Re-drafting the star-studded 2009 MLB Draft

The 2009 MLB Draft will go down as one of the most memorable in league history, producing a number of likely Hall of Famers and one of the greatest players in history in Mike Trout. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the draft, theScore's MLB editors explore what could have been if each team had a chance at a do-over knowing what we know now.

1. Nationals, Mike Trout, OF

Actual selection: SP Stephen Strasburg

Strasburg was the consensus No. 1 pick in 2009, so it's hard to fault the Nationals for selecting the right-hander. But considering what Trout has done, it's a no-brainer that Washington's front office would go in a different direction this time around. In the span of two drafts, the Nationals could have landed Trout and Bryce Harper (2010), two players who have each won MVP awards, combined for 13 All-Star appearances, accrued more than 100 WAR, and signed for more than half a billion dollars in salary. Maybe the Nationals would have actually won a postseason series with Trout, though the Angels haven't exactly succeeded in that regard. Strasburg certainly came with enormous hype and has been an excellent starter, but we're talking about missing out on one of the greatest players in history.

2. Mariners, Nolan Arenado, 3B

Actual selection: IF/OF Dustin Ackley

The Mariners could have built their franchise around Arenado, who developed into one of the premier third basemen in the majors. He's won six consecutive Gold Gloves at the hot corner while also collecting four straight All-Star appearances and Silver Sluggers. But Seattle selected Ackley, who played 584 games over five seasons for Seattle, hitting 42 home runs and posting a .672 OPS. Luckily for the Mariners, they landed third baseman Kyle Seager with the 82nd pick.

3. Padres, Paul Goldschmidt, 1B

Actual selection: OF Donavan Tate

The Padres could have saved themselves years of torment at the hands of Goldschmidt if they'd just drafted him themselves. Instead, Goldschmidt has hit .306/.422/.541 with 22 home runs in 127 games against San Diego while the Padres have committed more than $200 million to first basemen Wil Myers (who eventually changed positions) and Eric Hosmer. Tate, meanwhile, never made it higher than Single-A, eventually returning to college and playing quarterback for the Arizona Wildcats following his release in 2016.

4. Pirates, Stephen Strasburg, SP

Actual selection: C Tony Sanchez

The Pirates have failed to hit on numerous high first-round picks over the years, but taking Strasburg would have kick-started a three-year trend of landing ace starting pitchers as Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole arrived in the first rounds of the following two drafts. Instead, Pittsburgh selected Sanchez, who went on to appear in just 51 games with the Pirates and hit four home runs.

5. Orioles, Matt Carpenter, 3B

Actual selection: RP Matt Hobgood

Carpenter and Manny Machado (2010) could have formed an elite left side of the infield for an Orioles team that would have had two stars in the middle of the order for three postseason runs. But Baltimore opted to go the pitching route, selecting Matt Hobgood. The right-hander made it as high as Double-A, posting a 6.52 ERA over just 9 2/3 innings in 2015 before being released.

6. Giants, J.D. Martinez, OF

Actual selection: SP Zack Wheeler

In fairness to many clubs on this list, Martinez didn't become the elite hitter he is today until five years after the draft - but he's the exact type of hitter San Francisco has long coveted. Hunter Pence (93) remains the only outfielder to hit more than 40 home runs with the Giants since the 2009 draft - in total, not in a single season; Martinez has bashed 204. Searching for that outfield power, San Francisco flipped 2009 first-round pick Zack Wheeler for 44 games of Carlos Beltran in 2011. Wheeler has since gone on to make 105 career starts for the Mets.

7. Braves, Kyle Seager, 3B

Actual selection: SP Mike Minor

It's been seven years since Chipper Jones retired and Atlanta's hot corner has suffered during that stretch. But things could have been different had the Braves selected Seager instead of Minor. From 2012-18, Seager's recorded seven consecutive seasons with at least 20 home runs for Seattle and has 604 RBIs to his credit already. Minor's five seasons with the Braves were solid (38-36, 4.10 ERA) and he's pitching very well for the Rangers in 2019, but Seager was the perfect replacement for Jones and the Braves missed out on him.

8. Reds, A.J. Pollock, OF

Actual selection: SP Mike Leake

The most valuable outfielder the Reds employed from 2009-19 was Jay Bruce with 16.5 WAR, followed by Billy Hamilton (10.0), and Drew Stubbs (8.2). In that same span, Pollock has managed 16.8 WAR, despite being limited by injuries. Leake, for his part, was an innings eater with a solid 3.87 ERA during his six years with the Reds. But Cincinnati's 2015 season, which featured a talented squad (Joey Votto, Bruce, Todd Frazier, Aroldis Chapman, Johnny Cueto) that drastically underperformed, might have gone far differently had Pollock and his incredible 6.8 WAR campaign been aboard.

9. Tigers, Dallas Keuchel, SP

Actual selection: SP Jacob Turner

Keuchel, Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Price...Yes, the Tigers would have had one of the greatest rotations in history, and one that boasted four Cy Young winners. Instead, they took Turner, who posted a 5.37 ERA over 369 major-league innings and made just seven starts with Detroit. He's is now pitching in Korea.

10. Nationals, Khris Davis, OF

Actual selection: RP Drew Storen

Sure, the Nationals would have missed out on two key pieces of their pitching staff, with Storen converting 95 saves over six seasons, but having Davis and Trout in the outfield would have been a pretty nice consolation prize. No player has more home runs since 2016 than Khrush.

11. Rockies, Brian Dozier, 2B

Actual selection: SP Tyler Matzek

Dozier has developed into one of the league's best power-hitting second basemen, leading the position with 155 homers since 2014. Now imagine what he could have done at Coors Field. The Rockies, though, tried to bolster their pitching staff with Matzek, who logged just 139 2/3 innings over two seasons and hasn't pitched in the majors since 2015.

12. Royals, Patrick Corbin, SP

Actual selection: RP Aaron Crow

With future franchise first baseman Eric Hosmer already in the system, the Royals pass on Brandon Belt and go with Corbin. Sure, the left-hander would undergo Tommy John surgery, but he also developed into a two-time All-Star and top-of-the-rotation starter. Crow ended up being an All-Star in his first season in relief but would only pitch four seasons in the majors.

13. Athletics, Brandon Belt, 1B

Actual selection: 2B Grant Green

Belt should have ended up on the other side of the Bay. The first baseman has quietly put together a nice career, but has missed significant time over the years with injuries. Still, he's eighth in WAR among first basemen since becoming an everyday player in 2012; much better than Green, who hit just four home runs in 129 games over five seasons.

14. Rangers, Jason Kipnis, 2B

Actual selection: RP Matt Purke

Even with Ian Kinsler serving as the team's long-term second baseman, the Rangers grab Kipnis, who played both outfield and third in the minors. Kipnis has the seventh-best WAR among second basemen since becoming a full-time starter in 2012, placing him three spots behind Kinsler. Purke never signed with Texas and only threw 18 innings in the majors.

15. Indians, James Paxton, SP

Actual selection: SP Alex White

Cleveland has had incredible success developing its pitching staff, and one can only imagine how much more impressive the rotation would have been with Paxton. The left-hander has had trouble staying on the mound, never throwing more than 160 innings in a season, but owns a 3.40 ERA over 109 starts and has thrown a no-hitter. That production is leaps-and-bounds ahead of what the Indians got from White. The right-hander made just three starts for Cleveland before being packaged to Colorado for Ubaldo Jimenez.

16. Diamondbacks, DJ LeMahieu, 2B

Actual selection: IF Bobby Borchering

The Diamondbacks would take LeMahieu and his career .300 average in a heartbeat over Borchering, who never played a single game in the majors. A two-time All-Star, LeMahieu won a batting title with the Rockies in 2016 when he hit .348, and is also a three-time Gold Glover who can play multiple positions. Borchering, a power-hitting corner infielder out of Florida, never played above Double-A and was finished in the minors at age 24.

Remainder of 1st Round ...

* - Never reached MLB