call to move on from Marco Gonzales makes it an excellent draft.
Atlanta Braves:
First Round: (23) Josh Waterman—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (22) Andy Gleason—2B (Pick acquired from Oakland for Kevin Flippo)
Second Round: (25) Steve Eckroat—CF—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (22) Josh Soltysiak—SS—UNSIGNED
Best Player: Andy Gleason
Best Deep Cut: (11) Scott Bauer—CF
Total ML WAR: 1.2
Review: Atlanta mostly bowed out of the 2024 draft, failing to sign most of their picks. In terms of their own selections, they drafted and failed to sign Josh Waterman, Steve Eckroat, and Josh Soltysiak. Waterman has a shot to make it as a starting pitcher with Philadelphia, Soltysiak was drafted and signed by Atlanta the very next year, and Eckroat has made it as a backup with the Braves. All were solid picks that went unsigned. The comp picks were used to correct their error and sign Soltysiak, also getting career minor league arm John Kadlecik, and low minors bat Max Wagner. That’s a step down from the players drafted in 2024, and Soltysiak could have gotten an extra year of development.
Atlanta also acquired a pick for Kevin Flippo, turning the reliever into Andy Gleason, who hit .320 with 23 doubles his rookie year last year. That’s a win.
Sixth rounder and eighth rounder Lazaro Ramirez and Sam Voss look like mid-minors players, with the rest of Atlanta’s signed picks in the first 10 rounds looking worse than that.
Their 11th rounder Scott Bauer has some potential. He has a long swing, but the ball comes off hard when struck, plus Bauer has good instincts in the outfield. If he can shorten the swing just a bit, there’s a PBA bat in there and he’s young enough to have a shot.
Struggling for backup Catchers, two Braves deep picks made the PBA last year. 23rd rounder Justin Grace made the majors, but shouldn’t have, as he had six hits in 67 at bats for an .090 average. Even with three doubles, that’s a .287 OPS, plus he had three passed balls. 24th rounder Bob Heltsley also appeared behind the dish in five games, but he homered and doubled for a .970 OPS in a robust sample of 12 plate appearances.
Grade: D+. Getting Gleason for Flippo looks good, and Bauer has a shot, but Atlanta whiffed in not signing its own picks. It’s a weak draft so getting one good player is still a passing grade, but Atlanta could have had one of the better drafts.
Baltimore Orioles:
First Round: (14) Sean Devereaux—P
First Round: (16) Matt Rain—RF (Pick acquired from Kansas City along with Jadon Ancrum and Nicholas Castellanos for J.P. Crawford)
First Round: (19) Chris Brandt—P (Pick acquired from Chicago Cubs along with second rounder [*Dan Poole], third rounder [*Ben McCullough], and Giancarlo Stanton for $1)
Second Round: (11) Victor Leon—P (Pick acquired from Tampa Bay for Nick Vespi)
Second Round: (12) Caleb Swift—1B
Second Round: (21)*
Second Round: (24) Dustin Anderson—P (Pick acquired from Tampa Bay along with Ronald Acuna for $1)
Second Round: (34) Dustin Oakes—CF (Pick acquired from Chicago Cubs for Christian Yelich)
Third Round: (13) Jordan Alejandre—1B
Third Round: (24) *
Notes: Received fifth round pick (Hector Mondragon) from Washington for Kyle Hurt.
Best Player: (7) Dan Farris—P
Best Deep Cut: (11) Nigel McKee—P
Total ML WAR: 6.8
Review: Baltimore was active with trades during the draft, picking up a number of extra sections with mixed results.
They made two trades for first rounders. One saw them get Matt Rain and Jadon Ancrum for taking on Nicholas Castellanos’ contract and giving up J.P. Crawford. Crawford would have a strong career in Kansas City, but Salesman had a run as one of the best hitters in the American League. Getting Matt Rain, a serviceable fringe outfielder probably tilts the trade in Baltimore’s favor a bit, though there were more talented players Baltimore could have made with the selection.
The Orioles also took on three draft picks that turned into Chris Brandt, Dan Poole, and Ben McCullough as the cost of taking on Giancarlo Stanton’s $34 million contract. All three pitchers are fringy pitchers, with Poole the most established as an arm that saved 17 games with a negative WAR last year. That wasn’t the best return for taking on Stanton.
Baltimore did make their own first round selection, drafting Sean Devereaux, who had success with the Athletics the last two years and is now with Texas. Devereaux throws six pitches to keep hitters off balance, making up for his lack of movement. In a draft weak on pitching, his selection looks fine.
Baltimore traded Nick Vespi to Tampa Bay for a second rounder that became Victor Leon. Vespi was outstanding for the Rays that year and could have helped Baltimore, while Leon never made it out of the mid-minors. Baltimore got another second rounder from the Rays, taking on Ronald Acuna as the cost of getting a second rounder. The pick turned into Dustin Anderson, a complete bust, and Acuna played in just 13 games for Baltimore despite being healthy the entire season, a complete waste.
The Orioles got a pick that turned into Dustin Oakes from the Cubs for Christian Yelich. Yelich had a huge postseason for the Cubs late in 2023 even if just a rental, while Oakes looks like a fifth outfielder. A young cost-controlled fifth outfielder for a rising team is probably worth more, or at least the same, than a half season of strong performance from a veteran who wouldn’t return.
Baltimore’s own pick was used on Caleb Swift, who had a nice 2028 for Seattle, but struggled in 2029, and despite being young, is in a bit of a crossroads in determining whether he’s a PBA-caliber hitter or merely a Triple-A slugger.
The Orioles selected Jordan Alejandre in the third round, a low-average, big power slugger for the Reds. Just a platoon player on a bad team, he was drafted in fringy territory where not a lot of players have popped.
Their fourth-round selection was spent on Fernando Rosas, a career minor leaguer, but their fifth rounder was used on Andy Hartley, who pitched well in Triple-A last year, and may be able to cut it as an eighth reliever as he throws 100 and has a good changeup.
The Orioles traded away Kyle Hurt for a pick hat became Hector Mondragon. Mondragon has an awesome name, a strong glove, but no bat, making him a player buried in the low minors. Hurt was a fine swingman for a few years in Washington. Baltimore lost that pick.
They picked Jerry Zambrano in the sixth round, a reliever who has pitched well in Triple-A for years. Likely not a PBA pitcher, Zambrano has served Norfolk well for years. Seventh rounder Dan Farris has developed into a relief ace with Seattle and one of the best mid-round selections in the draft.
11th rounder Nigel McKee throws in the upper 90s with movement, but everything moves on the same page making him easy to tee up. If he solves that, the stuff will play in the PBA.
Grade: C. There was a lot of sound and fury with Baltimore’s activity, but a lot of their trades cancel out in the wash. They got some decent players, but could have drafted better ones as well. Overall, a fine use of their assets, but nothing remarkable, especially considering they lost J.P. Crawford to get Jadon Ancrum.
Boston Red Sox:
First Round: (4) Joe Taylor—CF
Second Round: (4) Jonathan Annis—LF
Third Round: (4) Hank Iverson—1B
Best Player: Joe Taylor
Best Deep Cut: (17) Jason Dunker—CF
Total ML WAR: 22.7
Review: Boston had an excellent draft. Their first selection was Joe Taylor, who already has more than 20 WAR, which is more than 28 other teams’ production from the class. Taylor debuted early in 2025, and was still adjusting in 2026, but turned into a superstar in 2027, already posting three Platinum Stick Awards and showing no sign of slowing down. There were other good outfielders taken early in the first round of the draft—Ron Dahl and John Yancey, but Boston identified the best of the best.
In the second round, Boston took Jonathan Annis. The Exorcist has had a couple of strong years, but needs Boston to exorcise its outfield glut to get more playing time. Stretched in Center Field, he’s still a starting outfielder on most teams, taken in the second round of a draft that tails off after the first round.
Hank Iverson was a reach of a pick in the third round, and has already retired, as has fourth round outfielder Tyler Shaver. Fifth round outfielder/relief pitcher Chris Cobos looks like he’ll stall in Double-A.
Eighth round pick Josh Doherty is the only player taken after the first couple of picks who look like he’ll have an interesting career. A Quad-A type who performed well in Double-A, but didn’t get much time in Triple-A, Doherty was cut prior to 2028, where he landed in Algeria, playing for the Potros. He’s posted 71 Saves in two years with a 3.08 ERA, leading the African League in Saves in 2028. In a weak draft, that’s a win.
Grade: A+. Boston drafted the best player in the class, a starter-level player, and an elite overseas reliever. That’s a great haul.
Chicago White Sox:
First Round: Pick acquired from Tampa Bay along with second round pick (*never conveyed) and Blake Snell for Arturo Alvarado. Never conveyed.
First Round: (27) Tom Hedrick—P
Supplemental Round: (5) Gil Alaniz—P—Compensation for not signing Carlos Martinez
Second Round: *
Second Round: (26) Tony Spencer—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (26) CF David Renteria—CF—UNSIGNED
Best Player: (30) Alvaro Vasquez—P
Best Deep Cut: Alvaro Vasquez
Total ML WAR: -0.9
Review: Chicago acquired Blake Snell and two picks that never conveyed due to bureaucratic errors for Arturo Alvarado. Even without the picks, Snell was a useful starter for two years and retired early before his contract became too onerous. Arturo Alvarado was filler for absorbing the contract. Not bad business for Chicago.
They used their own first rounder on Tom Hedrick, a pitcher who immediately blew out his elbow and never became a PBA pitcher.
They allowed White Sox legend to walk in free agency, getting compensation pick Gil Alaniz in return. Chicago was over-leveraged financially, so needed to allow Martinez to walk, where he promptly led the 2024 American League in ERA and WAR. Injuries and age affected his future tenure so 16.4 WAR for $173 million is a slightly inefficient $10.5 million per WAR, but with Chicago still a contender, the opportunity to get a 2.22 season and 7.4 WAR in 2024 could have been the difference in their 88-win team making the playoffs and making a final run. Gil Alaniz has been a negative WAR player who once led the league in losses, not helping their rebuild at all.
They drafted Tony Spencer and David Renteria in the second and third rounds, not signing either. Spencer wouldn’t amount to anything, and Renteria would be drafted again the following year, not signed again, and directed to Japan where he’d become a future All-Star who might be able to play in the PBA. It would take awhile for Chicago to sign their comp selections, making Spencer and Renteria wasted picks. They needed to sign Renteria one of the two years.
Chicago didn’t sign anyone until the ninth round, but they made a few interesting picks deep in the draft. 11th rounder Rey Baes played good defense in the corner outfield and hit reasonably in Triple-A last year. He’s got a bit of speed, a good approach, and the ball comes off his bat nicely. He may be a second-division corner outfielder in the PBA when he matures. 18th rounder Josh Wylie made the PBA last year as an all-glove utility player. He put up 2.0 WAR in the International League despite a 56 OPS+ so the glove is definitely real. However, he put up a 56 OPS+ and a .523 OPS in the International League.
Finally, 30th rounder Alvaro Vasquez made a PBA start and went 6.2 innings allowing a single run. He only struck out two and doesn’t have great stuff, but only 23, he could be a fifth starter. Getting Double-A depth is a win for a 30th rounder, let alone a PBA starting pitcher, so that’s a real win.
Grade: D. They should have tried to find a way to resign Martinez, which signaled the end of their dynasty. Alaniz wasn’t able to jump start their rebuild at all. Getting Snell was nice business, and some later picks worked out well, canceled out by not signing Renteria and throwing away the middle portion of the draft.
Chicago Cubs:
First Round: (19) Pick traded to Baltimore along with second rounder (*Dan Poole), third rounder (*#24 Ben McCullough), and Giancarlo Stanton for $1. Pick turned into Chris Brandt—Compensation for not signing Chris Walsh
First Round: (32) Pick traded to San Francisco along with third rounder (*#34 Josh Harmon) and fifth rounder (Ricky Valencia) for Cobi Johnson. Pick became Rich Sparks
Supplemental Round: Pick forfeited as a result of signing Marco Gonzalez—Compensation for not signing Jerry Zambrano
Supplemental Round: (6) Jesus Sillas—P—Compensation for not signing Sonny Gray—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (21)*—Compensation for not signing James Gonzalez
Second Round: (34) Pick traded to Baltimore for Christian Yelich. Pick became Dustin Oakes
Third Round: (24) *—Compensation for not signing Tobias Fuentes
Third Round: (34) *
Notes: Fourth round pick forfeited as a result of signing Dominic Smith.
Best Player: (15) Nick Polcyn—LF
Best Deep Cut: Nick Polcyn
Total ML WAR: 2.1
Review: Chicago had some extra picks as a result of not signing their 2023 selections and instead of going the 2023 route of simply not signing their drafted players, they went in an entirely new direction to avoid having young talent on the roster and traded their picks away.
They sent along picks in the first three rounds to dump Giancarlo Stanton’s dead money on Baltimore. Stanton would not have another successful season again, and Chicago used the extra money to field one last successful team, winning 104 games in the 2024 season before aging out of being a contender. Including the unsigned 2023 picks that were rolled over to make the trade, Chicago gave up Closer Dan Poole, fringe reliever Ben McCullough, Triple-A hopeful Chris Brandt, upper minors position players James Gonzalez and Tobias Fuentes, and already retired Chris Walsh. The Cubs didn’t lose a ton of talent to get off of $34 million, despite the sheer volume of picks lost in the chain.
Their other trade of a first round pick was arguably worse. The Cubs gave up picks that turned into Rich Sparks, Ricky Valencia, and Josh Harmon for Cobi Johnson. The starting arm Johnson struggled for the Cubs in 2023 and lost his job as a starter in 2024. He’d go on to be a fine back end starter afterwards, but nothing special. The Cubs meanwhile traded away a top-tier reliever in Valencia, a fringe arm in Harmon, and a pitcher who has already showed he can be a solid mid-rotation arm in Sparks. The Cubs bet in Johnson and lost.
The Cubs didn’t sign Jerry Zambrano in 2023, rolling a supplemental pick over that was lost when Chicago signed Marco Gonzales to a disastrous contract. The former Diamondback Gonzales had a strong year for a good Cubs team in 2024, then the wheels fell off. He had shoulder soreness in 2025, then tore ligaments in his elbow in 2026 and 2027, needing surgery to clean up the mess some more in 2028. He pitched 29 innings after 2024, earning about $80 million for those innings. The original compensation pick came from not signing Alex Bregman after 2022, which looks like a colossal error in hindsight, even if he made twice as much as Gonzales.
The Cubs regained a second supplemental pick when Sonny Gray went unsigned and caught on with Texas. Gray had a middling end to his career, though his 2024 was strong and unlike Gonzales, he actually pitched in 2025 and 2026. He also “pitched” in 2027. It probably would have been better for the Cubs to have just resigned Gray. They ended up turning the compensation pick into Jesus Sillas, who has already retired. The Cubs didn’t sign Sillas, and the comp pick turned into Arturo Figueiedo, who also has already retired.
The Cubs traded their own second rounder to the Orioles for Christian Yelich late in 2023. Yelich struggled in the regular season but had a huge postseason before leaving in free agency. Oakes can run and field and may turn into a decent backup outfielder. Time will tell if his career ends up being worth more than Yelich helping lead the Cubs to two wins shy of the 2023 World Series.
As a result of Chicago’s trades, they only lost a fourth rounder when they signed compensation free agent Dominic Smith. The slugger had more than an .892 OPS for three of his four Cubs seasons, and a .812 OPS for the fourth before being traded to Kansas City and opting out of his contract. With a contract paying roughly $15 million a year and only costing a fourth rounder, he was a valuable pickup.
Two late round picks the Cubs actually made and signed have reached the PBA. Byron Winberry was Chicago’s 11th rounder. He’s been a success Triple-A starter and a Triple-A closer, showing some promise as a Cubs reliever as well. He’s an excellent find so late in the draft. Also, Nick Polcyn who hit 16 homers and stole 12 bases playing solid defense for the Cubs last year.
Grade: D: Chicago got neutral value trading away Giancarlo Stanton, but made poor decisions trading for Cobi Johnson, not signing Sonny Gray, and signing Marco Gonzales. They made a couple of great picks deep in the draft, and also made a great decision to sign Dominic Smith. Those decisions save things a little, giving them a D grade.
Cincinnati Reds:
First Round: (21) John Kadlecik—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (19) Sean Park—2B—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (19) Kevin Volquardsen—P
Best Player: (11) Earl Coppinger—LF
Best Deep Cut: Earl Coppinger
Total ML WAR: 0
Review: The Reds didn’t sign their first two selections, getting James Gillen and Jimmy Coates the next year instead. Of the quartet of players, three look like career minor leaguers and Gillen is a solid reliever, so the Reds didn’t do too poorly rolling their picks, though the Park pick could have been any number of decent relievers instead of career Triple-A bat Jimmy Coates.
Kevin Volquardsen gets you a decent Scrabble score depending on where you stick the V or the Q, but he also gets you negative WAR in the International League. The Reds didn’t sign their fourth or fifth rounders, and picks six-through-nine look like deep minor leaguers.
The Reds picked a strong mid-minors arm in Joe Coombs in the 10th round, and selected the big-swinging Earl Coppinger, who hits the ball hard the rare time he makes contact. Still young, there could be a cup of coffee as a righty bench bat on a bad team if you squint.
Grade: D-. The Reds mostly punted on a weak draft, but the compensation picks didn’t turn into future fruit, and they got slim pickings from their own selections. Not an inspired draft.
Cleveland Indians:
First Round: (2) Chad Simon—P
Second Round: (3) Alex Hernandez—P
Third Round: (2) Luis Orellana—P—UNSIGNED
Best Player: Chad Simon
Best Deep Cut: (18) Chad Wynn—SS
Total ML WAR: 7.5
Review: Cleveland guessed right with their second overall pick, getting future ace Chad Simon. Simon won 15 games last year, his first full PBA season, and was worth 3.2 WAR despite leading the league in walks. He throws hard with movement and should be one of the best pitchers in baseball for a few years.
Cleveland missed with its second rounder as Alex Hernandez had bone spurs early in his career and has been wild post-surgery. He’s overseas now, mostly pitching in the Filipino League. Third round pick Luis Orellana went unsigned. He turned into a quality reliever with the Mets. The comp pick turned into Gary Agee, a fringy starting pitcher prospect taken in 2026. Cleveland should have just held on to Orellana.
Fourth round pick Joe Bell is a Triple-A Catcher without much hope of progressing beyond that, but fifth rounder Chris Ford has been a win as a quality starter with the Mariners last year. Sixth rounder Thomas Mitchem may be able to step into a rotation and hold his own on a team with a good defense.
Grade: B. Cleveland got an excellent player, as they should have with the second pick of the draft. Chris Ford gives them a second hit, though the rest of their choices were disappointing.
Colorado Rockies:
First Round: (9) Tom Gunning—3B
Second Round: (9) Charlie Dougan—P
Third Round: (9) Pick traded to San Francisco along with Luis Espinosa for $5 million. Pick became Al Castillo
Best Player: Charlie Dougan
Best Deep Cut: (14) Jason Brown—SS
Total ML WAR: 6.0
Review: A very solid draft class. Colorado has had 4 players make it to the PBA from this draft class, Tom Gunning in the first round, Charlie Dougan in the second round, Kent Guttman in the fourth round and Mike Wright in the seventh round. Dougan has been the best player for Colorado as strikeout issues have limited the hitters' effectiveness. Still drafting Major Leaguers with your first 3 picks in a draft is always good.
Charlie Dougan is a lock-down reliever. He generates a ton of groundballs which is a great fit for the thin air of Colorado. He's coming off a sub 3 ERA season pitching half his games in Coors Field. Additionally he's beloved by local fans endorsing numerous products, including an exclusive line of pants called Dougan's Dungarees in a partnership with right fielder Ralph Porter's jorts company.
Tom Gunning, the Rockies first rounder, has had an interesting history. At the time it was reported the Rockies were heavily looking at outfielder John Yancey but he went a few picks before them to the rival Padres. It was a draft that was strong on college hitters and the Rockies were looking to pick one up. With Yanceyofft the board two of the best left were Tom Gunning out of Stanford and JuCo product Nick Rollins, both third basemen. Unfortunately for the Rockies they had a Hall of Famer already locked in at 3B in Nolan Arenado, so whoever was taken was gonna have a rough time. Colorado ended up taking Gunning and while Rollins has become the better player injuries have really slowed him down. Gunning blocked by Arenado had his ML debut delayed and has constantly been on the block for Colorado. He's put up a 106 OPS+ in 352 games as a pro. Strikeout issues have been the main issue. Still there's a lot of talent there and he's a good change of scenery candidate.
The best deep cut for the Rockies has been Kent Guttman in the 4th round. PBA draft experts loved the pick at the time and Guttman has turned into a solid utility player for the Rockies. There's still some potential there as OSA thinks more highly of him, but he's got to cut down on that 30% career K rate to translate that into reality. The story is the same for Colorado's seventh round pick Mike Wright who struck out 196 times last year for the Reds. The Rockies traded him for future picks in lower rounds and some cash and so far that appears to be working in their favor.
Colorado neglected to make a third round pick choosing instead to trade the pick for cash and a throw in prospect Luis Epinosa. That pick became Al Castillo who has not been worth the $5,650,000 spent by the Giants to acquire him. He's a middle infielder who looks like an AAAA player lacking a ML hit tool. The Rockies came out on top in this trade, but in a draft where they hit on other early picks it might have been better to keep the pick over the cash.
Grade: B+. Dougan is an impact player and Gunning still has value. Guttman and Wright have also been good returns on investment for where they were picked. This draft probably falls just short of an A, as you'd like to see a second big player for that. However, if you're Colorado (or any team) you should be happy with this draft class.
Detroit Tigers:
First Round: Forfeited as a result of signing Carlos Martinez
Second Round: (14) Chris Berth—P
Third Round: (15) Chase Hancock—P
Best Player: Chase Hancock
Best Deep Cut: (20) Sean Nelson—P
Total ML WAR: 2.6
Review: The draft itself wasn't stellar as a whole and Detroit was no exception; currently sitting 20th for total WAR. Their results aren't entirely black and white and some could see their forfeiture of a 1st round pick for signing Carlos Martinez as a big win. He propelled them into the playoffs and finished second in Cy Young Voting that year. While he never matched such a banner year as 2024, he was still an above average player with Detroit, finishing with almost 3 WAR a year over 6 years.
Chris Berth as their 2nd choice is likely to amount to average. He is still only 24, performing above average in Triple-A, and could potentially find a 4/5 spot on an MLB team. Third round pick Chase Hancock is also Detroit’s best from this year. He amassed a very respectable 2.1 WAR in his first year in 2029. If he continues this trajectory he should turn out to be a nice score as a 3rd round pick.
After this there isn't much to speak of. Fourth round choice Josh Piorowski is having a banner minor career, but doesn't project to anything more than a fringe or back up MLB player. The only other notable choice is seventh rounder Matthew Speight who saw a little action in 2029 with the Rockies. With a little seasoning and Coors Lights he could grow into a 4/5 slot. The deep cut for Detroit is 20th rounder Sean Nelson. He saw a little action last year and is expected to start the year in AAA with subtle possibility of making minor impacts as fringe Starter or Bullpen piece.
Grade: B-. This would likely amount to a C- or D had not their shrewd signing of Martinez made a huge impact on the results of the 2024 season. They get props and points for Hancock, as he is currently the top producing 3rd round pick, but this is also negated by choosing poorly in the second and subsequent rounds. Detroit seems to have produced one WAR producing bound player and a few possible back of MLB roster types. They are fortunate the Martinez signing paid dividends otherwise they'd be hanging their heads on these results.
Houston Astros:
First Round: (18) Art Jeffers—P
Second Round: (18) Aaron Smith—P
Third Round: (18) Ryan Cain—P
Best Player: Ryan Cain
Best Deep Cut: (19) Matt Hill—RF
Total ML WAR: 2.8
Review: The 2024 draft wasn’t a great one for pitchers, but Houston drafted arms in the first three rounds. None of them were busts, but none of them project to be impactful arms either. Jeffers pitched well last year and looks like a nasty sinker/slider sidearmer that can eat righties alive. He looks like he can be a successful situational reliever, but even in a weak draft, that’s not a great outcome for a first rounder.
Aaron Smith may be the best of the trio. He’s a power arm with good bite on his two-seamer, and he’s had successful campaigns with the Astros and Brewers. He’s a very good relief arm, which as a second rounder in a weak draft DOES grade well.
Finally, Ryan Cain will challenge Smith for the top arm in the class for Houston. He was a Top 100 Prospect before tearing his UCL. He can be wild and he’ll be 28 year old, so there’s not much projection yet, but he also may be a decent starting pitcher, which gives him more upside than Smith.
Sixth round selection Dennis Davis throws five pitches, but only two of them well, so he’ll likely be a reliever full time. Despite being healthy, he only pitched in six games last year though across all levels, crippling his development.
Eighth rounder Jerry Elke has held his own as a Quad-A slugger the past three years, with 250 PBA plate appearances and a .755 OPS. Not someone who deserves a large role, he’s nonetheless a development success thanks to his high work ethic.
Finally, 13th rounder Chris Crockett played in 29 games last year, though he shouldn’t have played in any. A poor hitter and fielder who has only been above replacement level in one level in one season in his career, somehow Crockett had 87 plate appearances last year, hit for a .546 OPS and only threw out 21% of runners.
Grade: C-: Houston got a few respectable arms and not a lot of upside. In a weak draft, it’s underwhelming, but not damning.
Kansas City Royals:
First Round: (3) Jason Wyngarten—P (Pick received from Los Angeles Angels along with Nicholas Castellanos for Adonys Cardona, Parker McFadden, and Austin Langworthy)
First Round: (16) Pick traded to Baltimore along with Jadon Ancrum and Nicholas Castelllanos for J.P. Crawford—Compensation for not signing Aaron Smith. Pick became Matt Rain
First Round: (20) Mike Insco—P (Pick acquired from Oakland for Joe Taylor)
First Round: (24) Oscar Olvera—LF (Pick acquired from Oakland along with second round pick [#16 *Kyle Sidebottom] for Jacob Heatherly and Doug Clark)
First Round: (26) Pick traded to Tampa Bay along with second rounder (* #24 ended up in Baltimore as Dustin Anderson) and third rounder (* #25 Dan Yancey) for $1. Pick became Alex Vigil.
Second Round: (16) *
Second Round: (24) *
Second Round: (27) John Cox—CF—Compensation for not signing Ryan Fox—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (28) Pick acquired from Seattle for $5 million. Pick traded to New York Yankees along with Anwa Ita, Tso-I Zhao, Arturo Salgado, and Miguel Gomez for Gary Sanchez. Pick became Olaf Khan
Third Round: (25)*
Notes: Traded fifth round pick (Colin Cleary) to Miami along with Eddie Vogler for Phil Maton.
Best Player: Kyle Sidebottom
Best Deep Cut: (15) Fred Huewitt—SS
Total ML WAR: 2.8
Review: As usual, Kansas City was very active wheeling and dealing their picks, making this more of a trade review than a pure draft review. They sent Adonys Cardona, Parker McFadden, and Austin Langworthy to the Angels for Nicholas Castellanos’ dead contract and the number three pick in the draft. The trio given away put up negative career WAR, while Castellanos played one more career PBA game after being acquired. Despite a promising start though, Wyngarten blew out his elbow and isn’t a PBA-caliber pitcher. Joe Taylor was selected one spot after. The process was good, but since this is a results-based outlook, the grade is more of a C-.
Kansas City didn’t sign Aaron Smith in 2023, missing out on a pretty good reliever. They swapped the compensation pick, Castellanos’ dead contract, and Jadon Ancrum for J.P. Crawford. Salesman turned into an excellent hitter, though Crawford was a strong infielder during Kansas City’s ascent to one of the best teams in the AL. The pick they gave up became Quad-A slugger Matt Rain. Kansas City gave up a lot to get Crawford, which holds the pick back, considering they lost a good reliever and a future All-Star, but it’s certainly not a bad trade by any stretch of the imagination.
Kansas City acquired another first rounder from Oakland for Joe Taylor the infielder. Taylor would go on to have a pair of 4.2 WAR seasons with the Giants, while the first round pick turned into Mike Insco, who has been exactly replacement level in Double-A and Triple-A the last three years. Kansas City would rather have Taylor I presume.
Kansas City had more business with Oakland, getting another first rounder from them, as well as a second rounder, for Jacob Heatherly and Doug Clark. The picks turned into Oscar Olvera and Kyle Sidebottom, a Triple-A slugger and a quality PBA reliever. Heatherly and Clark never amounted to anything in the PBA before thriving in the Meridian League. Getting Sidebottom for the pair was a good move.
Finally, Kansas City traded picks that became Alex Vigil, Dustin Anderson, and Dan Yancey for $1. The cash was useless, and vigil and Anderson didn’t amount to anything, but Yancey is a fringe PBA pitcher. Is that worth the cost of not having to pay a signing bonus?
The Royals didn’t sign Ryan Fox in 2023, using the comp pick on John Cox in 2024—who they also did not sign. The comp pick ended up in limbo for awhile, so Kansas City punted on a shot to grab fringe PBA players for nothing.
The Royals purchased a third rounder for $5 million then traded it to the Yankees for Gary Sanchez. Kansas City also gave up the declining Miguel Gomez, and a bunch of prospects that wouldn’t amount to much. The pick became Olaf Khan, but Sanchez nearly carried the team through the postseason to the World Series, which considering the low cost, justified the deal.
They traded a pick which became Quad-A Colin Cleary, and Quad-A Eddie Vogler, for one season of decent relief work from Phil Maton, which is decent value.
Kansas City selected John Jamison in the sixth round, and when not demanding pictures of Spiderman, Jamison has been a replacement level starting pitcher for Cincinnati. That’s a fine outcome for a sixth rounder.
Grade: C+. Kansas City did a lot, giving up big time players, acquiring some stars, missing out on fringe prospects, signing good relievers, and letting talent slip through the cracks. On aggregate, it’s more good than bad, but the picks selected not amounting to much dampers the grade.
Los Angeles Angels:
First Round: (1) Luis Acosta—1B
First Round: (3) Pick traded to Kansas City along with Nicholas Castellanos for Austin Langworthy, Parker McFadden, and Adonys Cardona—Compensation for not signing Steve Rankine. Pick became Jason Wyngarten.
Supplemental Round: (1) Brent Matheos—RF—Compensation for not signing Lourdes Gurriel.
Second Round: (1) Pick traded to Milwaukee for Bryce Montes de Oca—Compensation for not signing Sonny Badillo. Pick became Peter Laporte.
Second Round: (2) Jeff Steed—P
Third Round: (1) Nick Hall—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (3) Hunter Commo—P—Compensation for not signing Kyle Jackson—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (6) Dustin Baier—CF—Compensation for not signing Mincho Maeda—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (21) Pete Clark—1B—Compensation for not signing Beau Lucci—UNSIGNED
Best Player: (17) Hirokatsu Inouye—P
Best Deep Cut: Hirokatsu Inouye
Total ML WAR: 2.1
Review: The Angels had the first pick in the draft and selected a colossal bust in Luis Acosta. Selected first overall, Acosta had detractors when he was selected and immediately proved the detractors right with critics pointing out his slow bat. He put up -0.5 WAR in High-A last year and won’t have a professional career.
The Angels didn’t sign Steve Rankine in 2023, netting a comp pick as a result and trading it, with Nick Castellanos, to the Royals for Austin Langworthy, Parker McFadden, and Adonys Cardona. Langworthy was worth -1.0 WAR, Cardona was worth -1.7 WAR for the Angels, and McFadden worked one Triple-A season for the Angels, netting -1.0 WAR. Just a horrible return. Los Angeles didn’t sign Steve Rankine, who has been a Quad-A arm for Boston, they got out of Nicholas Castellanos’ contract, and the pick ended up as career minor leaguer Jason Wyngarten. Still, giving up the third overall pick for a terrible haul, and to get out of Castellanos’ contract for one season is terrible process.
They let Lourdes Gurriel go in free agency getting a supplemental pick as a result. Gurriel had a very nice run in Seattle and Cleveland for five years, while Brent Matheos has never played above Rookie Ball and never will.
They had two second round picks. The first was a comp pick for not signing Sonny Badillo, that they traded for Bryce Montes de Oca. The pick turned into Peter Laporte, who has been Triple-A depth for the Brewers, while Sonny Badillo hit 34 home runs for Atlanta last year. Montes de Oca was worth negative WAR for Los Angeles. Los Angeles should have simply signed Sonny Badillo.
Jeff Steed was the other second rounder, a promising arm whose star fizzled when he reached the PBA. Nick Hall was the Angels’ third rounder, but he never signed.
The Angels had three comp picks as a result of not signing Kyle Jackson, a Gold Glove winner with the Reds; Mincho Maeda, a Top Prospect, and Beau Lucci, an elite relief prospect. Los Angeles didn’t sign any of those comp picks, rolling them over into the next year. They got some talent from the 2025 draft as a result, but they gave up a lot of talent in 2023.
The teams eighth rounder turned into Kenny Banks, a replacement level outfielder, which is a win in a bad draft. They also selected Hirokatsu Inouye, who has become a top prospect who went 0-12 last year, but has showed that he can strike PBA hitters out and looks like a top tier starter.
Grade: F. The Angels drafted a potential frontline starter and still deserve an F. They wasted elite draft picks, didn’t sign great talent in the past, allowed strong talent to walk in order to throw away compensation picks in a master class of incompetent draft pick management. Maybe Inouye becomes a star and things look better in the future, but what a mess.
Los Angeles Dodgers:
First Round: (22) Arthur Price—P
Second Round: (20) Kevin Ryan—P
Third Round: (20) Mario Guzman—P
Best Player: (4) Tim Hendrickson—C
Best Deep Cut: (12) Mario Fleites—RF
Total ML WAR: 3.5
Review: I think when your best player is a backup Catcher or one of the 24th-26th players on your roster, it speaks volumes about your draft performance. The Dodgers first pick amounts to mostly a bust. The first round was fairly weak but there were ample good players to be had still that would have supplanted Price. The second pick Kevin Ryan is a pass, sort of? Ryan was packaged in a salary dump move eventually to Miami with 1B Seiya Suzuki. Third round pick Mario Guzman amounted to nothing and it was literally rinse and repeat for the rest of the draft with exception being fourth round Catcher Tim Hendrickson. He could possibly be a starter for some teams or good back up for most.
Grade: D-. The Dodgers nearly earned a dreaded F and failed in this draft. The scouts doused any hope with terrible choices throughout. The only saving grace is minute plus Tim Hendrickson; hopefully the Dodgers washed their hands of this scouting staff.
Miami Marlins:
First Round: (10) Isaiah Stephan—CF—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (9) Mike Campbell—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (31) Ken Knighton—P (Pick acquired from Washington along with Carlos A. Romero for Nick Burdi)—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (10) Ryan Youngblood—P
Notes: Received fifth round pick (Colin Cleary) from Kansas City along with Eddie Vogler for Phil Maton.
Traded seventh round pick (Michael Ortega) to San Francisco along with ninth round pick (Matt Hrabel) for Tim Cate.
Best Player: Ryan Youngblood
Best Deep Cut: (20) Bobby Barragan—P
Total ML WAR: -2.2
Review: Miami failed to sign a first and two second rounders, and then released their third rounder less than two months after signing him. That third rounder was RP Ryan Youngblood who the Royals quickly snatched up and used to help acquire a Gold Glov Center Fielder in Quentin Holmes.
They traded Phil Maton for a 5th round pick in SP Colin Cleary and a 1B in Eddie Vogler. Vogler is a fringe Major Leaguer but did put up a 122 OPS+ and 1.4 WAR in the 80 games he has played in the majors. On a talent starved team like the Marlins it is curious that he hasn't gotten more chances than that. Colin Cleary had 1.8 rWAR last year which is a win for a 5th round pick. However, he likely outperformed his talent level so he might not be that going forward. All in all, this trade worked out for Miami, as Maton was a decent reliever stuck on a bad team and wasn't particularly notable after leaving them.
Miami also made a move getting Tim Cate from the Giants for a seventh and ninth round pick. But there was really no need to give up assets for rights to a guy they had just picked in rule V. On the Marlins roster no one was competing with Cate and he didn't need any additional time in the minors. He showed that right away putting up 1.0 WAR on a team that had less than 7 WAR from all its players total.
So why does Miami have negative WAR for this draft? It is because they gave their sixth round pick First Baseman Danny Stile 884 plate appearances over two seasons to put up a 52 OPS+ and -2.4 WAR. Stile was on a nice trajectory after Double-A, but the Marlins chose to skip Triple-A for him and it had disastrous consequences.
Grade: D-. Miami got some nicer players with later draft picks, but undid the good with too much bad. Failing to sign your first three picks in a draft and releasing the fourth less than two months after he's been signed is never a smart idea.
Milwaukee Brewers:
First Round: (6) Fidel Molina—Compensation for not signing Joe Taylor
First Round: (11) Nick Rollins—3B
Second Round: (1) Peter Laporte—P (Pick received from Los Angeles Angels for Bryce Montes de Oca)
Second Round: (10) Ferdinand Lemstra—P
Second Round: (17) Harold Kennedy—RF—Compensation for not signing Ron Ryser—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (11) Willie Maisonet—P
Third Round: (31) Fumio Nishimura—SS (Pick received from Washington for $4 million)—UNSIGNED
Best Player: Nick Rollins
Best Deep Cut: (12) Kevin Furtado—LF
Total ML WAR: 8.1
Review: The Brewers didn’t sign Joe Taylor in 2023, losing out on a player that would twice put up 4.2 seasons. The compensation pick turned into Fidel Molina, an oft-injured pitcher who has turned into a back-roster reliever. Not signing Taylor was a mistake.
The Brewers did make up for it by drafting big risk big reward Nick Rollins. The infielder is constantly injured to the point of being undependable. However, when he has played, he’s hit for big power and he has 35 career homers in only 674 career plate appearances, despite inexperience and injuries. He forces teams to carry a good backup, but with the versatility to play Second Base as well as Third Base, he’s talented enough to justify the dependability issues.
Milwaukee gave up Bryce Montes de Oca for the pick that became Peter Laporte. Laporte is a swingman that hasn’t gotten much of a shot on a deep Brewers team, so it’s unclear how he’d hold up in the PBA. He has good movement and control, but may not have the stuff to cut it as a starter. Meanwhile, de Oca had a good 2025 and could have helped an excellent Brewers team, but was horrible in 2024 fell off soon after 2025.
Milwaukee didn’t sign Ron Ryser in 2023, and while a bit player, Ryser had a postseason that allowed Toronto to win the AL pennant in 2028. The comp pick turned into current slugging prospect Harold Kennedy in the Twins system, who Milwaukee didn’t sign. His comp pick begat Kevin Fleishman, an okay reliever for the Padres. Milwaukee should have just signed Ryser and closed some loops.
Milwaukee’s own second rounder was used on Ferdinand Lemstra and their own third rounder was used on Willie Maisonet—pitchers who never put it together in the minors. They purchased another third rounder from Washington for $4 million and used on Fumio Nishimura, an infielder without the bat to play above A-ball. The Brewers didn’t sign the Japanese native, turning the comp pick into decent reliever Grant Stumpf. That’s probably a good piece of business for $4 million.
Milwaukee’s fourth rounder was used on Tyler Miles, an arm who held his own as a 25-year-old rookie for the Twins last year and should cut it as a mid-rotation arm. Their sixth rounder was spent on Bill Pollard, a young slugger who produced 20 homers and 85 RBIs for the Cubs in 2028, before struggling for the Mets last year. He looks like a starting outfielder though, which is a great find in the sixth round.
12th rounder Kevin Furtado is an aggressive swinger with a bat that makes loud contact. He had 20 doubles and 17 homers for the Reds last year. He doesn’t offer much defense and no speed, but power from a 12th rounder is a win.
Milwaukee signed most of their mid and late round picks and many project to be decent players who can maybe make it to the upper minors, which adds a bit to the grade as they’re still young enough to pop.
Grade: B-. The Brewers got a star in Rollins and some nice pieces deep in the draft, overcoming the misses with the pitchers they selected early on. If Rollins continues to struggle to see the field and some of their deeper picks don’t hit, this grade may look a touch worse over time.
Minnesota Twins:
First Round: (28) Adam Espinoza—3B
Second Round: (30) Joey Magnone—1B
Third Round: (30) Alex Presley—P
Best Player: (5) Scott Beaubien—P
Best Deep Cut: (12) Pete Southern—LF
Total ML WAR: 1.2
Review: Minnesota drafted infielder Adam Espinoza late in the first round with their first pick. Espinoza has hit in Triple-A the last two years, plus he runs well, and has defensive versatility. He doesn’t quite have the offensive calling card to really make him a standout player though. Bobby Siegel was taken five spots after Espinoza.
Joey Magnone has been an interesting case study on just how far an empty average can take you if you have few other skills. Magnone hit for an empty .287 in 2027, and hit .271 with a .433 slugging percentage last year. He was worth a bit of WAR both years. He hit .272 in 2028, but with virtually no walks, crumbling to a negative WAR player. Magnone can’t play anywhere but First Base, doesn’t offer many steals, and is aggressive at the plate. With a profile like that, he needs to be able to hit .300 or play Gold Glove defense. It’s a weak draft, so getting someone who can hold their own in the PBA warrants a passing grade, but it doesn’t warrant high marks.
Alex Presley was Minnesota’s third rounder, and he was cut before his first full season and has been in the Japanese minors ever since. He wasn’t a good pick. Ryan Adams was their fourth rounder, a Quad-A bat with some power, but not much else. He’s okay as a fourth rounder, but nothing impressive.
Fifth rounder Scott Beaubien touches 100 and keeps the ball low. He’s been wild, but successful his first two years and has a future in Minnesota’s bullpen. Pete Southern was Minnesota’s 12th rounder. He has huge power and could be a force overseas, but doesn’t have the hit tool to even be a good Triple-A player.
Grade: D+. Espinoza and Adams grade out as D+ picks, Magnone gets a C-, and Presley is an F. Beaubien gets them back to a D+, but the group hasn’t done enough to warrant more than that. Espinoza will need to produce for the Twins to get a higher grade.
New York Yankees:
First Round: Pick forfeited as a result of signing Amed Rosario
Second Round: (28) Olaf Khon—P Pick acquired from Kansas City along with Anwa Ita, Tso-I Zhao, Arturo Salgado, and Miguel Gomez for Gary Sanchez—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (29) Jalen Washington—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (29) Pick traded to San Francisco for Mychal Givens. Pick became Chris Malloy.
Best Player: (10) Brian Strack—SS
Best Deep Cut: (30) Tony Padilla—P
Total ML WAR: -0.2
Review: The Yankees lost their first round pick to sign Amed Rosario. In a weak draft, giving up a first round pick to sign a good player makes sense, but Rosario battled injuries and a crowded Yankees infield and started more than 103 games just once in five years. For $56 million over five years, not a terrible contract, it still wasn’t worth it.
The Yankees gave up a huge name to make up for the lost draft pick, getting a second rounder from Kansas City, plus a bunch of prosects, for Gary Sanchez. The star Catcher was entering the final year of his contract, but still produced 6-WAR for Kansas City and hit at least 30-homers every year for five years with Toronto on his next contract.
As for the haul, the draft pick turned into Olaf Kohn, a good looking pitcher who just debuted last year as a 26-year-old, but never signed with the Yankees. The Yankees didn’t get much with the comp pick, making the decision a waste.
Miguel Gomez was the replacement Catcher. He had two years left on his contract and had a decent first year, but while Gomez had a solid season, Sanchez hit 51 Home Runs and led Kansas City to the ALCS. Gomez had a bad 2025, rebounded slightly in 2026, and was replacement level for two years to finish out his career. Compared to Sanchez, he looked disastrously bad.
As for the prospects, Anwa Ita and Tso-I Zhao are still very young and still prospects, but don’t look like more than Triple-A players, while Arturo Salgado is a replacement level reliever. Despite the quantity, it’s been a depressing return for trading a future Hall of Famer.
The Yankees own pick was used on Jalen Washington, a limited pitcher in the Orioles system. He wasn’t signed, but the Yankees didn’t get a talented return with their compensation picks in 2025. They traded their third rounder for Mychal Givens, immediately cut him, and watched him have a poor close to the year with the White Sox in a bizarre saga. Givens had a good year as a starter in 2024, and the draft pick turned in to Chris Malloy, a solid backup Catcher.
The Yankees didn’t sign their fourth or fifth rounder, and none of their other players have pitched in the PBA or ever project to except for 30th rounder Tony Padilla, who put up a 6.30 ERA in 10 innings last year.
Grade: F. The Yankees gave up a Hall of Fame Catcher for nothing, lost their best draft pick to sign an oft-injured player they didn’t need, and traded away a third-round pick, cutting the player they acquired two weeks later. Not just a bad draft, but a spectacular disaster.
New York Mets:
First Round: (8) Liam Thomas—P
Supplemental Round: (2) Mark Moore—P—Compensation for not signing Dominic Smith
Supplemental Round: (3) Justin Rott—P—Compensation for not signing Amed Rosario
Second Round: (7) Luis Orellana—P
Third Round: (8) Khalil Banks—P—UNSIGNED
Best Player: Liam Thomas
Best Deep Cut: (12) Phil Reynolds—RF
Total ML WAR: 6.8
Review: The draft was utterly uneventful for the Mets with the exception of the Home Run they hit drafting Liam Thomas eighth overall. He seems like a steal there as well and seems destined to amount to one of the top five picks of the draft. He was, however, flipped in what seems to amount to a diversify trade with the Cubs for a third round pick (which failed), mid to back end SP Jorge Ramirez (1.7 WAR 2029), OF Bill Pollard who had a 2 WAR rookie campaign in 2028 with Cubs and shows plus power, and finally a promising SP Jason Partridge who is ranked currently #46 Top prospect. He has had decent results in Triple-A and will need to fulfill his promise to likely justify this trade.
Aside from Thomas both their Supplemental picks don’t look like they’ll amount to anything but minor players, and the same seems the fate for third round and unsigned pick Khalil Banks. Second round pick Luis Orellana should be a mid range MLB reliever for years to come so a base hit here for the Mets.
But really that is it. They failed to sign any picks from Rounds 4-7 and those players all floundered nevertheless. The only remaining player who has any hope of breaking into the MLB is maybe deep cut Alex Ruiz. Ruiz has had a very good minor career for the Reds and one day might catch a break but seems very unlikely.
Grade: B+. The Mets hit a three-run homer in drafting Liam Thomas and he has earned 6.3 WAR in in his first two seasons and seems destined to grow further. Their grade could probably be revised if the prospect Partridge amounts to a 3-4 starter with some success. The rest of the draft really is a non starter but most teams would consider a bonafide stud/star like Thomas a successful draft.
Oakland Athletics:
First Round: (17) Ryan Fox—P—UNSIGNED
First Round: (20) Pick traded to Kansas City for Joe Taylor—Compensation for not signing Devin Martin. Pick became Mike Insco.
First Round: (24) Pick traded to Kansas City along with second round pick (*Kyle Sidebottom) for Jacob Heatherly and Doug Clark—Compensation for not signing Randy Elsass. Pick became Oscar Olvera
Second Round: (16) *
Second Round: (22) Pick traded to Atlanta for Kevin Flippo—Compensation for not signing Mike Sizemore. Pick became Andy Gleason
Third Round: (17) Jim Beaudin—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (29) Anthony Stone—P—Compensation for not signing Eric Burris—UNSIGNED
Best Player: (12) Tyler Hadd—CF
Best Deep Cut: Tyler Hadd
Total ML WAR: 0
Review: Five full seasons post draft and going into a sixth there isn't a single player in Oakland's farm that OSA thinks has any more than 2-star potential. Part of this is either trading or failing to sign anyone from the first 3 rounds of the draft. In giving up these picks Oakland acquired Jacob Heatherly, Doug Clark, Joe Taylor, and Kevin Flippo.
Clark and Heatherly were last seen playing in the Meridian league, meanwhile one of the picks Oakland gave up for these two became Kyle Sidebottom. Sidebottom looks like he will become a great SP. Not ideal for Oakland.
Joe Taylor was acquired from the Royals for a first round pick and he went on to have two solid years with the Giants, but the A's only gave him 5 plate appearances in the majors before moving him there to help dump Byron Buxton's contract. The pick given up became Mike Insco who won't see the majors so that offsets having to use Taylor as a salary dump somewhat. However the story is not complete without mentioning that before any of this, Oakland had Joe Taylor to begin with and moved him to the Royals for 3 million dollars. Not really sure what their thought process in all this was.
The last notable trade was Kevin Flippo for a second round pick. Flippo has been a career swing man and he put up 1.5 WAR for Oakland. The pick became Andy Gleason a nice young 2B for the Astros. Not as bad as the other trades but Gleason is the better player.
Oakland failed to sign either of their third rounders or first rounder Ryan Fox. Fox just had a solid 2 WAR rookie year for the Rangers.
Grade: F. Oakland likely had to make these trades of early picks for budgetary reasons but the return for all these picks is bad compared to what teams have been able to acquire historically. Furthermore the rest of Oakland's draft contributed absolutely nothing to the roster, and doesn't look like it will in the future. When it comes down to it, Oakland will have likely sent away 3 early round picks for a total of 1.5 WAR from a swingman pitcher and a salary dump.
Philadelphia Phillies:
First Round: (33) Bobby Siegel—1B
Second Round: (35) Justin Link—P
Third Round: (36) Matt Thomasson—P
Notes: Traded fifth round pick (Philip Wirths) to San Francisco along with Andy Buzzell and Jorge Polanco for Christian Arroyo.
Best Player: Bobby Siegel
Best Deep Cut: (13) Paul McClain—3B
Total ML WAR: 22.0
Review: Philadelphia had an excellent draft. They didn’t have an early pick in the first round, but still nabbed the clear second best player from the class in Bobby Siegel. The First Baseman has already led the National League in home runs and OPS and has 113 career homers already, despite only being 23 years old. He’s a superstar and the best pick of the draft.
Philadelphia’s second through fourth rounders have been solid as well. Justin Link has performed well in the upper minors and held his own in a cup of coffee for Philadelphia last year. He throws hard and has limited extra base hits throughout his career. In a weak draft, his selection looks a touch uninspired, but mostly fine. Matt Thomasson progressed quickly through Philadelphia’s minors before hitting a wall in the upper minors. He pitched pretty well for Philadelphia last year and could slot in as a fifth starter.
Philadelphia’s fourth rounder was used on Jay Tudor in a terrific selection. Tudor gets good movement on his fastball and cutter, limiting homers with them. He was worth 4.1 WAR in 2029 and looks like a strong number-two caliber pitcher.
Philadelphia’s ninth rounder, Joel Mathewson, peppers the gaps and hits a ton of doubles. He can’t hit lefties, but was still taken in the Rule V draft by Toronto this past year. That’s a nice sign of confidence.
Finally, 13th round Third Baseman Paul McClain had a solid .753 OPS against left-handed pitching for the Phillies last year. Getting an offensive player who can hit in the 13th round is a huge accomplishment that Philadelphia should be proud of.
Grade: A+. Siegel isn’t quite as versatile as Joe Taylor, but he’s a damn good hitter and was taken towards the end of the first round, not the top. The Phillies also got a quality starting pitching, some fringe pitching depth, and a backup/platoon Third Baseman. In a weak draft, that’s a sensational haul.
Pittsburgh Pirates:
First Round: (5) Ron Dahl—CF
Second Round: (5) Chris Reynolds—SS
Third Round: (5) Stanislaw Gromadzki—CF
Best Player: Ron Dahl
Best Deep Cut: (18) Art Slusher—C
Total ML WAR: 7.5
Review: Pittsburgh selected Ron Dahl fifth overall. He’s shown promise, but he hasn’t developed into the plus player Pittsburgh hoped they were getting when they drafted him. Dahl’s hit in the .240s three of his four seasons, with few walks and low teens homers. He needs to up either his patience, his power, or his average to be a plus player. At worst, he’s a second-division starting Center Fielder, which is fine, but looks worse than John Yancey who was taken two spots later.
Chris Reynolds was Pittsburgh’s second round pick, a backup infielder in Triple-A without much upside. He has negative career PBA WAR in 113 games, and looks worse than middle infielders taken in the second and third round, like Andy Gleason, and Simon Ferguson.
Stanislaw Gromadzki was a bust of a third rounder who never has and never will play above A-ball. Fourth rounder Israel Cruz has fared better, as a replacement level backup Catcher. He makes contact and can throw out runners, making him a fine third round pick.
Sixth round pick Dan Jasperson has made it as a successful reliever for the Rangers. Just 27, his cutter/changeup combo should leave him a successful reliever for a few years. Seventh round pick Eddie Torres dominated Double-A last year and had a cup of coffee with Pittsburgh in 2028 and looks like a viable relief candidate.
Eight round pick Hector Avila is an infielder with decent patience and some gap power, but likely doesn’t play good enough defense or have an offensive calling card to make him a viable PBA player, even as a backup.
11th rounder Ken Falcone has an upper 90s heater, with a good curveball. A bit homer prone, Falcone could make it as a lefty reliever in the next couple of years. 15th rounder Jeremy Loomis doesn’t throw hard, but gets great movement with his cutter, slider, and circle change. That puts him on the big club’s radar.
18th rounder Art Slusher was a replacement level Catcher in 2027. Not a great defender, he can take a pitch and wait for one to drive. He’s hit well in Triple-A and is a win as a third Catcher.
Grade: C-. Pittsburgh gets credit for quantity more than quality. Ron Dahl was a fine selection in the first round, but he may not be a plus Center Fielder when his career is done. Pittsburgh also didn’t get much from their second and third round picks. However, the Pirates picked up a few backup Catcher types and some decent relievers. That’s enough to get them an adequate grade.
San Diego Padres:
First Round: (7) John Yancey—CF
First Round: (12) Roger Ash—P—Compensation for not signing Mike Darrow
Second Round: (6) Mike Pease—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (7) Marquis Williams—P
Best Player: John Yancy
Best Deep Cut: (11) Dave Morales—SS
Total ML WAR: 11.2
Review: San Diego didn’t get much from the draft class, but they made sure to nail their first round pick. John Yancey has been a first division player, drawing walks, hitting homers, playing defense, and being a weapon on the field. The only player taken after Yancey with more WAR was is Bobby Siegel. He was an excellent pick.
The Padres didn’t sign Mike Darrow in 2024, getting a compensation pick as a result. Darrow never panned out, but the compensation pick was used on Roger Ash, a pitcher who never made it above Triple-A. San Diego could have made a better selection.
The Padres drafted Mike Pease in the second round, but didn’t sign him—a good decision as Pease as been mired in the mid-minors most of his career. The compensation pick was used on Phil Hatch though, who’ll likely suffer the same fate.
Marquis Williams was San Diego’s third rounder. His nickname is Garbage, appropriate as he’s never made it above rookie ball in six season. Fourth rounder Jon Koback gets good downward action on his pitches, and may be able to make the PBA as a reliever, but now 28, he’s running out of time.
Grade: B+. San Diego didn’t get a lot from the draft, but they got John Yancey, which alone gives them the fourth most WAR in the class.
San Francisco Giants:
First Round: (15) Mike Salcido—3B
First Round: (32) Rich Sparks—P (Pick acquired along with third rounder [*Rich Harmon] and fifth rounder [Ricky Valencia] for Cobi Johnson
Second Round: (15) Brian Hampton—C
Third Round: (9) Al Castillo—SS (Pick acquired from Colorado for Luis Espinosa and $5 million)
Third Round: (12) Adam Hall—P (Pick acquired from Tampa Bay along with Mark Swafford for Braxton Garrett)
Third Round: (16) Chris Williams—1B
Third Round: (27) Simon Ferguson—2B (Pick acquired from Seattle for Josh Stephen)
Third Round: (28) Chris Malloy—C (Pick acquired from New York Yankees for Mychal Givens)
Third Round: (34)*
Notes: Received fourth round pick (Nick Rushing) from Tampa Bay as well as fifth round pick (Greg McCord) for $5 million.
Received fourth round pick (Mike Bishop) from Washington for $2 million.
Received fifth round pick (Phillip Wirths) as well as Jorge Polanco and Andy Buzzell from Philadelphia for Christian Arroyo
Received seventh round pick (Michael Ortega) from Miami along with ninth round pick (Matt Hrabel) for Tim Cate.
Best Player: Brian Hampton
Best Deep Cut: (26) Bill DeRose—P
Total ML WAR: 18.9
Review: The Giants were still a team well underbudget in 2024, and they used their surplus cash to acquire a ton of picks. Their initial pick was 15th overall. They picked Mike Salcido, a fringy, but versatile player who can play the infield and the outfield and make contact at the plate. Not a plus player, his selection looks disappointing with numerous position players establishing themselves after being taken in the late first and early second rounds.
The Giants traded Cobi Johnson to the Cubs late in 2023 as Chicago was making a playoff push, getting three draft picks in return. Johnson would go on to be a fine back end pitcher, but the Giants got Rich Sparks, Ricky Valencia, and Rich Harmon. Sparks would be a legitimate starting pitcher on 28 other teams, Valencia has turned into an elite reliever, and Harmon has been fine as a replacement level reliever. That’s a great haul for Johnson, with San Francisco making successful selections with the received picks.
San Francisco used their own second rounder on Brian Hampton, who was an All-Star, a Gold Glove winner, and turned in a fantastic postseason in 2029. He’s one of the best Catchers in the game and a great selection in the second round.
The Giants ended up with five extra third rounders, in additional to their own pick that they used on middling power prospect Chris Williams.
In addition to the Rich Harmon acquisition referred to earlier, the Giants picked up a pick from the Rockies for $5 million and Luis Espinosa. The pick turned into Al Castillo, whose bat never played to the level of his glove, making him a poor player in the PBA. Espinosa got hurt and never got his career off the ground, struggling and being cut by Meridian League teams three times. The $5 million could have been used more productively.
The Giants also got Mark Swafford and a pick that became Adam Hall from Tampa Bay for Braxton Garrett. Hall has had success as a swingman, while Garrett put up less than 1.0 WAR in 169 games, albeit with a solid 4.13 ERA. That trade is currently a slight edge for San Francisco, but Hall was worth -1.0 WAR last year and another poor year tips the scale back in Tampa Bay’s favor.
San Francisco acquired a pick that became Simon Ferguson for Josh Stephen, a huge win, as Stephen played only a handful of PBA games in his career and Ferguson has established himself as a starting-caliber infielder. San Francisco also got solid backup Catcher Chris Malloy, giving up Mychal Givens in the process. Givens was good, but nearing the end of his career, while Malloy could start for most teams. That turned out to be an excellent deal.
The Giants purchased some mid-round picks for cash, getting picks that became Nick Rushing and Greg McCord for $5 million, and Mike Bishop for $2 million. Rushing was a good PBA reliever last year, McCord is a tall, menacing slugging prospect, and Bishop has been a quality PBA player. Getting all three for $7 million is a steal.
San Francisco also traded Christian Arroyo, netting a pick that became Phillip Wirths, as well as Jorge Polanco, and Andy Buzzell in return. Arroyo fell off after leaving San Francisco, while Wirths was a huge member of San Francisco’s bullpen down the stretch of last year. Jorge Polanco had a roller coaster 2028, but was at least replacement level, while Buzzell too has been mostly replacement level, except when he turned in one of the PBA’s most inexplicable No-Hitters. Some replacement level arms and a good reliever for a second division Third Baseman like Arroyo was a fair return.
San Francisco’s own fourth rounder was used on power bat Sam Henry, who may be able to make it someday as a slugger against lefties, while the Giants picked up upper minors defender Dwayne Hiseler in the fifth round.
They traded Tim Cate for seventh and ninth rounders that became Michael Ortega and Matt Hrabal. Ortega looks like he’ll top off as a Quad-A reliever, while Hrabal may be able to succeed in Triple-A. Tim Cate was a solid back-end arm for Miami for a half decade, so the return wasn’t great.
San Francisco selected Michael Green in round 10, and he looks like a good young prospect currently in Seattle. He has a good bat, can make contact, and his power will play at the position. He can also slide over to Third Base or Right Field in a pinch.
21st rounder Keshawn Gray pitched briefly for the Athletics in 2027 and was a disaster with an 8.07 ERA and -2.0 WAR. He’s been fine in Triple-A, he just never should have seen the PBA. Finally, Bill DeRose pitched well for Oakland in 2028 after being taken in the 26th round. He has a curveball that misses bats, but doesn’t have the fastball to be a consistent PBA player. Still, a positive player in round 26 is a steal.
Grade: A. San Francisco got so many quality players with its own picks, and got even more depth with the trades they made. Not every trade was a hit, but most were, giving San Francisco extra chances to get young talent into their system despite a weak draft. With the sheer volume of successful results, the Giants get, at minimum, an A.
Seattle Mariners:
First Round: Pick forfeited as a result of signing Lourdes Gurriel
Second Round: (28) Pick traded to Kansas City for $5 million. Ended up with New York Yankees as Olaf Kohn.
Third Round: (27) Pick traded to San Francisco for Josh Stephen. Pick became Simon Ferguson
Best Player: (4) Joe McCurley—P
Best Deep Cut: (13) Chris English—SS
Total ML WAR: 4.0
Review: Seattle traded away a bunch of picks for present value, but still selected a few strong players. They were in the midst of a strong run with five playoff appearances in six outings, including four division wins. They signed Lourdes Gurriel to a seven year contract with a four-year opt out at roughly $21 million a year. He put up 16.2 WAR, earned two All-Star nods, and cost roughly $84 million, about $5 million a WAR. He was a very efficient signing and helped Seattle remain one of the best AL teams during the middle of the decade. In a weaker draft, losing a draft pick to get a two-time All-Star is worth it.
Seattle essentially sold the pick that became Olaf Kohn for $5 million. The Mariners were able to remain a force, and got some cash to help, though Olaf Kohn looks like a strong pitching prospect. Cash helps on the margins, but Kohn looks like a solid mid-rotation arm that could have helped bridge the gap. The argument with that decision in hindsight can go either way.
Seattle traded its third rounder for Josh Stephen. Stephan was sub-replacement in 2024 and never played in the PBA again. Ferguson’s become a good second division Second Baseman. Seattle should have kept the pick.
The Mariners chose Joe McCurley in the fourth round. A strong mid-rotation arm, McCurley has allowed less than a homer-per-nine despite pitching in Coors Field. Still young, McCurley is one of the bet arms in the draft and he was taken in round four.
Seattle selected Sean Campbell in the fifth round, and the outfielder has made the PBA despite playing to negative WAR. The outfielder runs well, plays good defense, and has some pop. He’s not a bad fifth or sixth outfielder.
Sixth rounder Matt Leatherman has been overmatched by Triple-A hitting, but seventh rounder Allen Whitmore is a hit. He showed good pop with the Phillies last year and looks like a starting outfielder, an excellent find in the seventh round. Whitmore may turn out to be the best player in the draft, given Philadelphia’s track record with developing power hitters.
Grade: A-. Seattle drafted a very good starting pitcher and a very good outfielder during the middle rounds of the draft, signed an All-Star to a reasonable contract, and earned some cash. Seattle should have held on to the pick that became Simon Ferguson, and perhaps should have held on to Kohn, but it was a successful use of draft assets nonetheless.
St. Louis Cardinals:
First Round: (30) Ed Bice—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (32) Curtis McDowell—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (32) Phil Hatch—P—UNSIGNED
Best Player: (6) Randy Elsass—LF
Best Deep Cut: (16) Tom Vogel—P
Total ML WAR: -0.1
Review: The Cardinals punted on the draft, not signing their first five picks, a trio of upper minors arms in Ed Bice, Curtis McDowell, and Phil Hatch. Bice and McDowell have worked in the PBA, but none have proven themselves. It took sometime for the comp picks to work their way through, but St. Louis eventually received Ken Davis, who looks like a Triple-A caliber infielder, and Emil Marks, a potential mid-rotation arm. That’s not a bad trade off, but it took two years for those picks to be realized.
The Cardinals first signed pick was Randy Elsass, a speedy fielder who has hit well in the minors, but hasn’t had a shot in the PBA. Tampa Bay acquired him and should finally give him a chance to play in the PBA his year. Eighth rounder Mike Macri never had a shot above Short-A with St. Lous, but hit 57 homers for France last year.
16th rounder Tom Vogel made the Cardinals in 2028 and was homer prone, but decent enough in 10 starts, posting -0.1 WAR. That’s fine for a 16th rounder.
Grade: C-. St. Louis didn’t sign any of their early picks, eventually getting slightly better players two years later, which is mostly a wash. They made a few decent picks in the middle rounds in a non-descript draft.
Tampa Bay Rays:
First Round: (13) Ryan Strickland—P Pick traded to Chicago White Sox along with second rounder (* #11 Victor Leon) and Blake Snell for Arturo Alvarado. Picks never conveyed—UNSIGNED
First Round: (26) Alex Vigil—P—UNSIGNED (Pick acquired from Kansas City along with second rounder (* #24 ended up in Baltimore as Dustin Anderson) and third rounder (* #25 Dan Yancey) for $1)
Second Round: (11) Pick traded to Baltimore for Nick Vespi. Pick became Victor Leon
Second Round: (24)* Pick traded to Baltimore along with Ronald Acuna for $1. Pick became Dustin Anderson
Third Round: (12) Pick traded to San Francisco along with Mark Swafford for Braxton Garrett. Pick became Adam Hall.
Third Round: (25)* UNSIGNED
Notes: Traded fourth round pick (Nick Rushing) to San Francisco along with fifth round pick (Greg McCord) for $5 million.
Best Player: (23) Steve Magnuson—SS
Best Deep Cut: Steve Magnuson
Total ML WAR: 0.0
Review: The Rays traded out of the draft to save as much money as possible. They gave up useful starter Blake Snell and some picks that never conveyed for Arturo Alvarado. Alvarado never amounted to anything, while Snell was solid for a couple of years. Strickland never signed and doesn’t look like a PBA player.
They got three draft picks from the Royals for $1, but the players turned into an unsigned Alex Vigil, Dustin Anderson, and Dan Yancey. Yancey has potential to be a useful arm, but Anderson never amounted to anything and the Vigil comp pick didn’t convey for some time. Yancey for $1 works out, but it wasn’t as much free value as one would expect.
The Rays gave up a pick that became career minor leaguer Victor Leon to Baltimore for Nick Vespi, who had an excellent 2024 for the Rays. The Rays gave up a second rounder to dump Ronald Acuna on the Orioles for $1. The pick became Dustin Anderson, who didn’t amount to anything, but Acuna had three more solid seasons left in the tank.
The Rays traded a pick that became Adam Hall, plus Mark Swafford for Braxton Garrett. Hall has had mixed results as a swingman, while Garrett had mixed results as a swingman. It’s likely Swafford only has even mixed results in Double-A.
The Rays traded picks that became Nick Rushing and Greg McCord for $5 million. Rushing has pitched well for the Dodgers, McCord has big power potential for the Giants, and $5 million didn’t help the Rays return to the playoffs in the middle part of the decade.
The Rays didn’t make any worthwhile picks later in the draft, with barren selections with the picks they decided to keep and sign.
Grade: F. The Rays gave away Blake Snell, Ronald Acuna, Alex Vigil, Dan Yancey, Adam Hall, Mark Swafford, Victor Leon, Nick Rushing, and Greg McCord. They received a pair of first round comp picks, a third round comp pick, Nick Vespi, Arturo Alvarado, and $5 million and used their comp picks to mostly unload salary in future years. It wasn’t a good use for their draft picks.
Texas Rangers:
First Round: Pick forfeited as a result of signing Kyle Hendricks
First Round: Pick forfeited as a result of signing Sonny Gray—Compensation for not signing Charlie Dougan
Second Round: (13) Jason Crabbe—CF
Third Round: (14) Corey LaRosa—C—UNSIGNED
Best Player: (4) Aaron Wallace—P
Best Deep Cut: (11) Joe Bryson—C
Total ML WAR: 6.6
Review: Texas lost both their first round picks signing compensation-eligible free agents to help make the playoffs after a two-year absence. They grabbed Kyle Hendricks for three seasons at roughly $13 million a year. He got hurt in 2024 limiting his effectiveness over the rest of the contract he signed with Texas, but turned in three solid seasons for them with good postseason results as well. He was decent value for the money, and arguably worth a first round pick in this draft.
They didn’t sign their 2023 first rounder Charlie Dougan, watching him turn into an excellent reliever in Colorado. They gave up the comp pick to sign Sonny Gray to a cheap one-year deal worth less than $8 million. Gray was excellent for Texas his one year with the team and well worth his contract. For only one season though, it may have been worth an excellent future reliever, or it may have been worth a late first round pick, but it probably wasn’t worth both.
Texas kept their second round pick, using it on Jason Crabbe. The speedy outfielder has been good in a smaller role as he’s a great baserunner and corner outfielder, but he doesn’t hit for a high enough average to be a plus hitter. He’s gotten on base at less than a .300 clip as a full time starter, but hit for a .798 OPS with a .257 average starting only 80 games in 2028. He’s easily the best outfielder taken for a few rounds though.
Texas drafted Corey LaRosa in the third round, but didn’t sign him. LaRosa looks like he may stick as a backup Catcher someday. The compensation pick was lost to sign Nick Gordon to a two year contract with a player option where he got hurt and missed most of year one and opted out of year two. Texas did get more out of Gordon than a possible backup Catcher though.
The Rangers’ fourth rounder was used on Aaron Wallace, who has turned into a terrific reliever. He has 10.6 strikeouts-per-nine and 3.26 career ERA. He was a strong fourth round pick.
Shimei Chiba was the final Rangers pick to make the PBA. He was a 10th round pick who was an ineffective pitcher in 2027 and 2028 despite decent peripherals. He has a 6.07 career ERA, but a more respectable 4.82 FIP. He rarely gave up homers, but was a little wild. Also, despite being right-handed, he gave up a ton of hard hit balls and doubles to right-handed hitters.
Grade: A-. Texas largely made good use of their picks, getting reasonable PBA players who helped them reemerge as an AL threat. Jason Crabbe and Aaron Wallace were also good picks in their rounds, and Chiba provided positive WAR as a 10th rounder. Giving up Charlie Dougan and a pick for one-year or Sonny Gray wasn’t great value, and the relative lack of depth dings the grade a touch.
Toronto Blue Jays:
First Round: (31) Jimmy Coates—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (33) Tim Hopkins—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (33) Sterling Chapman—CF
Best Player: (25) Art Gomez—P
Best Deep Cut: Art Gomez
Total ML WAR: -0.4
Review: The Blue Jays didn’t sign their first two picks, Jimmy Coates and Tim Hopkins, neither a player with a PBA career. The comp picks became Gordie Davis, a fringy slugging prospect without a position, and Fumio Nishimura, an infielder who’ll likely never play in Double-A, let alone the PBA. Getting nothing from their second round pick is rough, but swapping Coates with Davis was a nice move. A better move would have been simply drafting Rich Sparks or Bobby Siegel.
Sterling Chapman was selected in the third round, a Center Fielder without the glove to play it well, nor the bat to overcome it. The Blue Jays didn’t sign picks four-through-six, grabbing Jason Carney, a Triple-A Center Fielder in the seventh round without a bat for the pros.
Eighth round pick Ryan Weber has a big arm and big power, but doesn’t make enough contact to take advantage.
Toronto’s best selection was a deep pick, Art Gomez, in the 25th round. Gomez throws hard, but struggles with mechanics, leaving him extremely homer prone. He was also rushed to the PBA very soon, and may be able to improve over time. He has the repertoire and the desire to challenge the zone to have a high ceiling.
Grade: D+. Gomez was a great pick in the late rounds, but Toronto didn’t get much out of their other selections. He’ll really need to pop for the grade to improve in the future.
Washington Nationals:
First Round: (29) Jared Liddell—3B
Second Round: (31) Pick traded to Miami along with Carlos A. Romero for Nick Burdi. Pick became Ken Knighton
Third Round: (31) Pick traded to Milwaukee for $4 million. Pick became Fumio Nishimura
Third Round: (35) Shane Stoebner—P—Compensation for not signing Josh Swanson
Notes: Traded fourth round pick (Mike Bishop) to San Francisco for $2 million.
Traded fifth round pick (Hector Mondragon) to Baltimore for Kyle Hurt
Best Player: (7) Koichi Fukuchi—RF
Best Deep Cut: (18) Josh Nicholson—SS
Total ML WAR: -2.0
Review: The Nationals traded many of their picks from this draft and still ended up with the second lowest WAR total from the class. They spent their first rounder on Jared Liddell, a high school First Baseman who’s never hit in the minor leagues and looks like a complete bust.
They traded their second round pick along with Carlos A. Romero for Nick Burdi. Romero was a horrible PBA pitcher and Knighton is a fringy minor league arm. Nick Burdi had a few good, if homer-prone, years for Washington. That deal was a win for Washington.
They dumped one of their third rounders on Milwaukee for $4 million. The pick turned into Fumio Nishimura, a career minor leaguer. Washington’s $4 million was a much better asset. They kept their later third rounder, a pick received for not signing Josh Swanson the year prior. Swanson looks like a Triple-A outfielder, while their pick of Shane Stoebner looks like a Triple-A reliever. That deal is a sideways trade.
Washington dealt a fourth round pick that turned into Mike Bishop for $2 million. Bishop had a strong rookie year in 2028 with 2 WAR and a .782 OPS, already turning into an investment worth $2 million. Washington, even with its financial troubles in the mid-2020s should have held on to Bishop.
They acquired Kyle Hurt for their fifth rounder. Hurt was an average reliever for Washington, while the pick turned into Hector Mondragon, a player who has never had positive WAR above rookie ball. A clear win for Washington with that trade.
Washington selected Eric Williams with its sixth round pick. He has good power for a minor leaguer, but he doesn’t get good enough contact or play good enough defense to be more than an upper minors slugger. Their seventh rounder was used on Koichi Fukuchi, who had a good cup of coffee with Washington in 2028 and has held his own in Triple-A.
18th rounder Josh Nicholson has played 109 games in the PBA. He never hit in the minors and has been wretched at the plate in the PBA while playing below-average defense. It’s great that he’s played in the PBA, but maybe he shouldn’t have.
Grade: C+. Washington had an interesting draft, winning the Burdi and Hurt trades, plus selling their second rounder. They also lost the trade for their fourth rounder, and Liddell was a horrible pick. Add it up and it’s an average grade.