Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2013 23:30:06 GMT -5
Disclaimer – This is solely my opinion based on opinions I acquired from other people’s opinions, some of which came from other people’s opinions. In other words, these rankings are flawless.
How I grade:
I am a sucker for upside. I try to weigh every pick based on position taken, proximity to majors, ceiling, risk, and fantasy position. Taking Zunino or Correa with the first 2 picks are obviously great players, and I take that into account, but a team doesn’t get an A just for having one of the top 2 picks. If that team had 10 more picks and all of them sucked I would give them an F.
That being said, there were no drafts that were bad, which makes it really hard to rank
25. NEW YORK METS
3.7 Chris McGuiness
3.19 Orlando Calixte
5.19 John Gast
5.29 Jesus Aguilar
Not a McGuiness believer, I don’t think he will be valuable. I love the Calixte pick, tons of upside at an MI position. Gast has some potential as a starter but most likely a reliever. Aguilar could be more valuable than McGuiness but I still don’t see it. Hopefully either McGuiness or Aguilar will come through for the Mets. Grade B-
24. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
1.13 Marcus Stroman
1.24 Lucas Sims
1.25 Lance McCullers
1.26 Gavin Cecchini
2.7 Daniel Robertson
2.13 Jairo Beras
2.29 Trevor May
5.4 Franklin Barreto
5.23 Martin Agosta
I think McCullers has the most upside of the first rounders the Giants got. I think Stroman could end up as a reliever and Sims could be a #3 starter. I am not sold on Cecchini’s fantasy potential. Robertson could turn into a valuable player if the power develops. I love the Barreto pick. He could turn into the best player from the Giant’s draft. Beras has massive upside that comes with massive risk. Trevor May has great stuff and no control. Agosta has solid stuff and the Giants are great with pitchers. I like the Barreto and McCullers picks, and Beras has incredible upside, but I think the 1st rounders are lacking the upside I look for in the first round. I thought Alex Meyer last year would be a reliever and he is doing great as a starter. Hopefully the Giants will prove me wrong again. I think this was actually a really good draft for the Giants, but with so many good drafts my view that the 1st is lacking upside is what drops this grade. Grade B-
23. OAKLAND ATHLETICS
1.11 Michael Wacha
2.11 Chris Beck
2.30 Bruce Maxwell
3.11 Lex Rutledge
4.11 Austin Dean
5.11 D'vone McClure
Wacha has looked like one of the best players from the 2012 draft class. Blowing people away with an insane 40/4 K/BB ratio and kept up the dominance in spring training with a 15/1 ratio in 11 IP and a 0 ERA. It looks like the uptick in his stuff is for real and could be a real steal at 11th. Beck could develop into a great pitcher with some consistency. I got a soft spot for D-III guys but Maxwell needs to show more power. Rutledge has good stuff but can’t control it. Austin Dean coming from the great city of Spring, TX (my hometown), has potential but hasn’t showed anything yet. Same goes with D’vone McClure. I love the Wacha pick but after that it looks like lottery tickets. Grade B-
22. WASHINGTON NATIONALS
1.14 Yasuel Puig
2.27 RJ Alvarez
3.3 Carlos Sanchez
3.29 Justin Wilson
4.7 Cody Allen
5.24 Nik Turley
Yasuel Puig may have had the best spring of any player in baseball. 29 for 55 with 10 xbhs including 3 homers. I think the only reason for concern here is 0 walks, and not having that PP contract hurts a little. Alvarez could be a potential closer. Carlos Sanchez is a very underrated prospect in my mind, kind of in the Altuve fashion, without being ridiculously short. He was a great pick in the 3rd round. Justin Wilson could provide some value soon. Cody Allen looks like a valuable cheap reliever already in the majors. Turley could be a backend starter and shouldn’t be too far out. Some interesting picks here from the Nationals. Grade B-
21. CINCINNATI REDS
2.25 AJ Ramos
3.27 Ken Giles
AJ Ramos and Giles could both become closers. Reds were going for high upside relievers here and did well. Grade B-
20. SAN DIEGO PADRES
1.30 Lewis Brinson
3.4 Nicholas Martinez
4.26 Lisalverto Bonilla
Brinson has incredible upside, but comes with high risk. Martinez is an interesting pick. Bonilla looks like a reliever but should help soon. Padres got two upside players in Martinez in Brinson. Grade B-
19. TEXAS RANGERS
1.23 Joey Gallo
2.23 Travis Jankowski
3.26 Eddie Butler
3.30 Tom Murphy
4.2 Michael Perez
4.12 Juan Carlos Paniagua
Gallo has monster power, but can he produce enough contact. Generally I don’t believe in low contact big power guys. Jankowski could be a valuable fantasy player with the speed. Butler needs to develop his changeup to become a starter, but if not could be a closer. Murphy has potential to be a valuable fantasy catcher, same with Perez. Who knows what will happen with Paniagua. Falsified documents twice already but has potential. Grade B-
18. MIAMI MARLINS
1.18 Andrew Heaney
2.18 Nick Travieso
3.18 Keon Barnum
4.18 Kevin Plawecki
4.31 Brian Johnson
5.18 James Ramsey
5.27 Hiram Burgos
5.32 Tony Renda
Heaney projects as a #3 starter but I think he could be better. Travieso has some heat in him but is also a project as a pitcher. Barnum has a lot of power potential but questions remain as to if he can hit, not a bad pick in the 3rd round. Plawecki could be a solid fantasy catcher, should stick at the position and has potential for a useable bat. Ramsey has the makings of a 4th outfielder, but the Cardinals must have seen something more to use their first rounder and 1.6M to sign him. Brian Johnson is the type of player that is a good grab in the late fourth round. He doesn’t have great stuff, but has excellent command and could become a good innings eater in the majors. Burgos doesn’t have great stuff but was very effective in the minors and could be a valuable starter for Miami. Renda doesn’t look like much of a fantasy asset but could eventually provide a decent average and SBs at a premium position. Nothing spectacular here for Miami but solid all-around value picks. Grade B-
17. LOS ANGELES ANGELS
1.9 Courtney Hawkins
3.9 Sam Selman
3.23 Jake Thompson
4.1 Mason Melotakis
4.9 Renato Nunez
5.15 Matt Magill
Courtney Hawkins could develop into a fantasy stud. Grabbed 3 pitchers that could develop into mid rotation starters in Selman, Thompson and Magill. Melotakis will likely end up in the bullpen. Nunez is a lottery ticket with decent upside in the bat. Grade B-
16. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
1.7 Albert Almora
2.3 Clint Coulter
2.15 Pierce Johnson
4.3 Trayce Thompson
4.10 Francisco Martinez
4.17 Jonathan Pettibone
4.23 Brandon Kline
Coulter was a great grab in the 2nd round. Although I usually hate catchers, the reports on his bat are promising. Almora should turn into a very valuable asset. Trayce Thompson has incredible upside but is starting to get old for a prospect. Pierce Johnson fell in the draft due to health concerns but has great stuff. Martinez doesn’t seem like more than a potential 4th outfielder to me. Pettibone looks like a potential back end starter and should be around soon. Kline could become a closer. A good mix of high upside picks and value picks for the Phillies. Grade B-
15. TORONTO BLUEJAYS
1.3 Byron Buxton
1.15 Lucas Gioloto
2.1 Brandon Maurer
2.19 Walker Wieckel
Although I got arguably the two highest potential players in the draft, they also come with some of the most risk. I also had to pay a high price to get them. I could have sat at pick 7 and picked someone I wanted just as much as Buxton in Addison Russell. I like Maurer and all Seattle pitchers, but I liked the two players picked after me more in Coulter and Winker. And Swo likes Weickel so we all know where that pick is headed… Addition: This draft makes me feel a little better with Maurer making the opening day roster. Grade B-
14. CHICAGO CUBS
3.13 Kyle Smith
4.32 Gustavo Cabrera
5.7 Jeremy Horst
5.13 Michael Tonkin
Kyle Smith is a solid pitcher who should move quickly. Gustavo has tons of potential but of course is very raw. Rafael Rodriguez and Michael Ynoa come to mind, hopefully Gustavo does better. Horst was a great pick for a proven reliever just under the 50 IP limit. Tonkin should be a valuable reliever. I like this draft for the Cubs. Grade B.
13. NEW YORK YANKEES
2.16 Ty Hensley
2.24 Nick Williams
4.24 Jacob Constante
Hensley was a good pick in the 2nd. Huge ceiling for Nick Williams. Constante signed after the draft started, but probably about where he would have been drafted anyways. Grade B.
12. HOUSTON ASTROS
1.1 Mike Zunino
1.10 David Dahl
2.10 Mike Foltynewicz
2.21 Barrett Barnes
3.10 Cody Asche
4.16 Alex Wood
4.19 Pat Light
4.20 Todd Glaesmann
5.2 Erik Johnson
5.10 Aaron Northcraft
5.22 Eduardo Rodriguez
This was an incredible draft for the Astros. With Zunino and Dahl at the top he has 2 potential very valuable fantasy players. While I don’t see Zunino as a Buster Posey type producer, I think he will be a top 10 Fantasy Catcher. The rest of his draft came with pick after pick of potential average major leaguers which is very valuable in this league. I think this draft will produce a lot of MLB players for the Astros down the road. I think this draft lacks upside outside of Dahl but was a great all around draft.
Grade B.
11. PITTSBURGH PIRATES
1.22 Adalberto Mondesi
2.22 Onelki Garcia
3.22 Alfredo Marte
3.25 Matt Smoral
4.22 Patrick Wisdom
5.33 Tyler Glasnow
Adalberto Mondesi could be the next Profar. Onelki has a cool name and some nasty stuff but could easily end up as a reliever. Marte had a good year last year and if he keeps it up could be a great pick. Smoral was a great pick in the 3rd round. He has huge upside and was a first round pick before breaking his foot. Wisdom looks like more of the defensive 3B, but if the power comes along he could be valuable. Glasnow has a lot of upside and did a good job of improving this year. I really like the Mondesi, Smoral, and Glasnow Picks here. Grade B
10. ATLANTA BRAVES
1.20 Matt Wisler
2.9 Stefen Romero
2.28 Mark Montgomery
3.20 Rafael Montero
3.24 Gioskar Amaya
3.28 Anthony Garcia
4.6 Paco Rodriguez
4.14 Patrick Leonard
4.27 John Hicks
4.28 Kolby Copeland
5.5 Estarlin Martinez
5.28 Cody Kukuk
Wisler could be a very valuable SP in San Diego. Romero can hit, hopefully at an MI position. Montgomery looks like a Late Inning Reliever and Paco could become a solid reliever. Montero could be a solid back starter. I really like Amaya. Garcia could become a solid prospect. Leonard has some power but won’t hit for a high average. Hicks could post a solid average as a catcher, but will also be blocked by Zunino. I really like Copeland and think he could break out. Estarlin Martinez can hit. Kukuk makes me think of Kukoc and the Bulls. I like what the Braves did here, taking a lot of position players that can hit but are underrated because of the lack of a known position. I’ll go grade B.
9. KANSAS CITY ROYALS
1.6 Kyle Zimmer
1.16 Corey Seager
1.29 Victor Roache
2.6 Deven Marrero
5.6 Corey Black
5.25 Nick Ahmed
5.30 Christian Garcia
Assuming Zimmer is healthy (like all pitchers) he has considerable upside and probably shouldn’t take too long to reach it. Corey Seager was a great grab at 16. If Roache was being held back due to his wrist injury that could turn into a great pick. I don’t believe Deven was drafted for his bat and probably won’t be a very valuable fantasy player. Corey Black was a great pick in the 5th. Ahmed could be a solid MI stat producer. Garcia could be a closer or late inning bullpen guy. Solid draft for the Royals. Grade B.
8. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
1.2 Carlos Correa
1.21 DJ Davis
2.4 Zach Eflin
3.31 Kieran Lovegrove
4.1 Damien Magnifico
Carlos Correa was the best available player in my opinion with the 2nd pick. DJ Davis could turn into a very valuable fantasy player down the road if he can hit. Zach Eflin has top of the rotation upside while Magnifico has back of the bullpen upside. Lovegrove was a decent pick. Great draft for the Dbacks.
Grade B
7. LOS ANGELES DODGERS
2.26 Luis Gohara
3.6 Rafael DePaula
3.12 Tyler Naquin
4.5 Jose Ramirez
4.13 Mitch Gueller
4.25 Adrian Marin
5.1 Duane Underwood
5.3 Matt Stites
5.9 Danry Vazquez
5.21 Ty Buttrey
Gohara is on helium watch. DePaula has tons of potential as well. I wasn’t super high on Naquin a few months ago but have read some good things about him since. Jose Ramirez was a solid MI pick. Gueller has some potential but is a bit of a wildcard. Marin has some fantasy potential as an MI. Huge upside with Underwood. Stites looks like nothing more than a middle reliever, but has potential of becoming a closer. Danry in round 5 was a great pick and scouts seem to love him. Buttrey has tons of potential. I think the Dodgers have a good chance to produce some elite prospects from this batch. Tons of potential here. Grade B.
6. TAMPA BAY RAYS
1.8 Addison Russell
2.8 Stephen Piscotty
3.8 Tyrone Taylor
4.8 Tyler Pike
5.8 BJ Boyd
Russell was a steal at 8th. I said the same thing last year with the 8th overall going to Bundy… Just saying. Not huge on Piscotty with his lack of power at a CI spot. Massive potential with Taylor. Not sure what kind of potential Pike has but I love Seattle pitchers. Boyd could turn into a valuable leadoff hitter. This was a solid draft getting an elite caliber player fairly late. Grade B+.
5. MINNESOTA TWINS
2.12 Rio Ruiz
3.1 Blake Snell
3.2 Dilson Herrera
3.5 Mauricio Cabrera
3.16 Carson Kelly
5.14 Wyatt Mathisen
5.20 Austin Schotts
Lots of upside in Rio Ruiz, great pick in the 2nd. Snell could develop into a valuable pitcher. I really like the Dilson Herrera pick and think he can hit at a valuable position. Cabrera has tons of upside. Kelly has tons of power potential. Mathisen could develop into a valuable catcher. Schotts could become a speed guy. I really liked the Herrera, Cabrera, and Kelly picks. Great draft. Grade B+
4. COLORADO ROCKIES
2.2 Jesse Winker
2.17 Mitch Haniger
2.20 Darin Ruf
3.14 Shane Watson
3.17 Nolan Sanburn
3.21 Patrick Kivlehan
4.4 Adam Walker
4.33 Ross Stripling
5.17 Mike Kickham
5.31 Jorge Polanco
Winker was a great pick in the 2nd with a good bat. Haniger has potential to be a good hitter. Ruf could be another Trumbo. Watson could be a mid-rotation guy. Sanburn was a great pick in 3rd, lots of potential. Kivlehan has tons of potential as well if he can get traded away from Safeco. For some reason I like Walker, even though I tend to hate low contact guys. Maybe it is just the enticing power/speed. Stripling was a great pick, and I think he has a lot of potential. Not sure what it is with A&M pitchers and gaining velocity when reaching pro ball, maybe it was the Aggie cult holding them back. Sorry if anyone here is a member. Kickham is another solid pick who could breakthrough for the Giants this year. Polanco has tons of potential as a middle infielder. This is one of my favorite drafts. Grade B+
3. CLEVELAND INDIANS
1.5 Jorge Soler
1.12 Max Fried
1.19 Richie Shaffer
3.16 Matt Olson
5.12 Mitch Nay
I really liked the Indians draft. I am a sucker for the potential and this draft is oozing with it. Got two monster power hitters in Nay and Olson taken in the back half of the draft. Soler could be a stud. Shaffer should be a good MLB hitter and Fried has top of the rotation upside if it all comes together. I’ll go with a Grade B+
2. BOSTON RED SOX
1.27 Stryker Trahan
1.28 Jose Berrios
Only two picks for the Red Sox but well used. Trahan has a great bat and if he stays at catcher he will become extremely valuable. JO Berrios might be the steal of the late 1st round, especially after his performance so far. Great draft for the Red Sox, not many picks but made great use of them. Got to give an A- here.
1. SEATTLE MARINERS
1.4 Kevin Gausman
1.17 Chris Stratton
2.5 Sean Nolin
2.14 Roman Quinn
4.15 Brett Jackson
4.21 Enny Romero
4.29 Luke Jackson
4.30 Brett Marshall
5.16 Hunter Morris
5.26 Mitch Brown
Great draft for the Mariners. Got probably the best pitcher in the draft in Gausman. Chris Stratton doesn’t have top of the rotation upside but has a very high floor. Sean Nolin and Roman Quinn could turn into great values in the 2nd round. The 4th round picks were steals. The 5th rounders could be become valuable major leaguers down the road. Used all the picks he had well. Grade A-.
How I grade:
I am a sucker for upside. I try to weigh every pick based on position taken, proximity to majors, ceiling, risk, and fantasy position. Taking Zunino or Correa with the first 2 picks are obviously great players, and I take that into account, but a team doesn’t get an A just for having one of the top 2 picks. If that team had 10 more picks and all of them sucked I would give them an F.
That being said, there were no drafts that were bad, which makes it really hard to rank
25. NEW YORK METS
3.7 Chris McGuiness
3.19 Orlando Calixte
5.19 John Gast
5.29 Jesus Aguilar
Not a McGuiness believer, I don’t think he will be valuable. I love the Calixte pick, tons of upside at an MI position. Gast has some potential as a starter but most likely a reliever. Aguilar could be more valuable than McGuiness but I still don’t see it. Hopefully either McGuiness or Aguilar will come through for the Mets. Grade B-
24. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
1.13 Marcus Stroman
1.24 Lucas Sims
1.25 Lance McCullers
1.26 Gavin Cecchini
2.7 Daniel Robertson
2.13 Jairo Beras
2.29 Trevor May
5.4 Franklin Barreto
5.23 Martin Agosta
I think McCullers has the most upside of the first rounders the Giants got. I think Stroman could end up as a reliever and Sims could be a #3 starter. I am not sold on Cecchini’s fantasy potential. Robertson could turn into a valuable player if the power develops. I love the Barreto pick. He could turn into the best player from the Giant’s draft. Beras has massive upside that comes with massive risk. Trevor May has great stuff and no control. Agosta has solid stuff and the Giants are great with pitchers. I like the Barreto and McCullers picks, and Beras has incredible upside, but I think the 1st rounders are lacking the upside I look for in the first round. I thought Alex Meyer last year would be a reliever and he is doing great as a starter. Hopefully the Giants will prove me wrong again. I think this was actually a really good draft for the Giants, but with so many good drafts my view that the 1st is lacking upside is what drops this grade. Grade B-
23. OAKLAND ATHLETICS
1.11 Michael Wacha
2.11 Chris Beck
2.30 Bruce Maxwell
3.11 Lex Rutledge
4.11 Austin Dean
5.11 D'vone McClure
Wacha has looked like one of the best players from the 2012 draft class. Blowing people away with an insane 40/4 K/BB ratio and kept up the dominance in spring training with a 15/1 ratio in 11 IP and a 0 ERA. It looks like the uptick in his stuff is for real and could be a real steal at 11th. Beck could develop into a great pitcher with some consistency. I got a soft spot for D-III guys but Maxwell needs to show more power. Rutledge has good stuff but can’t control it. Austin Dean coming from the great city of Spring, TX (my hometown), has potential but hasn’t showed anything yet. Same goes with D’vone McClure. I love the Wacha pick but after that it looks like lottery tickets. Grade B-
22. WASHINGTON NATIONALS
1.14 Yasuel Puig
2.27 RJ Alvarez
3.3 Carlos Sanchez
3.29 Justin Wilson
4.7 Cody Allen
5.24 Nik Turley
Yasuel Puig may have had the best spring of any player in baseball. 29 for 55 with 10 xbhs including 3 homers. I think the only reason for concern here is 0 walks, and not having that PP contract hurts a little. Alvarez could be a potential closer. Carlos Sanchez is a very underrated prospect in my mind, kind of in the Altuve fashion, without being ridiculously short. He was a great pick in the 3rd round. Justin Wilson could provide some value soon. Cody Allen looks like a valuable cheap reliever already in the majors. Turley could be a backend starter and shouldn’t be too far out. Some interesting picks here from the Nationals. Grade B-
21. CINCINNATI REDS
2.25 AJ Ramos
3.27 Ken Giles
AJ Ramos and Giles could both become closers. Reds were going for high upside relievers here and did well. Grade B-
20. SAN DIEGO PADRES
1.30 Lewis Brinson
3.4 Nicholas Martinez
4.26 Lisalverto Bonilla
Brinson has incredible upside, but comes with high risk. Martinez is an interesting pick. Bonilla looks like a reliever but should help soon. Padres got two upside players in Martinez in Brinson. Grade B-
19. TEXAS RANGERS
1.23 Joey Gallo
2.23 Travis Jankowski
3.26 Eddie Butler
3.30 Tom Murphy
4.2 Michael Perez
4.12 Juan Carlos Paniagua
Gallo has monster power, but can he produce enough contact. Generally I don’t believe in low contact big power guys. Jankowski could be a valuable fantasy player with the speed. Butler needs to develop his changeup to become a starter, but if not could be a closer. Murphy has potential to be a valuable fantasy catcher, same with Perez. Who knows what will happen with Paniagua. Falsified documents twice already but has potential. Grade B-
18. MIAMI MARLINS
1.18 Andrew Heaney
2.18 Nick Travieso
3.18 Keon Barnum
4.18 Kevin Plawecki
4.31 Brian Johnson
5.18 James Ramsey
5.27 Hiram Burgos
5.32 Tony Renda
Heaney projects as a #3 starter but I think he could be better. Travieso has some heat in him but is also a project as a pitcher. Barnum has a lot of power potential but questions remain as to if he can hit, not a bad pick in the 3rd round. Plawecki could be a solid fantasy catcher, should stick at the position and has potential for a useable bat. Ramsey has the makings of a 4th outfielder, but the Cardinals must have seen something more to use their first rounder and 1.6M to sign him. Brian Johnson is the type of player that is a good grab in the late fourth round. He doesn’t have great stuff, but has excellent command and could become a good innings eater in the majors. Burgos doesn’t have great stuff but was very effective in the minors and could be a valuable starter for Miami. Renda doesn’t look like much of a fantasy asset but could eventually provide a decent average and SBs at a premium position. Nothing spectacular here for Miami but solid all-around value picks. Grade B-
17. LOS ANGELES ANGELS
1.9 Courtney Hawkins
3.9 Sam Selman
3.23 Jake Thompson
4.1 Mason Melotakis
4.9 Renato Nunez
5.15 Matt Magill
Courtney Hawkins could develop into a fantasy stud. Grabbed 3 pitchers that could develop into mid rotation starters in Selman, Thompson and Magill. Melotakis will likely end up in the bullpen. Nunez is a lottery ticket with decent upside in the bat. Grade B-
16. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
1.7 Albert Almora
2.3 Clint Coulter
2.15 Pierce Johnson
4.3 Trayce Thompson
4.10 Francisco Martinez
4.17 Jonathan Pettibone
4.23 Brandon Kline
Coulter was a great grab in the 2nd round. Although I usually hate catchers, the reports on his bat are promising. Almora should turn into a very valuable asset. Trayce Thompson has incredible upside but is starting to get old for a prospect. Pierce Johnson fell in the draft due to health concerns but has great stuff. Martinez doesn’t seem like more than a potential 4th outfielder to me. Pettibone looks like a potential back end starter and should be around soon. Kline could become a closer. A good mix of high upside picks and value picks for the Phillies. Grade B-
15. TORONTO BLUEJAYS
1.3 Byron Buxton
1.15 Lucas Gioloto
2.1 Brandon Maurer
2.19 Walker Wieckel
Although I got arguably the two highest potential players in the draft, they also come with some of the most risk. I also had to pay a high price to get them. I could have sat at pick 7 and picked someone I wanted just as much as Buxton in Addison Russell. I like Maurer and all Seattle pitchers, but I liked the two players picked after me more in Coulter and Winker. And Swo likes Weickel so we all know where that pick is headed… Addition: This draft makes me feel a little better with Maurer making the opening day roster. Grade B-
14. CHICAGO CUBS
3.13 Kyle Smith
4.32 Gustavo Cabrera
5.7 Jeremy Horst
5.13 Michael Tonkin
Kyle Smith is a solid pitcher who should move quickly. Gustavo has tons of potential but of course is very raw. Rafael Rodriguez and Michael Ynoa come to mind, hopefully Gustavo does better. Horst was a great pick for a proven reliever just under the 50 IP limit. Tonkin should be a valuable reliever. I like this draft for the Cubs. Grade B.
13. NEW YORK YANKEES
2.16 Ty Hensley
2.24 Nick Williams
4.24 Jacob Constante
Hensley was a good pick in the 2nd. Huge ceiling for Nick Williams. Constante signed after the draft started, but probably about where he would have been drafted anyways. Grade B.
12. HOUSTON ASTROS
1.1 Mike Zunino
1.10 David Dahl
2.10 Mike Foltynewicz
2.21 Barrett Barnes
3.10 Cody Asche
4.16 Alex Wood
4.19 Pat Light
4.20 Todd Glaesmann
5.2 Erik Johnson
5.10 Aaron Northcraft
5.22 Eduardo Rodriguez
This was an incredible draft for the Astros. With Zunino and Dahl at the top he has 2 potential very valuable fantasy players. While I don’t see Zunino as a Buster Posey type producer, I think he will be a top 10 Fantasy Catcher. The rest of his draft came with pick after pick of potential average major leaguers which is very valuable in this league. I think this draft will produce a lot of MLB players for the Astros down the road. I think this draft lacks upside outside of Dahl but was a great all around draft.
Grade B.
11. PITTSBURGH PIRATES
1.22 Adalberto Mondesi
2.22 Onelki Garcia
3.22 Alfredo Marte
3.25 Matt Smoral
4.22 Patrick Wisdom
5.33 Tyler Glasnow
Adalberto Mondesi could be the next Profar. Onelki has a cool name and some nasty stuff but could easily end up as a reliever. Marte had a good year last year and if he keeps it up could be a great pick. Smoral was a great pick in the 3rd round. He has huge upside and was a first round pick before breaking his foot. Wisdom looks like more of the defensive 3B, but if the power comes along he could be valuable. Glasnow has a lot of upside and did a good job of improving this year. I really like the Mondesi, Smoral, and Glasnow Picks here. Grade B
10. ATLANTA BRAVES
1.20 Matt Wisler
2.9 Stefen Romero
2.28 Mark Montgomery
3.20 Rafael Montero
3.24 Gioskar Amaya
3.28 Anthony Garcia
4.6 Paco Rodriguez
4.14 Patrick Leonard
4.27 John Hicks
4.28 Kolby Copeland
5.5 Estarlin Martinez
5.28 Cody Kukuk
Wisler could be a very valuable SP in San Diego. Romero can hit, hopefully at an MI position. Montgomery looks like a Late Inning Reliever and Paco could become a solid reliever. Montero could be a solid back starter. I really like Amaya. Garcia could become a solid prospect. Leonard has some power but won’t hit for a high average. Hicks could post a solid average as a catcher, but will also be blocked by Zunino. I really like Copeland and think he could break out. Estarlin Martinez can hit. Kukuk makes me think of Kukoc and the Bulls. I like what the Braves did here, taking a lot of position players that can hit but are underrated because of the lack of a known position. I’ll go grade B.
9. KANSAS CITY ROYALS
1.6 Kyle Zimmer
1.16 Corey Seager
1.29 Victor Roache
2.6 Deven Marrero
5.6 Corey Black
5.25 Nick Ahmed
5.30 Christian Garcia
Assuming Zimmer is healthy (like all pitchers) he has considerable upside and probably shouldn’t take too long to reach it. Corey Seager was a great grab at 16. If Roache was being held back due to his wrist injury that could turn into a great pick. I don’t believe Deven was drafted for his bat and probably won’t be a very valuable fantasy player. Corey Black was a great pick in the 5th. Ahmed could be a solid MI stat producer. Garcia could be a closer or late inning bullpen guy. Solid draft for the Royals. Grade B.
8. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
1.2 Carlos Correa
1.21 DJ Davis
2.4 Zach Eflin
3.31 Kieran Lovegrove
4.1 Damien Magnifico
Carlos Correa was the best available player in my opinion with the 2nd pick. DJ Davis could turn into a very valuable fantasy player down the road if he can hit. Zach Eflin has top of the rotation upside while Magnifico has back of the bullpen upside. Lovegrove was a decent pick. Great draft for the Dbacks.
Grade B
7. LOS ANGELES DODGERS
2.26 Luis Gohara
3.6 Rafael DePaula
3.12 Tyler Naquin
4.5 Jose Ramirez
4.13 Mitch Gueller
4.25 Adrian Marin
5.1 Duane Underwood
5.3 Matt Stites
5.9 Danry Vazquez
5.21 Ty Buttrey
Gohara is on helium watch. DePaula has tons of potential as well. I wasn’t super high on Naquin a few months ago but have read some good things about him since. Jose Ramirez was a solid MI pick. Gueller has some potential but is a bit of a wildcard. Marin has some fantasy potential as an MI. Huge upside with Underwood. Stites looks like nothing more than a middle reliever, but has potential of becoming a closer. Danry in round 5 was a great pick and scouts seem to love him. Buttrey has tons of potential. I think the Dodgers have a good chance to produce some elite prospects from this batch. Tons of potential here. Grade B.
6. TAMPA BAY RAYS
1.8 Addison Russell
2.8 Stephen Piscotty
3.8 Tyrone Taylor
4.8 Tyler Pike
5.8 BJ Boyd
Russell was a steal at 8th. I said the same thing last year with the 8th overall going to Bundy… Just saying. Not huge on Piscotty with his lack of power at a CI spot. Massive potential with Taylor. Not sure what kind of potential Pike has but I love Seattle pitchers. Boyd could turn into a valuable leadoff hitter. This was a solid draft getting an elite caliber player fairly late. Grade B+.
5. MINNESOTA TWINS
2.12 Rio Ruiz
3.1 Blake Snell
3.2 Dilson Herrera
3.5 Mauricio Cabrera
3.16 Carson Kelly
5.14 Wyatt Mathisen
5.20 Austin Schotts
Lots of upside in Rio Ruiz, great pick in the 2nd. Snell could develop into a valuable pitcher. I really like the Dilson Herrera pick and think he can hit at a valuable position. Cabrera has tons of upside. Kelly has tons of power potential. Mathisen could develop into a valuable catcher. Schotts could become a speed guy. I really liked the Herrera, Cabrera, and Kelly picks. Great draft. Grade B+
4. COLORADO ROCKIES
2.2 Jesse Winker
2.17 Mitch Haniger
2.20 Darin Ruf
3.14 Shane Watson
3.17 Nolan Sanburn
3.21 Patrick Kivlehan
4.4 Adam Walker
4.33 Ross Stripling
5.17 Mike Kickham
5.31 Jorge Polanco
Winker was a great pick in the 2nd with a good bat. Haniger has potential to be a good hitter. Ruf could be another Trumbo. Watson could be a mid-rotation guy. Sanburn was a great pick in 3rd, lots of potential. Kivlehan has tons of potential as well if he can get traded away from Safeco. For some reason I like Walker, even though I tend to hate low contact guys. Maybe it is just the enticing power/speed. Stripling was a great pick, and I think he has a lot of potential. Not sure what it is with A&M pitchers and gaining velocity when reaching pro ball, maybe it was the Aggie cult holding them back. Sorry if anyone here is a member. Kickham is another solid pick who could breakthrough for the Giants this year. Polanco has tons of potential as a middle infielder. This is one of my favorite drafts. Grade B+
3. CLEVELAND INDIANS
1.5 Jorge Soler
1.12 Max Fried
1.19 Richie Shaffer
3.16 Matt Olson
5.12 Mitch Nay
I really liked the Indians draft. I am a sucker for the potential and this draft is oozing with it. Got two monster power hitters in Nay and Olson taken in the back half of the draft. Soler could be a stud. Shaffer should be a good MLB hitter and Fried has top of the rotation upside if it all comes together. I’ll go with a Grade B+
2. BOSTON RED SOX
1.27 Stryker Trahan
1.28 Jose Berrios
Only two picks for the Red Sox but well used. Trahan has a great bat and if he stays at catcher he will become extremely valuable. JO Berrios might be the steal of the late 1st round, especially after his performance so far. Great draft for the Red Sox, not many picks but made great use of them. Got to give an A- here.
1. SEATTLE MARINERS
1.4 Kevin Gausman
1.17 Chris Stratton
2.5 Sean Nolin
2.14 Roman Quinn
4.15 Brett Jackson
4.21 Enny Romero
4.29 Luke Jackson
4.30 Brett Marshall
5.16 Hunter Morris
5.26 Mitch Brown
Great draft for the Mariners. Got probably the best pitcher in the draft in Gausman. Chris Stratton doesn’t have top of the rotation upside but has a very high floor. Sean Nolin and Roman Quinn could turn into great values in the 2nd round. The 4th round picks were steals. The 5th rounders could be become valuable major leaguers down the road. Used all the picks he had well. Grade A-.
