2027 PBA Draft Review

[Commissioner Erick]

The 2027 draft was a weak one, with some stars taken at the head of the draft, in the middle of round one, and then very little consistent high-end talent found. Grabbing a good player outside of the top of the draft was a way for a team to get a strong grade, and the teams who managed to get multiple good players grade very well. Meanwhile, teams that rolled over picks from prior years into 2027 tended to grade very poorly.


Arizona Diamondbacks:

First Round: (3) Pick traded to Kansas City for Pedro Tapia and Adam Holmgren. Pick became Travis Whigham
Second Round: (3) Dustin Hall—CF
Third Round: (3) Jonas Cadena—P

Best Player: Jonas Cadena

Best Deep Cut: (11) Jeff Hendrick—C

Total ML WAR: 12.0 WAR

Review: Arizona traded away an elite pick, third overall in the class, for two prospects. It was a gutsy trade, but it did pay off in a surprise 2029 playoff berth. Pedro Tapia was a two-time All-Star for Arizona, and while his career stalled after better scouting revealed his weaknesses, he was a force late in the decade. Adam Holmgren has managed to keep the ball in the park for Arizona, though a partially torn labrum kept him from reaching his full potential. He’s been a good starting pitcher for them.

Whether the duo is worth the cost of the third pick in abstract looks favorable. They’ve produced roughly 16 WAR to date combined, a good number. Only one player in the class has currently exceeded that amount, though three others should eclipse that total this year, and should also overtake the duo’s combined production if they stay on their current trajectories. However, it’s very likely, no other player other than Vincente Corado, Danny Davis, Brian Radcliff, and Rhino Murrin ever exceeds Tapia + Holmgren in career WAR. That makes the trade a strong one in abstract.

When comparing the value versus of the actual third pick of the class, it’s an absolute joke as Travis Whigham looks like an empty-average hitter, who won’t be an impact player at the PBA level.

Arizona’s second round selection, Dustin Hall, was called up too early, and needs more time to develop. He was horrible in a month’s worth of action last year, but he looks like a second division PBA player. He lacks a standout skill, but is passable n virtually all aspects of being a corner outfielder.

Jonas Cadena has developed quite nicely for Arizona. Their third rounder out of Wichita State, he dominated for Puerto Rico in the 2030 WBC as Puerto Rico made a surprise surge to the championship game, a sign of things to come. He had a strong rookie campaign that year, had a similar sophomore campaign, and took a leap in 2032 with a 5.1 WAR season. He keeps the ball in the park in a brutal pitcher’s environment, an elite skill, and his repertoire works against righties as well as same-side hitters. He was a sensational find.

Arizona’s fourth, fifth, and sixth picks have each seen time in the PBA with different levels of success. Fourth rounder Jeremy Hott was too hot to keep Chicago from trading for him, and he had a serviceable 3.72 ERA as a swingman for the White Sox last year. Fifth rounder Jim Sanabria saw 15 games last year as a replacement level option. A Second Baseman who runs a little, has a good arm, and makes contact, he’s probably not cut out for the show, but a development spike could change that. Sixth rounder Jaylin Ayodele is nicknamed Express for his mid-90s heater, but hitters take the express train out of the park with his homer rate. He’s had good strikeout figures for the Dodgers out of their bullpen, but 23 homers in 91.2 innings, in that park, has him with a -1.5 WAR.

Arizona’s final player to make the show, Chris Herndon, may be the pick of the draft. He only has one real skill—rearing back, jumping on the first pitch he thinks is a strike, and if he guesses right, launching it 430 feet. Despite the multitude of weaknesses in the rest of his game, Herndon hit 48 homers, drove in 119, and amassed 3.7 WAR. The next step will be to repeat the performance now that the book is out on him, but even if he can’t, he’ll always have a Platinum Stick Award as a 22-year-old rookie.

Grade: A+. Arizona turned their draft capital into a trio of All-Stars, a solid starter, and a good swingman, plus a few other players who have at least not embarrassed themselves in the PBA. In such a weak draft, they walked away with both high-end talent in Cadena, plus depth with the rest of their picks. They also identified the weak draft and got prospects close to the majors who have largely outperformed the draft class as a whole. Commendable work.


Atlanta Braves:

First Round: (26) Jeremy Sprow—P
Supplemental Round: (2) Paul Mowry—SS—Compensation for not signing Trevor Rogers
Second Round: (25) Sonny Badillo—RF
Third Round: (26) Danny Holdt—P

Best Player: Sonny Badillo

Best Deep Cut: (20) Bert Wolf—P

Total ML WAR: 4.3

Review: With the 26th overall pick Atlanta took starting pitcher Jeremy Sprow. Sprow was previously drafted in 2021 and 2026 but both times failed to sign. When Atlanta took him in 2027 he was already 24 and his most recent OSA scouting report wasn’t pretty, dropping an entire star in potential. That trend continued in for Sprow in the minor leagues and he just never developed. He did log 164 innings over three years in the majors, but most of that was out of the bullpen with only six starts. He wasn’t offered arbitration after the 2028 season.

Atlanta also had the second pick in the Supplemental Round for not resigning Trevor Rogers. Rogers got paid $138M after he didn’t resign with Atlanta, but only managed 1 WAR over the life of that contract. Great move for Atlanta, but unfortunately, they couldn’t capitalize and turn it into a solid player. They drafted Paul Mowry as a Shortstop, but with poor range and an average arm he never really found a true home in the infield, and has a negative Zone Rating at every position he played. He had really high power potential when drafted, but that never came to fruition. He’s still a backup on Atlanta’s roster and is the living embodiment of a replacement player.

In the second round, Atlanta found Right Fielder Sonny Badillo. Badillo was drafted at 22 years old and rose through the minors super quickly. He started the 2028 season in A ball and by the end of that season he had accumulated over 200 at bats in AAA. 2029 saw him starting in the majors, and while never a good contact hitter, he had a great eye and solid power. After a 0.7 WAR 2029 season Badillo had a 2030 for the ages. He finished that season with a .276 average and lead the league with 63 (!) home runs. Not too shabby for a guy on a minimum contract! Sometimes after a player signs that first big contract, they completely trail off and are just a shadow of their former self. Badillo decided he didn’t want to wait around long enough for the contract and just stopped hitting. He failed to even reach a .200 average in both 2031 and 2032. He did contribute another 70 home runs over those 2 years, but with only having what OSA says is a now a 2! contact rating now he may not even be rosterable at this point.

The only other player Atlanta drafted in 2027 with even an outside shot at having a cup of coffee in the bigs is their 20th round pick reliever Bert Wolf. He had a strong 2032 in AAA but his Outspoken attitude and poor personality traits may prevent him from getting called up.

Grade: C-. Badilla’s otherworldly 2030 and the off chance that a 20th round pick even has an argument to get called up are the only things preventing this draft from getting an F grade. Badilla generated 5.6 WAR in 2030 alone and Atlanta’s entire 2027 draft class only has only a combined total of 4.3 WAR. How much credit is one amazing season worth? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


Baltimore Orioles:

First Round: (29) Fernando Arellano—P
Supplemental Round: (3) Corey LaRosa—C—Compensation for not signing Joe DeCarlo
Second Round: (30) Walt Seuss—P
Second Round: (36) Jon Valdez—1B—Compensation for not signing Rocky McBryde
Third Round: (30) John Mullens—P

Best Player: John Mullens

Best Deep Cut: (12) Jarrod Thornsberry—P

Total ML WAR: 0.6

Review: First round pick SP Fernando Orellana is 28 and has never pitched in the PBA. He still has some potential but is baffling that he wasn't promoted after his 2029 Triple season. Overcooking seems to have done him in as a prospect. In the supplemental round the Orioles got Catcher Corey LaRosa. LaRosa made the majors, but could never hit well enough to get more than a backup role. He has 0.3 career WAR.

In the second round the Orioles took pitcher Walt Seuss. If only Suess had the baseball talent to match his name. He's never been able to throw strikes and will never make the PBA.

With their next second round pick the Orioles took Jon Valdez. He's a First Baseman with no eye and no chance of making the PBA. They got him for failing to sign Rocky McBryde who they later picked in 2029. Neither of these guys has amounted to anything though.

In the third round the Orioles took John Mullens. He was later part of a trade for Miguel Diaz. Diaz never found his Giants form in Baltimore, and Mullens is now looking like a nice backend piece for Giants. Not a great trade for Baltimore.

No one else from other rounds is worth talking about.

Grade D. Not a great draft for Baltimore. Mullens was their best pick and looks like he’ll have a decent career with the Giants. Orellana's development looks like it was mismanaged or he could have been a nice find at the back of the first round in a weak draft.


Boston Red Sox:

First Round: Forfeited as a result of signing Andres Gimenez
Second Round: Forfeited as a result of signing Marcus Stroman
Third Round: Forfeited as a result of signing Keibert Ruiz—Compensation for not signing Rob Orlosky
Third Round: (21) John Lacy—1B

Other trades: Acquired seventh round pick (Chris Layton) from Kansas City for Ryan Proctor and $500,000

Best Player: Jon Lacy

Best Deep Cut: (12) John Taylor—P

Total ML WAR: 4.3

Review: The Red Sox had limited draft capital in the 2027 draft due to making some large offseason signings. Their first pick was late in the third round, when they snagged first baseman John Lacy. Lacy had a storied minor league career, including a 34 game hitting streak in 2027 and multiple MVP awards. Lacy’s first year in the PBA, 2031, resulted in a 4.0 WAR season, an all-star appearance, and a sensational playoff run. After that, he was traded for a first round pick and Eddie Wilson. Out of nowhere, Lacy regressed strongly in 2032.

Outside of Lacy, Chris Layton is the Red Sox’s biggest win from the draft. Taken in the seventh round, Layton has produced extremely strong numbers in the minors as a starter and was able to contribute out of the Sox’s bullpen in his rookie season, pitching to the tune of a 2.02 ERA over 71 innings. He was swapped for mid-level arm Ryan Proctor and $500,000 in a fairly even trade.

The Red Sox didn’t have much draft capital because they lost their first three picks by signing compensation free agents. They got Andres Gimenez in the first round and he produced 4.8 WAR in two seasons with the Red Sox, helping Boston make the playoffs for the first time, and only costing $32 million. It was a fair deal, and punting on a pick in a weak draft to sign a good player isn’t a bad strategy.

Boston then signed Marcus Stroman in the second round, getting 10 WAR in two years for $52 million and a second round pick. The money was reasonable considering he was a Cy Young winner his first season in Boston, and the only pitcher with a prayer of producing 10 WAR in the second or early third rounds is Jonas Cadena. Boston developed into a powerhouse thanks to the Stroman signing.

Finally, Boston waved adios to a compensation third rounder to sign Keibert Ruiz. He had one rough year and one really good year, but only cost $16 million for two seasons and only cost a pick in a dead spot in the draft. Another instance of getting good value by punting on the pick.

Grade: A-. Even though the Red Sox didn’t enter the draft with a lot of capital, they made the most of what they did have, earning them an A- on their draft picks alone. Taking into account their signings, it becomes the best work of the draft.


Chicago White Sox:

First Round: (10) John Alava—1B
Second Round: (9) Marco Bonilla—LF
Third Round: (12) Ciriaco Maldini—LF

Best Player: Ciriaco Maldini

Best Deep Cut: (11) John DeCosta—P

Total ML WAR: 0.2

Review: The White Sox swung and missed with the 10th overall pick Cruz Alava. Alava never made it past Double-A and even failed to post a positive WAR in his single Meridian League season. Things didn’t improve for the Sox in the second round as Marco Bonilla is on a similar trajectory as Alava. Ciriaco Maldini, taken in the middle of the third round, looks to be developing into a solid Triple-A DH, but the chances of him contributing positively at the PBA level seems dim.

Outside of a handful of at bats from Maldini, Hunter Commo (a pitcher taken in the fifth round) and John DeCosta (a pitcher taken in the 11th round) have sniffed the PBA. It’s hard to declare either of them a success though as they both were used as filler players with little success.

Grade: D-. The White Sox had a top 10 pick, but with dim prospects of a prospect having any positive PBA impact, the White Sox receive a D- grade.


Chicago Cubs:

First Round: (9) Udo Yoshida—P
Supplemental Round: (7) Jonathan Farrell—P—Compensation for not signing Cameron Goldman
Supplemental Round: (8) Alonzo Campos—P—Compensation for not signing Vincente Corado
Second Round: (8) Kyle Moody—RF
Second Round: (17) Jesus Sillas—P—Compensation for not signing Ryan Traeger
Third Round: (9) Kevin Atkins—SS
Third Round: (14) David Vickery—P—Compensation for not signing Jonathan Miller
Third Round: (33) Chris Lolmaugh—3B (Pick acquired from Los Angeles Dodgers, along with Tillmam Corriga, and Frank Dominguez for Manny Machado)
Third Round: (37) Rick Holwell—1B—Compensation for not signing Zach Sandoval

Best Player: Udo Yoshida

Best Deep Cut: (21) Chad Bullard—P

Total ML WAR: 4.9

Review: Chicago had a ton of extra picks, the result of not signing anyone from the 2026 draft. This gave them a lot of extra chances to get talent, but the two most talented players they picked were easily Udo Yoshida and Kyle Moody, original selections. Yoshida has been a solid arm for the Cubs, oscillating between the rotation and middle relief, and weirdly having higher walk and strikeout totals in the rotation versus the bullpen. He has the fifth most WAR in the class among pitchers. Moody is still developing, and hasn’t shown much in the majors, but he has gap power, makes contact, and runs well. He has a chance to be a decent player.

Third rounder Kevin Atkins, AKA, Duck Hunter, has also made the PBA. He can’t hunt pitches, as he had a .516 OPS for the Cubs last year, but he hunts grounders well, and could be a utility infielder if he shows any offensive competency.

Considering how weak the class is as a whole, that’s an adequate haul. However, Chicago had six extra picks the first three rounds.

In 2026, they didn’t sign Freddie Freeman, getting Cameron Goldman as a compensation pick, but failing to sign him. They used the rolled over pick on Jonathan Farrell. Freeman was basically washed, so letting him go was a good move, and Goldman looks like a fringe PBA arm. However, Farrell won’t be a successful major league arm. Of the three players, the Cubs got the worst one.

Their next compensation pick chain looks even worse. They didn’t sign Sonny Gray after the 2023 season, and while Gray had one more really good season in him, injuries wrecked the twilight of his career. He signed only a one year, $7.8 million contract though, and if the Cubs had better finances, easily could have resigned him for that amount and been in good shape. However, they let him go, getting a compensation pick in return.

The compensation pick was Jesus Sillas, who was unsigned and became Arturo Figueiedo, who was unsigned and became Vincente Corado, who was unsigned and became Alonzo Campos. Harlem Sillas retired without pitching in the PBA, Artie Hangover retired without pitching in the PBA, Alonzo Campos doesn’t have the control to pitch in the PBA, yet superstar Vincente Corado wasn’t signed. Chicago had a chance to land a star in the draft and whiffed on it.

Four years after failing to sign Harlem Sillas out of Concord Christian Academy, they signed him in out of Texas Tech, where he soon retired to play football. If the Cubs really wanted him to play for them, they wouldn’t have let him get a taste of the wonders of Big 12 Saturdays in Lubbock. They selected Sillas with a comp pick from not signing Ryan Traeger, a Triple-A arm in the Giants system with a slight chance of pitching in the PBA—which is more of a chance than Sillas.

In the third round, the Cubs selected David Vickery with a comp pick for not signing Jonathan Miller the prior year. Neither will see the PBA. They also got Rick Holwell with a pick granted from not signing Zach Sandoval in 2026, which was a pick granted from not signing Bryan Huff in 2025. Sandoval has the best chance of the trio of playing in the PBA, but he’s not the player Chicago ended up with.

Finally, the Cubs received a pick that became Chris Lolmaugh, plus Tillmam Corriga and Frank Dominguez for Manny Machado. Lolmaugh won’t play in the PBA, and Dominguez has seen action for a brief, unsuccessful stint, and shouldn’t get a second chance in the PBA. The trade essentially becomes Corriga for Machado. Corriga’s been a solid, unspectacular mid-rotation quality arm. Machado would be worth 12.7 WAR the rest of his career, though roughly half of that came during a special 2029 with Seattle. The WAR totals for the two since the trade are roughly identical. Corriga should continue to provide value, while Machado is retired, but Machado also provided a high concentration of WAR at his peak, which may have been more useful to a Cubs team still trying to remain a contender. Corriga was also much cheaper for an aging, expensive team. That deal is likely a fair one.

Grade: D. Chicago had so many extra chances with all their picks and barely registered in the draft. Only Udo Yoshida has produced to date, and few drafted prospects look especially promising. There’s also the matter of not signing Vincente Corado in the 2026 draft. It’s a very disappointing use of a haul of assets.


Cincinnati Reds:

First Round: (20) David Ruiz—P
Second Round: (20) Pedro Nunez—P
Third Round: (22) Asakichi Ito—P

Other trades: Acquired fourth round pick (Rob Corcoran) from Seattle for Jimmy Herron

Traded seventh round pick (Kevin Burch) to Philadelphia, along with Doug Dombrowski, for Osiris German and Barrett Suggs

Best Player: (5) Elliot Overton—P

Best Deep Cut: (26) Marcus Jaime—P

Total ML WAR: -1.3

Review: The Cincinnati Reds had a clear goal entering the 2027 draft, resupply their pitching arsenal. Their first three picks, and five of their first six were starting pitchers. When the fifth starter you chose outperforms the first four combined it means one of two things: either you struck gold with a mid-round pick, or your early round picks turned out to be a bunch of pyrite. Unfortunately for the Reds, 2027 was a brutal case of the latter.

Cincinnati made a moderately safe play with their first pick, taking a 23 year old Starting Pitcher with four years of college experience in Danny Ruiz. In the most unfortunate of circumstances, less than two weeks after signing his contract, Ruiz tore his flexor tendon and was out for seven months. That injury, and a torn rotator cuff in 2029 stunted any potential grown from Ruiz who now languishes away as a 28-year-old in AAA.

With their second round pick, the Reds drafted 19-year-old Pedro Nunez. Unlike Ruiz, Nunez has avoided any serious injuries while his pitches continue to avoid the strike zone. Now 25, Nunes has maxed out his control rating at 3. Paring 3 control with only 5 stuff lets you spend your early 20’s in AA and your late 20’s selling insurance.

The only player who hasn’t been a total disappointment so far was fifth round pick Elliot Overton. Overton continued to slowly develop and at the end of the 2029 season was ranked the #73 overall prospect. That offseason, Cincinnati packaged Overton and three other prospects in trade for Brendan Tinsman. Tinsman promptly had his worst season as a pro generating negative WAR and was released a year later.

Grade: D-. There’s just no denying that this was an all-around bad draft for the Reds. The only player they drafted with positive WAR generated that for another team, and has merely been an okay reliever. Just two picks after Ruiz, the division rival Cardinals drafted Fan Favorite Rich Whitt, who has already generated 5.1 WAR for St Louis. The three pitchers Cincinnati drafted in the third and fourth rounds are all still with the team, but are Quad-A players at best.


Cleveland Indians:

First Round: (5) Larry Evans—CF
Second Round: (4) Hector Vaidez—P
Third Round: (5) Lee Madore—P

Best Player: Larry Evans

Best Deep Cut: (12) Mike Thompson—3B

Total ML WAR: 4.2

Review: Larry Evans was an interesting pick as a top prospect who hasn’t quite put it together. Evans struggled when he first came up, finally putting things together the middle of his sophomore year in 2030, and having a strong 2031. However, he crashed last year, has struggled in the postseason, and even produced negative WAR in the WBC. He’s still pretty young, and there’ still the potential of a good prospect there, but for a team earlier in the win cycle like Cleveland, it’s looking like Brian Radcliff would have been a better pick.

Second rounder Hector Vaidez is a fringe starting pitching prospect who hasn’t been helped by a gnarly approach to the minors by Chris Stephan. Only 24, there’s a still a chance he makes it to the PBA, but he looks like a Triple-A arm. Lee Madore has a bit better of a shot as a six pitch pitcher who misses the middle of bats. He too is young and has been hurt by minor league strategy, and he too is a longshot to be a meaningful PBA contributor.

Eighth rounder Chris Brewster has a great batting eye and a good bat, making him a player to watch out for, even though he was only taken in the eighth round. He’s had a cup of coffee with Seattle already, and though it didn’t go well, he’s only 24 with room to improve.

Grade: B-. Cleveland had an early pick, but only received an okay player given what Oil Can has shown to date. In a week draft, let’s give that pick a B- with Brian Radcliff available, but not many other great options. Brewster also deserves good marks, but Cleveland didn’t get much else from their early picks, meaning the B- for Evans carries most of the weight.


Colorado Rockies:

First Round: (11) Danny Davis—LF
Second Round: (10) Beau Lucci—P
Second Round: (29) Ricky Burkholder—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (15) Mike Carlson—1B

Other trades: Acquired fifth round pick (Scott Bryant) from St. Louis for $3,000,000

Acquired seventh round pick (Zach Briggs) from Texas for Zack Burdi

Best Player: Danny Davis

Best Deep Cut: (29) Mike Dinkins—P

Total ML WAR: 19.6

Review: Rule one of having a good draft: don’t screw up your first-round pick. Rule one of having a great draft: nail your first-round pick. Colorado in 2027? Check and Check. With the 11th overall pick the Rockies took 22 year old right fielder Danny Davis who OSA currently ranks as the best overall player from that draft. After a partial season in A-ball and a year in Double-A, Davis skipped Triple-A altogether and started the 2029 season in the majors. He mans both corner outfield spots adequately, but where he really shines is at the plate. If you ignore an unfortunate injury plagued 2030 where he fractured his foot and missed four months, he’s never hit below .300 and never slugged below .520. With his high work ethic, intelligence, and his sparkplug personality, he’s endeared himself to fans and is a staple in Colorado’s lineup.

Colorado had two picks in the second round but were unable to strike gold again with either pick. Their first pick in the round was pitcher Beau Lucci, a solid, if unspectacular pitcher. After 2 strong years in the lower minors as a starter he switched to the bullpen in AAA in 2029. In 2030 he got called up at age 25 and held his own. His numbers improved in 2031 and again in 2032 until unfortunately he needed elbow surgery in August 2032 and will be out for a full calendar year.

With their second pick in the second round (72 overall), the Rockies chose another pitcher, Ricky Burkholder, but they couldn’t reach an agreement and he went back to college. In the 2028 draft Burkhold went 15th overall to Minnesota where he’s been a solid reliever trying to prove he deserves a spot in the rotation. With the comp pick in 2028 for not signing Burkhold the Rockies took Pitcher Juan Quiachon who, while only 24, doesn’t appear to have major league stuff. They would have been much better off signing Burkhold.

Colorado pulled a rabbit out of their hat in the sixth round and hit on right fielder Nick Markel, but unfortunately, he got poached in the 2030 rule 5 Draft by Oakland where he’s started in RF the last two years generating 4.1 WAR.

Grade: B+. Colorado hit it out of the park in the first round, but the rest of their draft was disappointing. They do get some credit for finding a gem in the 6th round, even if they failed to protect him and got nothing at all to show for it.


Detroit Tigers:

First Round: (21) Raul Soto—P—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (22) Ken Knighton—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (23) Mike Jakubek—CF

Other trades: Traded fourth round pick (Bradley Seibert) to St. Louis, along with sixth round pick (Oscar Trevino) for Kumar Rocker

Best Player: (13) Johnny Bachman—2B

Best Deep Cut: Johnny Bachman

Total ML WAR: 2.5

Review: Detroit didn’t sign their first two picks, throwing Raul Soto and Ken Knighton back in the lake after drafting them. Soto looks like a Quad-A arm, not a horrendous outcome in this draft, while Ken Knighton was switched from being a pitcher to being a Catcher, where he might have the goods to someday be a backup backstop. Again, in this draft, not a horrendous outcome.

For giving those two up, Detroit got Victor Torres, a Quad-A arm, and Elijah Toomer, a player who may have the goods to someday be a backup Third Baseman. At the cost of waiting an extra season to get similar talent in the organization, Detroit should have just signed their first two picks.

Mike Jakubek was once drafted and unsigned by Detroit in 2023. He ended up going to Ole Miss, before being snagged by Detroit again in 2027. An underwhelming Three-True-Outcomes slugger with a terrible hit tool, he didn’t make an impact in Detroit’s minors before being cut and signing as a powerful pinch hitter in the Dahl.

Detroit traded a pair of picks, a fourth and sixth rounder, for Kumar Rocker. Rocker had a good season and a half for Detroit before injuries wrecked him, while the picks became Bradley Seibert and Oscar Trevino. Trevino is a non-entity, but Seibert could have a future as a slugger for St. Louis, although his prospects are limited due to an underwhelming hit tool. The deal looks like a neutral one.

Detroit has two later picks who have played, or have a chance to play on the PBA stage. 11th rounder Shane Hall throws strikes and has a four pitch arsenal. He’s enough to be on the fringe, despite being taken later in the draft. 13th rounder Johnny Bachman was traded early in his Tigers career, but has become a quality second division Second Baseman due to a decent bat and glove for the position, and a nice batting eye allowing him to take a good amount of walks. He was an inspired pick.

Grade: C-. Detroit didn’t get too much out of their early picks, though the rolled over comp picks at least have prayers of playing in the PBA. The Rocker trade was okay, the Hall pick was okay, and the Bachman pick was excellent. It’s not a whole lot, but for this class, it’s passable, with a chance to be amended upwards in future years.


Houston Astros:

First Round: (27) Jeremy Markey—RF
Second Round: (27) Ken Wright—P
Third Round: (28) Chris Cecil—2B

Best Player: Jeremy Markey

Best Deep Cut: (15) Alex Devora—RF

Total ML WAR: 0

Review: With late picks in each round, Houston wasn’t expected to get a top player in the 2027 draft. They picked Jeremy Markey in the first round, a free swinger with some doubles pop. Markey swings often and makes contact. Though he doesn’t have much pop, and isn’t a good defender, his ability to hit liners gives him a chance in the PBA.

Second rounder Ken Wright is an older pick who will turn 28 without pitching in the PBA. He’s fringy to pitch in the PBA, but his age doesn’t give him the benefit of the doubt.

Third rounder Chris Cecil was drafted as a Second Baseman, but his defense is horrible at any position. He cracks doubles and won’t strike out, but he needs to hit for a high average or hit for huge power to make up for his defensive deficiencies.

No other player picked looks like they have a shot to play in the pros.

Grade: D-. Markey looks like an okay selection, but Houston doesn’t appear to have gotten anything else, dropping their grade to a D-.


Kansas City Royals:

First Round: (1) Vincente Corado—P [Pick acquired from Miami for first round pick (Travis Whigham*) and second round pick (Rich McKinney*)]
First Round: (3) Pick acquired from Arizona for Pedro Tapia and Adam Holmgren. Pick traded to Miami, along with second round pick (*) for first round pick (*). Pick became Travis Whigham
First Round: (28) Steve Ruffin—CF—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (28) *To Miami
Third Round: (11) Kevin Gibson—P—Compensation for not signing Ken Wright—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (29) Tom West—CF

Other trades: Traded seventh round pick (Chris Layton) to Boston for Ryan Proctor and $500,000

Traded eighth round pick (Steve Church) to Miami for Josh Brown

Received eighth round pick from St. Louis for Mark Montgomery. Traded pick to Seattle for Roniel Raudes. Pick became Josh Laskowski

Traded ninth round pick (Matt Demaree) to Milwaukee, along with 11th round pick (Zach Marrow), 15th round pick (Ben Benway), and 17th round pick (Jeff Ball), for $3.5 million

Best Player: Vincente Corado

Best Deep Cut: (16) Isaiah Sealy—P

Total ML WAR: 19.0

Review: Kansas City made a pair of moves to acquire Vincente Corado, perhaps the most developed prospect in PBA history. First, they traded prospects Pedro Tapia and Adam Holmgren for the third pick in the draft. Tapia has been a two-time All-Star and Holmgren a solid starter, so the cost was high. They then traded the third overall pick to Miami, along with their second round pick, to acquire the first pick in the draft. The third overall pick became Travis Whigham, an underwhelming outfielder for Miami. The second rounder became Rich McKinney, a career mid-minors arm.

Essentially, they traded Tapia, Holmgren, and McKinney for Corado, who has been an ace for them. Corado is already a three-time All Star, and a two time champion. He debuted the year after he was drafted and has put up at least 3 WAR ever year of his career, with 2032 easily the finest of his career. He had a career high in wins (15), ERA (2.64), strikeouts (225), WHIP (1.01), and WAR (4.7). He’s one of the best pitchers in the league. While it wasn’t a steal of a trade considering what Kansas City had to give Arizona, it was still a good piece of work.

The Royals bet on the draft being a one person draft and attempted to get out of the rest of it. They didn’t sign their own first rounder, Steve Ruffin, a Triple-A outfielder. They used the comp pick in 2028 to draft Jose Pineda, a good looking prospect, who was traded to the Mets and fell apart, eventually retiring after 2031.

They had a compensation third rounder from not signing Ken Wright in 2026. Wright never made it to the majors and is now in the Mexican League. His comp pick got Kansas City Kevin Gibson, a fringe pitching prospect, but Kansas City didn’t sign him either. His comp pick became Ian Schmitt, a fringe outfield prospect. Ultimately the string of moves hasn’t amounted to too much.

Kansas City used its own third rounder on Tom West, an outfielder without the bat to succeed above Double-A. Fourth rounder Andy Salinas has solid power, but doesn’t have the hit tool, the defense, or the speed to do anything else. He was worth -1.9 WAR in Triple-A last year. Fifth rounder Alex Estrella also has good power, but doesn’t have the bat or the eye to take advantage above the high minors.

Kansas City sent its seventh rounder to Boston for Ryan Proctor and $700,000. Proctor has been a decent PBA arm, and 700K always comes in handy. The pick became Chris Layton, who became a good arm for Boston. Does getting 700K tip the trade in Kansas City’s favor?

The Royals traded their eighth rounder to Miami for Josh Brown, a replacement level arm his one year in the PBA. The eighth rounder became Steve Church, a Triple-A outfielder. Kansas City likely won the trade, but took home a small pot.

The Royals picked up an eighth rounder from St. Louis for Mark Montgomery, who was sub-replacement for Kansas City, and was sub-replacement the rest of his career. The Royals flipped the pick to Seattle for Roniel Raudes, who had a 4.21 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 76 innings for Kansas City in 2027. The pick became Josh Laskowski, who will likely never escape the mid-minors. Essentially turning Mark Montgomery into Roniel Raudes was actually a benefit to Kansas City.

The Royals then sent four picks to Milwaukee, a ninth, 11th, 15th, and 17th rounder, for $3.5 million. The picks became Matt Demaree, Zach Marrow, Ben Benway, and Jeff Ball, none of whom will do anything professionally. Kansas City was able to keep the lights on with $3.5 million, a steal of a piece of business.

Kansas City also made a nice pick in the 16th round, getting Isaiah Sealy, a four pitch pitcher who misses bats. Unlikely to make it to the majors, that possibility is not foreclosed on him, as he’s found statistical success in Triple-A.

Grade: A-. The Corado trade was very good, and Kansas City pulled some cash out of thin air with fringy draft assets. Trading for Raudes was good work based on the cost involved. Some of their compensation chains didn’t work out, and they gave up two good players to get Corado tempering the grade, but in a weak draft, they went out and grabbed a sure thing.


Los Angeles Angels:

First Round: (2) Mike Murin—P
First Round: (4) Jeff Susino—P—Compensation for not signing Mike Murrin
Second Round: (2) John McClure—P
Third Round: (2) David Jacobson—P—UNSIGNED
Third Round: (4) Harmon Jansen—P—Compensation for not signing Dave Dohr

Best Player: Mike Murrin

Best Deep Cut: (21) Edwin Gutierrez—P

Total ML WAR: 24.9

Review: The Angels punted on not signing Mike Murrin in 2026, drafting him again in 2027 and getting a comp pick used on Jeff Susino instead. Getting Murrin a year early wouldn’t be an issue as Murrin debuted with the Angels the year he was drafted. By waiting a year, they got Jeff Susino, who has the second most pitching WAR of anyone drafted at his spot. Getting Susino as the tradeoff for waiting a season is fine. He hasn’t developed into the ace many thought Los Angeles was getting when they drafted him, but Susino has improved every year and has become a strong arm in his own right.

The Angels drafted John McClure in the second round, which was a miss, then drafted David Jacobsen in the third round. They didn’t sign the pitcher who became a good mid-rotation arm with Miami, getting a compensation pick that they used on career nobody Dave Evans. That was also a whiff.

They passed on signing Dave Dohr in 2026, a great decision as Dohr is a horrid player. The comp pick became Harmon Jansen, who has had one good year and three terrible years with the Angels as a reliever. Jansen’s had one good year which is more than Dohr at least, but he wasn’t a great pick himself.

Fourth rounder Josh Ruben has been a good reliever as someone who misses bats and keeps the ball in the park. He had a 1.29 ERA for Milwaukee last year, and looks like a great fourth round pick.

21st rounder Edwin Gutierrez has a shot at a career due to his ability to miss the sweet spot of bats. He gets good movement from his two-seamer, though a lack of command is the reason he slipped to the 21st round. Still, he was a nice find for the round.

Grade: B. Susino was a nice pick, but the difficulty mode was set on easy as an essentially free pick. The Angels drafted Rhino Murrin early in 2026 and did it again in 2027, losing a year of development as a tradeoff. They could have also used their own pick on Susino in 2027, and drafted someone aside from Murrin in 2026, maybe Brock Paradiso. It worked out in the end, especially as Murrin was mostly developed and only needed 16 career minor league starts. They didn’t get much out of their other early picks, missing a good player in David Jacobsen by not drafting him. Ruben was a strong selection, and Gutierrez has a shot. It’s more good than bad so give them a B for the work.


Los Angeles Dodgers:

First Round: (28) Brian Erickson—2B
Supplemental Round: (4) Tom Duerr—CF—Compensation for not signing Keibert Ruiz
Second Round: (33) Pick traded to Miami, along with Kevin Ryan and Seiya Suzuki for $1. Pick became Andrew Hutcheson
Third Round: (33) Pick traded to Chicago Cubs, along with Tillmam Corriga, and Frank Dominguez for Manny Machado. Pick became Chris Lolmaugh

Best Player: (6) Joe Williamson—SS

Best Deep Cut: (16) Tom Scott—CF

Total ML WAR: -0.5

Review: The Dodgers were another team that traded out of the draft for the most part, which was good because their own picks amounted to nothing. They picked Brian Erickson in the first round, a total bust who retired without ever advancing above Double-A.

They didn’t sign Keibert Ruiz, getting a compensation pick that became Tom Duerr, a player with enough of a bat, and enough speed, to be a Quad-A player. He’s fringy, but Keibert Ruiz still had some good years left as the Dodgers were contending. They probably should have resigned him.

They dumped Kevin Ryan and a pick that became Andrew Hutcheson to get off Seiya Suzuki’s terrible contract. Ryan had some success has a reliever in the PBA, despite a horrid 2030, while Hutcheson has become a Quad-A arm. The Dodgers got off of dead money and didn’t give up anything of value.

They then made a bold trade, giving up Tillmam Corriga, Frank Dominguez, and a third round pick that became Chris Lolmaugh for Manny Machado. Corriga’s become a steady arm in Chicago, but Dominguez has been a negative player in both Triple-A and the Meridian, while Lolmaugh has never made it above High-A. The Dodgers got Manny Machado, who won a Gold Glove for them and had a strong offensive 2027, though not the spectacular one they were hoping for, and he missed some time with an injury. Is his 3.7 WAR 2027 worth the steady career Corriga has had, including 1.7 WAR of his own as a pitcher in 2027? Probably not. Machado needed to play a little bit better to be worth the value lost by moving on from a good are like Tillmam’s.

Sixth rounder Joe Williamson played three games with the Dodgers in 2031 and 18 in 2032, hitting for a .359 OPS with terrible defense. His glove isn’t as bad as he showed, so it could have been youthful nerves—he profiles as a backup utility player, as he doesn’t quite have the range to be a great defender at Shortstop to make up for a middling bat.

Grade: C-. The Machado trade wasn’t a terrible one, and there’s value in getting one very good season as a contender, over long term decent production, and Williamson is okay as a sixth rounder. Getting off Suzuka’s contract was the best thing the Dodgers did though, and that’s it for the list of positives. With misses with their first and supplemental picks, and no real assets obtained other than one year of Machado, and possibly a career from Williamson, it’s hard to put a grade higher than a D on what Los Angeles did with their 2027 draft assets.


Miami Marlins:

First Round: (1) Pick traded to Kansas City for first round pick (*Travis Whigham) and second round pick (Rich McKinney). Pick became Vincente Corado
First Round: (3) *From Kansas City
First Round: (15) Chad Schaut—P—Pick acquired from St. Louis, along with second round pick (*Eddie Keller), fourth round pick (Zach McNeley), and Joc Pederson, for $1
Second Round: (1) Alex Fernandez—C
Second Round: (13) *From St. Louis
Second Round: (28) *From Kansas City
Second Round: (33) Andrew Hutcheson—P—UNSIGNED. Pick acquired from Los Angeles Dodgers, along with Kevin Ryan, and Seiya Suzuki for $1.
Third Round: (2) Raul Ruiz—SS—UNSIGNED

Other Trades: Acquired eighth round pick from Kansas City (Steve Church) for Josh Brown

Best Player: Travis Whigham

Best Deep Cut: (21) Brian King—SS

Total ML WAR: -6.3

Review: Miami was very active during the draft—to their detriment. They had the first pick in the draft and gave it away, essentially dealing Vincente Corado for Travs Whigham and Rich McKinney. Corado has been the best pitcher on two championship teams. Whigham is a second division outfielder and McKiney has been a flop in Triple-A. The deal was disastrous, and likely set back Miami’s rebuild by a significant margin. Even if they made the trade and used the pick on Danny Davis, or Brian Radcliffe, or Jeff Susino, they would be fine. Wasting it on Whigham was a disaster.

They then took on Joc Pederson’s exorbitant contract, by taking on a first, second, and fourth round pick from St. Louis. The pick became Chad Schaut, who aside from an 18-game stretch in 2031, has pitched like schaut his entire Miami career. He’s been worth -2.7 WAR as a Marlin. Miami also took Eddie Keller and Zach MeNeley, a pair of minor league no-hopers. They did get the pleasure of employing Joc Pederson for two terrible years where he was worth -2.9 WAR for them though.

Miami also acquired a second rounder for taking on the dead weight of Seiya Suzuki, acquiring a pick that became Andrew Hutcheson, plus Kevin Ryan, as the cost of taking on Suzuki’s contract. Suzuki only played in 40 games for Miami across two years and still cost them WAR. Kevin Ryan had some success for a couple of years with the White Sox before a tough 2030 tanked his stock. Andrew Hutcheson wasn’t signed, which looks like a dodged bullet, as he looks like a Triple-A arm. The comp pick was used on Steven Kremer though, an absolute waste of a pick.

Miami drafted Alex Fernandez with their second rounder, and he’s been one of the least talented major leaguers in the PBA, racking up negative WAR campaigns in chunks with a 51 career OPS+. They picked Raul Ruiz in the third round, but didn’t sign the career minor leaguer. They used his comp pick on Jaime Sidell, a hard throwing, reckless arm, who can’t find the strike zone, and pumps out negative WAR campaigns in Triple-A.

They acquired an eighth round pick from Kansas City for Josh Brown, a sub-replacement arm his one year in the PBA. The pick was used on Steve Church, who they couldn’t sign.

Their final player they picked that made the PBA was seventh rounder Ruben Beas, a slugger with no hit tool, who has found a way to produce -0.6 WAR in just 63 plate appearances.

Grade: F. One of the worst drafts in PBA history. Not only did Miami miss on talent with their picks, but they took on a ton of salary for nothing. They also allowed St. Louis and Los Angeles to get out of financial jail for free, and they set their own rebuild back by not taking Vincente Corado. They didn’t identify how weak the draft was, where taking extra picks would not pay off. Just an all out disaster.


Milwaukee Brewers:

First Round: (35) David Nagle—P
Supplemental Round: (6) Cory Downen—CF—Compensation for not signing Edwin Diaz
Second Round: (35) Ian Key—P
Third Round: (35) Pick traded to San Francisco for Bobby O’Cain. Pick became Mike Schultz

Other Trades: Acquired ninth round pick from Kansas City (Matt Demaree), along with 11th round pick (Zach Marrow), 15th round pick (Ben Benway), and 17th round pick (Jeff Ball) for $3.5 million

Best Player: Cory Downen

Best Deep Cut: (15) Antonio Matos—1B

Total ML WAR: -0.6

Review: After a disappointing finish in 2026 blowing a 3-0 lead in the NLCS, Milwaukee found themselves picking last in an extremely week draft. Expectedly, they didn’t come away with any star players. Their first-round pick will turn 28 this season, hasn’t gotten a call up yet, and probably never will.

The Brewers did receive the 41st overall pick as a compensation pick when Edwin Diaz turned down his qualifying offer. They turned that into Right Fielder Cory “Cookie” Downen who wins Best Player mostly by default. He is still only 24 and has a cannon for arm, but sub-par defense. If his power develops into its full potential he could turn into a starter in right field.

Fifth round pick Willis Castro was traded to Seattle in 2030 for Andres Chaparro who gave the Brewers 2.65 WAR over 2 seasons. But this is a draft review, not a trade review, and since Castro himself never had a major league season with positive WAR, it doesn’t help their draft grade.

They did possibly find an emergency DH in the 15th round in Antonio Matos, who’s technically listed as a first baseman, but really should never be allowed to put on a glove.

The Brewers also tried to buy their way into a deeper farm system by acquiring 4 mid-rounds picks for $3.5M in cash. They probably would have gotten a better return on their investment if they just donated that money to charity and took a tax write-off.

Grade: C+. Having the last pick in a week draft dealt them a bad starting hand, but it’s hard not to be disappointed with this result. Their only real hope from this draft is that Cookie gains some crunch and he can provide a few seasons as a serviceable, if unspectacular, Right Fielder.


Minnesota Twins:

First Round: (6) Bill Romero—P
Second Round: (5) David Gilmore—P
Second Round: (19) Tim Hopkins—P—Compensation for not signing Fernando Arellano
Third Round: (6) Jalen McMillan—LF

Best Player: Bill Romero

Best Deep Cut: (11) Randy Watts—SS

Total ML WAR: 2.6

Review: The Twins picked up an extra second round pick in 2027 and made four selections in the first 85 picks. Bill Romero is a draft success, starting 53 games over the past two seasons for the PBA club. While he hasn't posted stellar numbers, he looks like a long term back end of rotation arm. David Gilmore, picked early in the second round, also shows some promise. While he was unable to make his PBA debut until his age 25 season, he has posted multiple strong seasons in Triple-A, starting 60 games and collecting 5.6 WAR.

Tim Hopkins hasn't quite lived up to his draft capital but has made a PBA appearance. He looks like a career quad-A pitcher, as does Fernado Arellano, who they didn’t sign in 2026, providing Minnesota the comp pick to get Hopkins. Manuel Terrazas is another bright spot from the draft. Picked up in the fourth round, he looks like a solid PBA bullpen arm.

Grade: B+. Minnesota put together an impressive draft in so far as depth goes, finding multiple PBA arms. However, those arms have yet to make a substantial impact leading to a solid grade, but not a superlative one.


New York Yankees:

First Round: (14) Erik Owen—P
First Round: (17) Doug Colletti—P—Compensation for not signing Paul Mowry
Second Round: (12) Ed Bice—P
Third Round: (16) Ryan Strickland—1B

Best Player: Erik Owen

Best Deep Cut: (15) John Gibson—P

Total ML WAR: 1.1

Review: With two first round picks, the Yankees failed to capitalize on the draft capital that they had acquired. While making it to the PBA, Erik Owen has been relegated to the bullpen and has only produced 1.4 WAR through his age 27 season. Doug Colletti, a high school arm when drafted, is still young and made it to Triple-A after posting a decent 4.20 ERA over 27 starts in AA for his age 23 season. His best case scenario, he develops into a back of the rotation arm. Bryce Salinas, taken in the fifth round is another high school arm with some promise, but hasn't done much past A ball.

Grade: D. Overall, with two top 20 picks and no signs of a legitimate PBA contributor, its hard to give the Yankees a grade higher than a D, even with a weak draft class.


New York Mets:

First Round: (12) Josh Bonham—1B—Compensation for not signing Alonzo Camps
First Round: Forfeited as a result of signing Trevor Rogers
Second Round: (11) Jonathan Jacobs—P—Compensation for not signing Brad Fitzpatrick
Second Round: (26) Alex Torres—P
Third Round: (10) Billy Guerin—P—Compensation for not signing Jeremy Sprow
Third Round: (27) Justin Walker—P

Best Player: Josh Bonham

Best Deep Cut: (18) Zack Williams—P

Total ML WAR: 2.9

Review: The Mets forfeited their first-round pick to sign 29-year-old closer Trevor Rogers who was coming of two consecutive 3.7+ WAR seasons for the Braves and already had 129 career saves. But the Mets saw his 6 stamina rating and, despite him only having two pitches, decided that it was better to pay $207 million for a mediocre back-end of the rotation guy than an all-star closer. After cashing $92 million in checks and producing only 1 WAR, the Mets waived Rogers who was inexplicably claimed by Detroit only to cut Rogers 22 days later for the small price of $46M. $2.09m per day in the offseason? Good work if you can get it.

The Mets probably felt that they could forgo their first-round pick because they carried over a first, second, and third from not signing their picks in 2026. In retrospect not signing those guys was a good decision as none of the three look to ever throw a pitch in the big leagues. With their first comp pick New York drafted, and actually signed, First Baseman Josh “Vapor Lock” Bonham. Bonham worked hard in the minors and after 3 years was named the #28 prospect only to be promptly traded away. Bonham is going to start at DH for the Twins this year, so they jury is still out on this pick, but he does look promising.

The Mets second round comp pick was Pitcher Jonathan Jacobs who experienced his own “vapor lock,” losing power and completely stalling out in Double-A. With their organic second-round pick, the Mets drafted Starting Pitcher Alex Torres who made it all the way up to the #53 prospect before being included in a trade where the Mets gave up five players for $1 to Detroit the day after the Tigers claimed Rogers of waivers. Probably because they felt guilty about the whole ordeal.

In the third round the Mets took two pitchers, Billy Guerin and Justin Walker. Guerin was cut a few years ago and Walker leaned hard into his last name, and only has a 2 control rating.

The only players the Mets drafted in 2027 who have generated any WAR in the PBA were Torres and their fourth round pick Eddie Sereno, who, continuing the trend, was also traded to the Tigers. The only people who have given more to the city of Detroit than the Mets GM are Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope

Grade: C. The Mets appear to have chosen a decent hitter in the first round, but he can’t play defense. Their fourth and fifth round picks look good compared to the talent that was left, but for the second draft in a row the Mets came away with little, considering their draft assets.


Oakland Athletics:

First Round: (7) Josh Faulkner—P
Second Round: (6) Ronald Buckby—LF—UNSIGNED
Second Round: (15) Marcos Villanueva—LF—Compensation for not signing Dylan Horowitz
Second Round: (21) Tony Valencia—P—Compensation for not signing Jonathan Farrell
Third Round: (7) Garrett Sellers—P

Other trades: Traded eighth round pick (Chris Frude) to St. Louis for Bo Weiss.

Best Player: Garrett Sellers

Best Deep Cut: (18) Grant Musolf—P

Total ML WAR: 1.2

Review: Oakland accumulated a few extra second round picks in the 2027 draft, but wasn't able to turn those extra picks into prospect gold. Josh Faulkner, taken with the 7th pick in the draft, has quad-A written all over him. Their second pick in the draft went unsigned, but the 2028 replacement pick, Bucky Mallow, has already been dropped from the organization. Things didn't get better for Oakland as their additional second round picks, both high schoolers, have provided no value. Tony Valencia was traded as part of a large deal, but was not a valuable part of the trade. Marcos Villanueva appears to be following in the path of former teammate Bucky.

Garrett Sellers is the lone PBA WAR producer in the class and has developed into a setup bullpen arm. Sadly, before he was able to produce that WAR for Oakland, he was traded for cash. Jason Edwards, a high school arm taken in the sixth round might be the lone bright spot, posting a 3.15 ERA in a full season of A-ball. But he is still projected to be a long-shot to becoming a PBA contributor.

Oakland also traded a pick that became Chris Frude for Bo Weiss. Frude’s turned into a serviceable swingman, who’s contributed more WAR than Weiss to date, with Weiss unlikely to pitch in the PBA again.

Grade: D-. With 4 picks in the first two rounds, Oakland really should have done more with their draft capital, plus they lost their trade, leading to a D- grade.


Philadelphia Phillies:

First Round: (22) Josh Waterman—P
Supplemental Round: (1) Matt Meyers—P—Compensation for not signing Andres Gimenez
Second Round: (23) Aaron Reisig—SS
Third Round: (19) Matt Calhoun—P—UNSIGNED (Pick acquired from Tampa Bay for Dave Simon)
Third Round: (24) Justin Dean—P

Other trades: Acquired fifth round pick (Eric Soule) from Seattle, along with Allen Whitmore, for Franklin Barreto

Acquired seventh round pick (Kevin Burch) from Cincinnati, along with Doug Dombrowski, for Osiris German and Barrett Suggs

Best Player: Matt Meyers

Best Deep Cut: (11) Ken Hernandez—P

Total ML WAR: 4.2

Review: Josh Waterman was Philadelphia’s first round pick and he was a miss. He’s made two career PBA starts and put up an 8.38 ERA. He doesn’t throw hard enough or have enough control to be an impactful PBA arm.

They didn’t sign Andres Gimenez in free agency, getting a Supplemental Pick in return. Gimenez’ defense faded as soon as he signed in Boston, but he’s maintained being a solid bat and good base stealer since leaving the Phillies, and he hasn’t made exorbitant salaries. They used their comp pick on Matt Meyers, a promising arm whose career has been set back due to bone chips in his elbow. He’s a fringy back end starter at the moment, and the Phillies should have just hung on to Gimenez.

Aaron Resig was Philadelphia’s second round choice, a Second Baseman nicknamed Superman who hasn’t played above High A and likely never will. They acquired a third round pick for Dave Simon and used it on Matt Calhoun, a fringy reliever for the White Sox. They didn’t sign him, and the compensation pick turned into second division Center Fielder Charlie Connolly. Simon has mostly been a sub-WAR reliever his career when not in the NL East, so trading Simon essentially for Conolly was a neutral move.

Their own third rounder was used on Justin Dean, a decent looking reliever who gets a lot of strikeouts and plays with an edge his teammates love. Dean was one of the best picks at his spot in the draft.

The Phillies acquired a fifth round pick, plus Allen Whitmore, for Franklin Barreto. The pick became Eric Soule, a non-factor, so the trade was just Whitmore for Barretto. Whitmore’s had a bit of a weird career, with two solid seasons, an excellent one, and a horrid one. His median outcome is a bunch of doubles, a bunch of homers, and an average that won’t make you blush, but he has a high peak and a low floor. He’s not a great defender either, but he can play a good corner outfield spot, and can hold his own most other positions.

Barretto was solid for a few more years, but his best days were behind him. He was still a starting caliber player from his trade to Seattle in 2026 to 2030, with the exception of a lean 2027 with the Cardinals. Barreto’s WAR output post trade, and Whitmore’s average season are comparable. The Phillies were good in 2026, but finished fourth in their division, and they had a losing record in 2027. Getting a prospect of similar value for Barreto, was a decent move, plus getting a player with more risk isn’t a bad strategy for a club in a tough division. Give Philadelphia credit for a deal that has largely worked out well for them.

Philadelphia then acquired a seventh round pick that became Kevin Burch, plus Doug Dombroski, for Osiris German and Barrett Suggs. Burch is a non-factor, but Dombroski has been a strong arm for the Phillies, with five of his six full seasons posting a 4.16 ERA or less, and 15.3 WAR in six-plus years in Philadelphia. Barrett Suggs hit .181 in roughly 500 career plate appearances, while Osiris German transitioned into being a solid reliever over the second half of his career. German was a veteran destined to become a journeyman—he was traded every year from 2026 to 2028 and has been with six teams since being traded in 2026—while Dombrowski was a prospect. Getting a good prospect for a good reliever is a good trade.

Philadelphia’s own seventh rounder was used on Ricky Koonce, a slugger with big power, and few other skills. Still, hitting 34 bombs as a rookie and putting up a 119 OPS+ is good work, even if the OBP is only a .308. That’s a steal in the seventh round.

Ken Hernandez was taken in the 11th round, and he’s also seen the show, getting two wins in 10 relief outings last year, with a 3.77 ERA. He allowed four homers in 14.1 innings, walked nine and only whiffed 10, so his ERA was well below his FIP. He also pitched in 2030 though, in a similar innings spread, and while he was still wild, he struck guys out, and wasn’t as homer prone—he also had a higher ERA. The joy of analysis based on small samples. Either way, he’s had some success in the PBA, a massive win for an 11th rounder.

Grade: B. Philadelphia missed early in the draft, but they had some nice picks later on, and made some astute trades to get prospect talent, even if those prosects didn’t come specifically from the acquired draft picks in the deals. It makes for a complicated grade, as their early picks were chances to add strong PBA talent, and Philadelphia simply didn’t get much from Waterman, Resig, and Meyers. However, Meyers isn’t a failure, Dean and Hernandez look sharp, and getting Whitmore and Dombroski were strong plays. In a weak draft, walking away with Whitmore and Dombrowski is more talent than most teams got, even if it cost them Barretto and German, tipping the scales in their favor.


Pittsburgh Pirates:

First Round: (8) Brian Radcliffe—3B
Second Round: (7) Rob Orlosky—P
Third Round: (8) Mike Pease—P

Best Player: Brian Radcliffe

Best Deep Cut: (12) Antonio Duenas—P

Total ML WAR: 16.7

Review: Pittsburgh got one of the best players in the draft, despite not picking right at the front, selecting Brian Radcliffe eighth overall. The Third Baseman has been a consistent extra base machine, has two All Star nods, and was a Platinum Stick winner in 2031. He’s provided power while getting on base at a decent clip, and being a solid defender. The Pirates deserve praise for an excellent selection.

Second round pick Rob Orlosky has been good in the minors, but doesn’t have the control to pitch as a plus PBAer. The same is true of third rounder Mike Pease, a hard thrower who has had some success in the mid-minors, but whose control leaves a lot to be desired.

Fourth rounder Carlos Trinidad saw some time with the Cubs in 2030, but hit just .185 with 55 strikeouts in 53 games. Trinidad has some pop and will wait for his pitch to drive, but he doesn’t have a great hit tool, doesn’t have much speed, and doesn’t have a glove for Shortstop.

Eighth rounder Wally Wieland was one of the younger players drafted, a high school prospect out of Willow Canyon in Arizona, who demanded at least $430,000 to sign. The investment was worth it as Wieland had a strong rookie showing with the White Sox and looks like a quality PBA arm. Not a bat misser, Wieland throws five pitches for strikes, keeping hitters off balance with an array of junk, including a screwball. Hitters only had a .258 BABIP off him last year. Plucking him in the eighth round was excellent work.

Grade: A. Getting Radcliffe eighth overall, and Wieland in round eight were both great selections, and if Orlosky and Pease can get their control straightened out, there may be bullpen destinations for them. Not having the duo profile as stronger arms keeps the cherry off the sundae, but the Pirates still get an A for their work.


San Diego Padres:

First Round: (19) Brandon Moore—P
Second Round: (18) Raul Miranda—LF
Third Round: (13) Al Gil—LF—Compensation for not signing Dave Arratia
Third Round: (20) Gene Harris—LF

Best Player: Brandon Moore

Best Deep Cut: (25) Danny Rivera

Total ML WAR: 0.3

Review: Brandon Moore was San Diego’s first rounder, and he had a bright stint with San Diego in 2031, striking out 22 in 18.2 success relief innings, with three saves. He was good in Triple-A last year as a starter, and while OSA doesn’t see much there, Moore has demonstrated he can get outs. Rich Whitt would have been better, taken four picks later.

Second and third rounders Raul Miranda, Al Gil, and Gene Harris haven’t played full season ball yet, and none look like they’d set the world on fire once they get to that phase. Gil was compensation for not signing Dave Arratia, who has cracked the PBA with the Reds as a utility player.

None of San Diego’s later picks are a cause for much optimism either. Fourth rounder Tim Cooper throws five pitches, but doesn’t have great control, nor does he miss bats. He’s also blushing deeply, as if he knows he’s wasting a roster spot and is ashamed. Seventh rounder Casey Flebbe has balance, but he doesn’t have a great bat, have blazing speed, or play Center Field, meaning Triple-A is his destiny. 25th rounder Danny Rivera throws hard, but has no control, which is why he’s pitched only three professional games, and none since 2028, despite being traded within in the Meridian League twice.

Grade: F. Moore has a chance to be okay, but it’s a longshot, and nobody else will do anything with their careers. Despite an extra pick in the third round, the Padres didn’t get much out of the draft.


San Francisco Giants:

First Round: (31) Ryan Traeger—P
Second Round: (17) Adam Zulick—CF [Pick acquired from Tampa Bay, along with fourth round pick (Bob Fry], for Jeremiah Estrada)
Second Round: (32) Fernando Moscoso—CF
Third Round: (32) Dave Carlson—P
Third Round: (35) Mike Schultz—C (Pick acquired from Milwaukee for Bobby O’Cain)

Best Player: (4) Bob Fry—P

Best Deep Cut: (16) Pablo Vasquez—C

Total ML WAR: 0.8

Review: After making the playoffs in 2026 and with four other teams having comp picks earlier in the first round, the Giants didn’t get to make a selection until 31st overall in 2027. With that pick they chose Pitcher Ryan Traeger, who is now 28 and still in AAA watching any hope of a major league career go up in smoke.

The Giants had an extra pick in the second and fourth rounds from trading away Starting Pitcher Jeremiah Estrada at the trade deadline the previous year. With the second, they drafted Outfielder Adam Zulick who is already 27 and has yet to even make it to Double-A. With their original second round pick San Francisco drafted another Outfielder, Fernando Moscoso, who has an outside chance to make it to the majors, but with only 3 eye, it would be as an emergency backup Left Fielder.

The Giants traded First Baseman Bobby O’Cain to Milwaukee for a third round pick where they took catcher Mike Schultz. Schultz spent 2032 in the majors, but with his poor defense and worse bat generated -0.4 WAR. He’ll spend 2033, and what little’s left of his baseball career, in AAA. However, that’s higher than San Francisco’s other third round pick, Pitcher Dave Carlson, will ever get.

After blowing five picks in the first three rounds the Giants actually drafted a good player in the fourth, Starting Pitcher Bob “Beefsteak” Fry. In retrospect, the Giants GM should have realized that a Beefsteak Fry wouldn’t go over very well in NorCal and after a small, but vocal, protest from the San Francisco Vegan Society, traded Bob to D.C. in midseason 2029 for a $15m Closer who pitched 2.2 innings the rest of year and was released the following offseason. Beefsteak got called up in 2031 at 23 and played five games for the Nationals. He started 32 games in 2032 and looks to be a solid part of their rotation going forward.

Even with eight picks in the top 200 selections, the Giants only drafted two players in 2027 that generated positive WAR, Fry and the 503rd pick, Pablo Vasquez. Vasquez was a defensive ace at C who played 20 games in 2031 before getting released at the end of the season and retiring.

Grade: D. The Giants had five picks in the top 114 and failed to come away with a single starting caliber player in that group. Even in a weak draft year that’s abysmal. Bob Fry is the only reason this grade isn’t currently an F. Their 10th round pick Caleb Swingley is their last long-shot hope for a player from this draft that may actually benefit their major league club.


Seattle Mariners:

First Round: (30) Zayne Winters—3B
Second Round: (30) Jordan Barnes—SS
Third Round: (31) Kyle Portilla—P

Other Trades: Traded fourth round pick (Rob Corcoran) to Cincinnati for Jimmy Herron

Traded fifth round pick (Eric Soule) to Philadelphia, along with Allen Whitmore, for Franklin Barreto

Acquired eighth round pick from Kansas City (Josh Laskowski) for Roniel Raudes

Traded eighth round pick (Tyler Delia) to St. Louis for Bo Takahashi

Best Player: Jordan Barnes

Best Deep Cut: (13) Dave Murphy—CF

Total ML WAR: 0.4

Review: The Mariners picked towards the end of each round and struggled to find a ton of value in the 2027 draft.

Zayne Winters, taken at the end of the 1st round, did make it to the PBA in 2030, producing 0.6 WAR and hitting 12 home runs. However, he has regressed significantly since that season and looks like a career Triple-A player. Seattle does get high marks for trading Winters at the right time, absolutely fleecing the Cubs in a trade that brought Ji-hu Kim to the rainy city.

Jordan Barnes, taken in the 2nd round, has accumulated 8.0 WAR over two seasons of Triple-A ball, but hasn’t been able to get a foothold with the Big League club, playing sparingly for Milwaukee after being swapped for Bobby O’Cain. Barnes has an okay glove and adequate bat, giving him value as a utility player.

Seattle traded some of their later round picks for more proven talent. They swapped out a fourth rounder who became Rob Corcoran for Jimmy Herron. Corcoran looks like a Triple-A arm, while Herron had a couple of solid years with Seattle before aging out. That was a nice deal. They then traded a fifth rounder that became Aaron Soule, plus Allen Whitmore, for Franklin Barreto. Soule’s soul is stuck in the low minors, meaning the deal was effectively Whitmore for Barreto. Bruiser Whitmore had a spectacular 2030 and a horrendous 2031, both likely outliers, leaving him with solid 2029 and 2032 campaigns of roughly 2 WAR a year. That’s not a bad player, and it comes with tremendous variance as his career has shown. Barreto was good down the stretch in 2026, but struggled in the regular season in 2027 before moving on from Seattle. The Mariners were a playoff team back then, so current value was more important than future value, but Whitmore has been a better player than Barreto, his one horrible year aside.

They flipped the switch and acquired a pick that became Josh Laskowski from Kansas City for Roniel Raudes. Raudes was an okay reliever for a year with Kansas City, before a tough year with Arizona ended his time in the PBA. Laskowski likely won’t make it above A-ball, so holding on to Raudes would have been the better play.

Finally, they traded a pick that became Tyler Delia, a no-hoper, for Bo Takahashi, who made six successful starts for Triple-A Tacoma before ending up in the Meridian. Delia has pitched okay in St. Louis’ deep minors, and six years of success in the deep minors probably trumps six good starts in Triple-A, though it’s an inconsequential trade in the grand scheme of things.

Grade: D. Seattle’s trades largely wash out, and their picks weren’t very strong, leaving them with a D.


St. Louis Cardinals:

First Round: (15) Pick traded to Miami along with second round pick (*Eddie Keller), fourth round pick (Zack McNeley), and Joc Pederson, for $1. Pick became Chad Schaut
First Round: (23) Rich Whitt—P—Compensation for not signing Steve Ruffin
First Round: (24) Luis Landaverde—CF—Compensation for not signing Sonny Badillo
First Round: (33) Ryan Perez—P—Compensation for not signing Al Gil
Second Round: (13)* To Miami
Third Round: (17) Steve Henderson—CF

Other trades: Acquired fourth round pick (Bradley Seibert) from Detroit, along with sixth round pick (Oscar Trevino), for Kumar Rocker

Traded fifth round pick (Scott Bryant) to Colorado for $3,000,000

Acquired eighth round pick (Tyler Delia) from Seattle for Bo Takahashi

Traded eighth round pick to Kansas City for Mark Montgomery. Pick ended up in Seattle as Josh Laskowski

Acquired eighth round pick (Chris Frude) from Oakland for Bo Weiss.

Best Player: Rich Whitt

Best Deep Cut: (28) Chad Liby—P

Total ML WAR: 6.5

Review: The Cardinals ended up with a lot of extra picks, the results of a number of trades and compensation picks. That allowed them to trade their own first and second rounders, sending them to Miami along with a second rounder, fourth rounder, and Joc Pederson for a single dollar. Pederson was a dead-money player, owed a ton of money, providing negative WAR, eating up cash on St. Louis’ books. The Cardinals sent him away at a steep cost of three picks, but none of the picks amounted to anything. Chad Scahut, Eddie Keller, and Zack McNeley. Keller and McNeley aren’t PBA-caliber players, while Schaut has been worth significantly negative WAR in his career. In a weak draft, this was the time to punt away picks, and St. Louis did so to get rid of an awful, awful contract.

They then then had three extra first round compensation picks, some a result of unsigned first round picks dating back to 2024. The earliest pick was used on Rich Whitt, who has been an excellent pitcher in St. Louis’ bullpen approach. He has a career 2.89 ERA and 5.1 career WAR in only 233.2 career innings. He was the right pick. St. Louis had that pick because they didn’t sign Steve Ruffin in 2026 or Colin Kelly in 2025. Ruffin is a Quad-A player and Kelly won’t play in the PBA, so St. Louis made the right moves to not sign them. Waiting three years to get a reliever isn’t exactly the best process, but at least St. Louis got a good reliever.

One pick later, St. Louis drafted and signed Luis Landaverde, a Quad-A outfielder who can play good corner outfield defense, run a little, and is okay with the bat, but needs a standout offensive tool, the ability to play Center, or to be a blazer on the bases to be a legit PBA asset. He debuted with Boston last year and played 54 games with negative WAR.

Landaverde was a comp pick from St. Louis not signing Sonny Badillo the year prior. Badillo’s an incredibly flawed three-true-outcomes slugger, but his 2030 remains magical. He hit 63 homers that year with a .276 average, 71 points higher than his second highest average in a year. That year was an extreme outlier, but it’s one Landaverde will never have. Badillo hit .198 last year with 48 homers, a much more reasonable expectation for his output, and he produced 1.9 WAR. St. Louis should have locked him down.

Their final first rounder was used on Ryan Perez, a mid-minors arm who doesn’t appear to have the control to succeed in the upper minors or PBA. St. Louis got him as a result of compensation picks originating from not signing Ed Bice back in 2024. Bice begat Chad Antoine, who begat Al Gil, who begat Perez. Bice and Antoine have played in the PBA. Bice had a rough cup of coffee in 2029, but was a little better in a 2030 cup of coffee. Antoine had a strong 80 plate appearance stretch with the Cubs in 2031, and a rough 97 game stretch in 2032. Both would have been better than Perez, even if they weren’t great options themselves. Gong four years with first round picks and ending up with a wasted pick is disheartening.

St. Louis used their third round pick on Steve Henderson, a slugger who hit 22 homers in 2032, though he had a .182 average. Jon Lacy may have been the better pick, a few spots later, but Henderson is a player who didn’t embarrass himself in a weak draft.

St. Louis then sent Kumar Rocker to Detroit for fourth and sixth round picks that became Bradley Seibert and Oscar Trevino. Trevino isn’t anything, but Seibert has a chance to be a backup outfielder, despite struggling his rookie year. Rocker only pitched a year and a half with Detroit before retiring due to an arthritic elbow. Seibert may have a chance to be better, but Rocker had 2.7 WAR with Detroit, so that’s the benchmark for Seibert to hit. It’s possible, but not likely.

The Cardinals got $3,000,00 from Colorado for a pick that became Scott Bryant. Bryant won’t play in the PBA, but $3,000,000 helped St. Louis with their budget problems. Great trade.

They traded Bo Takahashi to Seattle for a pick that turned into Tyler Delia. Takahashi hasn’t played in the PBA since the deal, and Delia won’t play in the PBA himself. They traded an eighth round pick to Kansas City that ended up in Seattle as Josh Laskowski, a nothing player. They got Mark Montgomery in the deal, though he never played in St. Louis. He was waived and bounced around, putting up negative WAR wherever he went. St. Louis was smart enough to waive him, but may have been better off with Laskowski.

They acquired a pick that became Chris Frude for Bo Weiss. Despite being an eighth rounder, Frude has been a nice PBA pitcher. Weiss had a decent 2030 for Colorado, but Frude was the better pick.

10th round pick Jonathan Mann has made the PBA. He’s a little wild and homer prone, but he was decent enough last year with Houston, making him a winning pick as a 10th rounder in a weak draft.

13th rounder Trevor Martin, 15th rounder Doug Parent, and 19th rounder Hunter Owens have fringe chances to play in the PBA. All profile as Quad-A arms.

Finally, Chad Liby made the PBA and made an impression drawing the ire of everyone in the clubhouse. He has a good splitter and good control, making him a good-looking prospect, remarkable as a 28th round pick.

Grade: B. It’s a complicated draft. The Cardinals got some talent, but they had a ton of extra picks. Whitt was a nice selection, but the pick cycled through for years, and the other compensation selections were whiffs. Getting off Pederson was a win, and Henderson was a fine selection. Their deep round trades end up fairly neutral, but getting Liby and a few Quad-A arms are a win. In aggregate, let’s give them a B, though if Liby, Seibert, Frude, and the Quad-A guys don’t pop, this may have to be revised slightly down in the future.


Tampa Bay Rays:

First Round: (13) Jerry Dixon—P—Compensation for not signing Chris Featherly
First Round: (18) Bill Wyatt—CF
Second Round: (17) Pick traded to San Francisco along with fourth round pick (Bob Fry) for Jeremiah Estrada. Pick became Adam Zulick
Third Round: (19) Pick traded to Philadelphia for Dave Simon. Pick became Matt Calhoun

Best Player: Jerry Dixon

Best Deep Cut: (12) Tye Phelps—RF

Total ML WAR: 5.8

Review: Tampa Bay didn’t sign Chris Featherly in 2026, a good move as Featherly isn’t going to play in the PBA. Jerry Dixon has and has played well, getting off to a promising start to his career, before a torn UCL absolutely derailed his career. He’s still been okay as a reliever, but was looking like a solid starting pitcher. He’s still produced 3.2 WAR which rates favorable for where he was drafted.

Their other first rounder was used on Bill Wyatt, who has had an interesting career. He had huge offensive/defensive splits, winning a Gold Glove in 2029 and producing 2.1 WAR despite a .628 OPS. He only played 16 games in 2030, and had a nice .298 average. He only hit .229 in 2031 and has never homered in his career. He can’t do much aside from make contact and hit for an empty aerage offensively, but he does play good Center Field defense.

They traded their second and fourth rounders to San Francisco for Jeremiah Estrada. Estrada had one good half-season and an okay second year for Tampa Bay, but didn’t pitch very long for them. The picks became Adam Zulick and bob Fry. Adam Zulick won’t play in the PBA, but Beefsteak Bob Fry has shown some promise with Washington and only just completed his age 24 season. Fry will likely outdo Estrada, making the trade a poor one.

The Rays traded their third rounder that became Matt Calhoun to Philadelphia for Dave Simon. Calhoun is a Quad-A arm with a chance of pitching in the PBA, but a slight one of pitching well. He wasn’t signed, and only Jon Lacy looks like a strong plus prospect around the area Calhoun was drafted. Simon was terrible for Tampa Bay, and was generally terrible in the American League, sorting out his career when he came back to the National League with Washington.

Eighth rounder Jeff Nelson is a similar player in that he can’t do much offensively but plays premium defense up the middle. He also stole three bases for the Rays in 24 games last year, leading to 0.5 WAR while playing around a month. He’s a nice find late in the draft.

Grade: B-. The Rays didn’t get a standout player, but they had several small hits in the draft with Dixon, Wyatt, and Nelson, though trading Fry for Estrada and Calhoun for Simon were small misses. In such a weak draft, that’s enough for a decent grade.


Texas Rangers:

First Round: (34) Curtis McDowell—P
Supplemental Round: (5) Chris Gasper—P—Compensation for not signing Marcus Stroman
Second Round: (34) Ryan Lee—P
Third Round: (34) Tim Munsey—P—UNSIGNED

Other trades: Traded seventh round pick (Zach Briggs) to Colorado for Zack Burdi

Best Player: Curtis McDowell

Best Deep Cut: (12) Ray Schroeder—P

Total ML WAR: -0.3

Review: This was not a good draft for the Rangers. They have negative WAR from this class so far and it is doubtful they will get that into the positives. In the first round they took Starting Pitcher Curtis McDowell who never developed his control and looks like a Quad A pitcher. They did manage to trade him for Brewers legend Toby Dunlap who had one good season with Texas before suffering a career ending injury. Chris Gasper did not make up for losing ace Marcus Stroman to Free Agency. The supplemental pick made the PBA last season but pitched to a 7.82 ERA. He can't throw strikes and so doesn't have much of a PBA future.

Second round pick Ryan Lee looks like another failed Starting Pitcher prospect. He was traded for Third Baseman Alfredo Cruz who has 1.1 career WAR and looks like a good weak side platoon option. A win for Texas here with the trade.

Third round pick Tim Munsey was rolled and will never be a PBA player with 2 control, but neither will Lance Bateman the player drafted with the compensation pick in the next draft. Texas traded a seventh round pick for Zack Burdi who put up 0.8 WAR in his lone season as a Ranger. The seventh round pick became a career minor league Outfielder, Zach Briggs, in the Rockies system. There's not anyone else really worth mentioning, surprisingly only two guys from this class have retired. Ray Schroeder is a quad A reliever picked in the 12th round. He might be their best deep cut, but he won't be a PBA player.

Grade: F. Without a player with positive WAR, this draft was a complete disaster for Texas.


Toronto Blue Jays:

First Round: (16) Josh Howard—P
Second Round: (14) Willie Maldonado—RF
Third Round: (18) Erik Panzer—SS

Best Player: (8) J.P. Wees—P

Best Deep Cut: (12) Joe Flanigan—P

Total ML WAR: 0.9

Review: Toronto drafted Josh Howard in the middle of the first round, and the pick hasn’t worked out. He’s been too homer prone his time in the PBA to be a good pitcher. He’s just a Triple-A arm at this point.

Willie Maldonado has good pop for Triple-A, but he doesn’t have a good enough bat to play in the PBA. Still 24, he has time to improve at least. Third rounder Erik Panzer is another Triple-A only guy as he has good gap power for the minors, but doesn’t have a potent enough bat for the PBA, nor can he play good defense anywhere aside from First Base.

Sixth rounder Bobby O’Keefe has a ton of defensive versatility making up for an underwhelming bat. He’s dropped down some bunts and hit for a good average too. He’s been a nice pick.

Seventh rounder Tim Butler has played 42 games in the PBA with a -0.8 WAR. A backup Catcher, He’s got a decent bat, but defense is a struggle for him. Only 24, he may have been called up too soon. If he can start hitting, he’ll show that he was a decent pick, but it’s been a rough start to his career.

Eighth rounder J.P. Wees was a good pick. He throws in the mid 90s, throws five pitches, and more importantly, has a good bat. He doesn’t have much power, but he can hit for a good average. He hasn’t shown it in the PBA yet, but for an eighth rounder, he has enough promise to warrant a good grade.

Grade: C-. Toronto has Bobby O’Keefe and some promising picks after the top of the draft. Tim Butler and J.P. Wees have some promise, but haven’t shown much yet, and the early picks were mostly misses. It’s a C- for now, but there’s a lot of variability with how this grade can turn out going forward.


Washington Nationals:

First Round: (25) Nate McClure—RF
Second Round: (24) Justin Coelho—CF
Third Round: (25) Eric Salmela—P
Third Round: (36) Josh Williams—P—Compensation for not signing Matt Sanchez

Best Player: Nate McClure

Best Deep Cut: (17) Alejandro Rodriguez—LF

Total ML WAR: 1.2

Review: In the first round the Nats picked Nate McClure. While he's probably most famous for being part of a disastrous trade for the Yankees where they let Angelo Santiago go for no good reason, he's also been in a few other trades. The Nats traded him along with a second round pick for Kurt Mann and Luke Spence. Mann put up 0.9 WAR in a Nats uniform and Spence has 7.7 career WAR. McClure only has 1.5 WAR to date, so this looks good for the Nats and bad for their trade partner the Royals. It doesn't help that the second round pick was spent on Chris Featherly who busted spectacularly. The Royals eventually moved McClure along with Wander Franco to the Mariners for a third round pick. From there, McClure was dealt in the infamous trade to the Yankees. Overall not a bad pick for the Nats but the other Washington team has benefited the most from Nate.

Second round pick Justin Coelho had 107 ABs putting up a 66 OPS+ for the Nats in 2028. Needless to say he's never getting another PBA at bat.

Third round pick Eric Salmela failed to sign, which is good because he will fail to ever make a PBA roster. He was rolled into fringe starter Luis Miramontes who looks better and could maybe pass for a fifth starter. The Nats other third round pick, pitcher Josh Williams also failed to sign. They had not taken Matt Sanchez with the pick the year before which looks like a massive mistake. Sanchez has blossomed into one of the best hitters in the PBA. The rolled pick from Sanchez and Williams became Ryan Muszynski, a First Base prospect who should never see the PBA. Williams didn't become anything either and is currently in the Phillies system.

The Nats did not have picks from the 4th to the 6th round, and there is no one later worth mentioning.

Grade: D. 2027 was the last time the Nats had a winning record and drafts like this are part of the reason for that.



Arizona Diamondbacks 11.8

Atlanta Braves 9.3
Baltimore Orioles 0.6
Boston Red Sox 4.3
Chicago Cubs 4.9
Chicago White Sox 0.2
Cincinnati Reds -1.3
Cleveland Indians 4.2
Colorado Rockies 19.6
Detroit Tigers 2.5
Houston Astros 0
Kansas City Royals 19
Los Angeles Angels 24.9
Los Angeles Dodgers -0.5
Miami Marlins -6.3
Milwaukee Brewers -0.6
Minnesota Twins 2.7
New York Mets 2.9
New York Yankees 1.1
Oakland Athletics 1.2
Philadelphia Phillies 4.2
Pittsburgh Pirates 16.7
San Diego Padres 0.3
San Francisco Giants 0.8
Seattle Mariners 0.4
St. Louis Cardinals 6.5
Tampa Bay Rays 5.8
Texas Rangers -0.3
Toronto Blue Jays 0.9
Washington Nationals 1.2

[Commissioner Erick]

Special thanks to Stephen Strosko, Luke Grimmelbein, and Wes Robinson for helping with previews!