By: Justin Girshon
April 23, 2020
First overall: Washington Nationals
Original pick: Bryce Harper
Re-Draft pick: Christian Yelich (23)
Although Bryce Harper was the face of the Washington Nationals franchise from 2012-2018, he was a living rollercoaster. Harper has been extremely inconsistent throughout his career which is evident when viewing the range of his best/worst WAR seasons. In 2015, Harper had a 9.3 WAR (153 games) but the following season had only a 2.9 WAR (147 games). Over the past couple of seasons, Christian Yelich has proven to be better than Harper and the rest of the 2010 MLB Draft class. Since 2018, Yelich has put up significantly better offensive and defensive stats compared to Harper:
Christian Yelich: .415 SLG, .631 SLG, 1.046 OPS, .431 wOBA, 170 wRC+, 15.4 WAR, -1 DRS, 1.5 UZR, 0 OAA.
Bryce Harper: .383 SLG, .505 SLG, .888 OPS, .371 wOBA, 130 wRC+, 8.0 WAR, -14 DRS, -4.4 UZR, -12 OAA.
The numbers speak for themselves, Yelich has proven to be much better than Harper over the past couple of season and he’s been consistently good (if not great) throughout his career unlike Harper.
Second overall: Pittsburgh Pirates
Original pick: Jameson Taillon
Re-Draft pick: Jacob deGrom (272)
While Jameson Taillon has been solid throughout his career (so far), he isn’t an elite starter. Unfortunately, Taillon is also injury prone. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014, he is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery he had in August of 2019, and has only thrown more than 150 innings in a season once. Not only has Jacob deGrom proven to be the best pitcher from the 2010 draft class, he also makes a strong case for being the best pitcher in all of baseball. Throughout six seasons in the major leagues (1,101.2 innings), deGrom has a 2.62 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 2.78 FIP, 3.20 SIERA, 10.25 K/9, 2.17 BB/9. These are elite numbers. In addition to his great stats, deGrom has been recognized as an elite pitcher by winning 2014 NL Rookie of the Year, being named to three All Star teams (2015, 2018, 2019), and winning two NL Cy Young Awards (2018 & 2019).
Third overall: Baltimore Orioles
Original pick: Manny Machado
Re-Draft pick: Bryce Harper (1)
Similar to how Bryce Harper was the Nationals franchise player from 2012-2018, Machado was the Orioles franchise player from 2012 up until he was traded at the 2018 trade deadline. Although Machado has been very durable throughout his career, Harper has had a better career. Harper has a higher OBP by 50 points, SLG by 29 points, OPS by 79 points, wOBA by 32 points, wRC+ by 20 points, and WAR by 1.9 points. Although Harper is a much better offensive player, Machado is definitely the better defender. The Orioles would take Harper over Machado in this Re-Draft because he has proven more throughout his career than Machado has.
Fourth overall: Kansas City Royals
Original pick: Christian Colon
Re-Draft pick: Chris Sale (13)
Christian Colon was the first of multiple busts taken within the top 10 picks of the 2010 Draft. Although he showed promise during the 2014 season (21 major league games), Colon has struggled at the plate throughout his career. In 150 major league games, Colon has batted a dismal .321 OBP, .318 SLG, .640 OPS, .287 wOBA, and 76 wRC+. Although he is a terrible hitter, Colon plays serviceable defense and is a good pinch runner. Currently, Colon is in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Chris Sale has had an opposite career to Christian Colon in terms of production at the major league level. Since debuting in 2010, Sale has a career 3.03 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 2.90 FIP, 2.81 SIERA, 11.08 K/9, and 2.07 BB/9. The only thing holding Chris Sale back right now is injuries. Sale has a notoriously “weird” throwing motion but hadn’t faced many injury problems until the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Unfortunately, Sale underwent Tommy John surgery in March and will miss the 2020 season (assuming there is one).
Fifth overall: Cleveland Indians
Original pick: Drew Pomeranz
Re-Draft pick: Manny Machado (3)
Drew Pomeranz isn’t necessarily a bust but looking back, he definitely didn’t deserve to be a top five pick. Pomeranz has had a decent career so far, even making the 2016 All Star team. So far into his career, Pomeranz has a 4.04 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 4.20 FIP, 4.15 SIERA, 9.11 K/9, and 3.86 BB/9. He has solid numbers, but definitely not worthy of being the fifth overall pick. Manny Machado is the most talented player available and the Indians are essentially getting a steal. Machado has proven to be a solid hitter and an elite defender at one of the most important defensive positions in the games. Throughout his career, Machado has averaged a .335 OBP, .483 SLG, .818 OPS, .347 wOBA, 118 wRC+ at the plate; has accumulated a total 74 DRS, 46.2 UZR, -2 OAA (only 2017-2019 because it’s a new stat) in the field; and has a total of WAR of 33.2.
Sixth overall: Arizona Diamondbacks
Original pick: Barret Loux
Re-Draft pick: Yasmani Grandal (12)
Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, Barret Loux was a bust. After surprising many by taking Loux sixth overall (he was a projected to be drafted at the end of the first round), the Diamondbacks never even signed him. The Diamondbacks and Loux agreed to a pre-draft $2 million signing bonus but when Loux failed his physical, the Diamondbacks never offered him a contract and instead took a compensation pick in the beginning of the 2011 draft. Loux played in the Rangers organization, Cubs organization, and in an Independent League but never made it the majors and hasn’t played professionally since 2016. Yasmani Grandal has had a great major league career so far and is one of, if not the best catcher in baseball. While people may argue J.T. Realmuto is better, most stats are in favor of Grandal:
Yasmani Grandal career stats (879 games): .348 OBP, .446 SLG, .794 OPS, .361 wOBA, 118 wRC+, 70 DRS, 134.1 FRM, 32.6 WAR (offensive stats are a yearly average, defensive stats are career total)
J.T. Realmuto career stats (685 games): .327 OBP, .452 SLG, .779 OPS, .332 wOBA, 108 wRC+, -3 DRS, -17.1 FRM, 17.2 WAR (offensive stats are a yearly average, defensive stats are career total)
You can also see a stat comparison between Grandal and Realmuto from just the 2018-2019 season on @mlbzone_ Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/B9nH62DFSRc/) from March 11, 2020.
Seventh overall: New York Mets
Original pick: Matt Harvey
Re-Draft pick: Noah Syndergaard (38)
Even though Matt Harvey at one point was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, injuries have held him back. Harvey originally debuted at the end of the 2012 season but became a star during 2013. Harvey was named a 2013 All Star but unfortunately missed the entire 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery. In 2015, Harvey returned to peak form as he was the ace of the Mets (who made it to the World Series) and won 2015 Comeback Player of the Year. Ever since the 2015 season, Harvey was never the same. He has delt with injuries and hasn’t been able to pitch anywhere close to how he did in 2013 or 2015. Coincidently, Noah Syndergaard was a teammate of Matt Harvey. Although he was drafted by the Blue Jays, Syndergaard was traded to the Mets in the R.A. Dickey blockbuster trade. Ever since debuting for the Mets, Syndergaard has been one of the Mets’ best pitchers and has proven to be a quality starter (when healthy). Throughout his career (716.0 innings), Syndergaard has a 3.31 ERA, .1.16 WHIP, 2.92 FIP, 3.37 SIERA, 9.74 K/9, 2.09 BB/9. The one set back Syndergaard has had in his career are injuries. Syndergaard missed most of the 2017 season due to a torn lat muscle and is expected to miss the entire 2020 season (if there is one) after having Tommy John surgery.
Eighth overall: Houston Astros
Original pick: Delino DeShields Jr
Re-Draft pick: J.T. Realmuto (104)
Delino DeShields Jr has been a solid depth player throughout his career but he definitely wasn’t worth being a top 10 draft selection. DeShields ended up in the Texas Rangers organization via the Rule 5 draft and had been part of the Rangers organization until he was traded to the Indians this past winter. In his five total MLB seasons (539 games), DeShields has only been able to accumulate a 4.8 WAR. J.T. Realmuto has been much more successful in his major league tenure. Realmuto is a 2x All Star (2018, 2019), 2x Silver Slugger (2018, 2019) and 1x Gold Glove winner (2019). Over the past few years, one of the Astros’ biggest needs has (and still is) a catcher. Had they drafted Realmuto, the Astros would’ve had an even stronger lineup compared to the powerhouse they have now.
Ninth overall: San Diego Padres
Original pick: Karsten Whitson
Re-Draft pick: Adam Eaton (571)
After being drafted ninth overall, Karsten Whiston decided to attend college instead of signing with the Padres. Unfortunately for Whitson, he was again projected to be a high selection in the 2013 MLB Draft but he had shoulder surgery and was selected in the 37th round. A year later, he was selected in the 11th round and played one season of class A short season. Whitson hasn’t appeared in another minor league game and is now an assistant coach for South Florida (NCAA). Throughout his career, Adam Eaton has been one of baseball’s most underrated outfielders. Eaton has averaged a .363 OBP, .428 SLG, .781 OPS, .342 wOBA, 114 wRC+ accumulated a total 6 DRS, 5.8 UZR, 14 OAA (only 2017-2019 because it’s a new stat), and has a career 19.3 WAR.
Tenth overall: Oakland Athletics
Original pick: Michael Choice
Re-Draft pick: Nick Castellanos (44)
Michael Choice was a bust. Choice made his debut as a September call up back in 2013 but didn’t show much potential. Choice was traded to the Rangers in the 2013 offseason and appeared in 86 Major League games in the 2014 season. Since 2014, Choice has only played in one major league game and has bounced around the Minor Leagues, the KBO, and the Mexican League. Nick Castellanos has become an explosive offensive player since 2016. From 2016-2019, Castellanos has averaged a .336 OBP, .504 SLG, .840 OPS, .353 wOBA, 121 wRC+ and accumulated a 9.7 WAR over those four season. Although he is explosive offensively, he’s not a very good defender. In his career, Castellanos has a -35 DRS in the outfield, -38 DRS at third base, -26.2 UZR in the outfield, -25.8 UZR at third base, and a -45 OAA (only 2017-2019 because it’s a new stat). Luckily, the A’s are an American League and would have the option to make Castellanos the DH.
Re-Draft Board
Featured image via camdenchat.com
I am a freshman studying magazine, news and digital journalism at the Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications
