Redrafting 2010: Harper, Yelich on top of loaded 1st round
With the 2020 MLB Amateur Draft taking place next week, theScore looks back a decade ago and redrafts a loaded first round from the 2010 event.
1. Washington Nationals
Actual pick: Bryce Harper
Our pick: Bryce Harper
The consensus No. 1 pick in reality retains this spot following an eight-year run that included six All-Star appearances, 2012 NL Rookie of the Year honors, and the NL MVP in 2015.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
Actual pick: Jameson Taillon
Our pick: Christian Yelich
Bad fortune has hampered Taillon, and he's shown flashes of why the Pirates selected him this high, especially when the righty went 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA in 2018. But, around this time in 2010, Andrew McCutchen was just emerging as a star, and the thought of adding another future MVP in Yelich to the Pirates' outfield is a tantalizing what-if for the entire decade in Pittsburgh.
3. Baltimore Orioles
Actual pick: Manny Machado
Our pick: Chris Sale
The Machado pick worked out well for the Orioles, but Sale has been the better player. He could have finally given Baltimore a legitimate ace for the first time since Mike Mussina.
4. Kansas City Royals
Actual pick: Christian Colon
Our pick: Jacob deGrom
DeGrom was named NL Rookie of the Year in 2014, the same season the Royals came up short in the World Series against the Giants. Perhaps, had Kansas City taken the right-hander instead of Colon, the Royals would have won back-to-back championships.
5. Cleveland Indians
Actual pick: Drew Pomeranz
Our pick: Manny Machado
After Yelich, Sale, and deGrom move up, Machado drops to the Indians, giving Cleveland a star shortstop. Who knows if the Indians would have still drafted Francisco Lindor in 2011.
6. Arizona Diamondbacks
Actual pick: Barret Loux
Our pick: Yasmani Grandal
Loux failed a physical due to a torn labrum, and the D-Backs received the seventh overall pick in 2011 (Archie Bradley) as compensation. Grandal has become one of the league's best backstops both defensively and offensively, and adding him would have stabilized Arizona's catching situation after Miguel Montero left prior to the 2015 season.
7. New York Mets
Actual pick: Matt Harvey
Our pick: Noah Syndergaard
Harvey was a stud for the Mets over the first three seasons of his career, but drafting Syndergaard would have allowed New York to later keep 2012 NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey instead of trading him to Toronto.
8. Houston Astros
Actual pick: Delino DeShields Jr.
Our pick: Andrelton Simmons
DeShields could still become a major-league contributor, and he's shown potential, particularly through his speed. But Simmons is the among the best defensive infielders and has been for years. The ripple effect of this pick would be interesting, because if Simmons and Jose Altuve are on the roster, maybe the Astros don't draft both Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman in later years.
9. San Diego Padres
Actual pick: Karsten Whitson
Our pick: J.T. Realmuto
Drafting Realmuto instead of Whitson could have provided the Padres with their first All-Star catcher since Benito Santiago in 1992. Instead, the Padres wasted a top-10 pick on Whitson, who didn't sign and only played two seasons of pro ball.
10. Oakland Athletics
Actual pick: Michael Choice
Our pick: Kevin Kiermaier
Choice seemed like a sure thing, but the outfielder wasn't successful at the major-league level (though he dominated in Mexico over 51 games in 2019). Kiermaier has been a Rays mainstay, and if Tampa Bay can afford to keep a defensive superstar for the long haul, the similarly cash-strapped A's could have held on to Kiermaier for the decade and beyond.
11. Toronto Blue Jays
Actual pick: Deck McGuire
Our pick: James Paxton
Instead of McGuire, the Blue Jays could have taken another shot at Paxton, the Canadian who they drafted but couldn't sign in 2009.
12. Cincinnati Reds
Actual pick: Yasmani Grandal
Our pick: Matt Harvey
Even though his time as an elite hurler was brief, Harvey would have filled a void the Reds have been desperately - and unsuccessfully - trying to address for many years.
13. Chicago White Sox
Actual pick: Chris Sale
Our pick: Adam Eaton
With Sale no longer available, the White Sox draft Eaton, who they wind up trading for three years later in real life.
14. Milwaukee Brewers
Actual pick: Dylan Covey
Our pick: Whit Merrifield
Covey didn't sign in Milwaukee, and although Merrifield took a while to rise through the minors, he'd fit well atop the Brewers' batting order.
15. Texas Rangers
Actual pick: Jake Skole
Our pick: Robbie Ray
Skole never appeared above Double-A and was out of baseball by 2016, so Ray - and his career 11.1 K/9 - would have been a wiser pick.
16. Chicago Cubs
Actual pick: Hayden Simpson
Our pick: Eddie Rosario
Since debuting in 2015, Rosario - a former fourth-round pick - has been a model of consistency, and he even received down-ballot 2019 MVP votes.
17. Tampa Bay Rays
Actual pick: Josh Sale
Our pick: Kole Calhoun
Calhoun's 140 homers and outfield defense would have made him a much better selection for Tampa than Sale, who the Rays released in 2015 after multiple drug suspensions and other conduct detrimental to the organization.
18. Los Angeles Angels
Actual pick: Kaleb Cowart
Our pick: Nick Castellanos
Cowart has appeared sporadically for the Angels since debuting in 2015, while Castellanos parlayed his success in Detroit and Chicago into a four-year, $64-million contract with Cincinnati.
19. Houston Astros
Actual pick: Mike Foltynewicz
Our pick: Joc Pederson
Foltynewicz only played 16 games for the Astros before they traded him to Atlanta for Evan Gattis. Pederson could have provided a similar power-hitting presence if Houston took him here instead.
20. Boston Red Sox
Actual pick: Kolbrin Vitek
Our pick: Corey Dickerson
Far from flashy, Dickerson has consistently hit at every stop he's made, while Vitek never played above Double-A,
21. Minnesota Twins
Actual pick: Alex Wimmers
Our pick: Mike Foltynewicz
With Foltynewicz dropping, the Twins nab him to eventually lead their rotation alongside Jose Berrios. Wimmers didn't amount to much during his brief major-league career.
22. Texas Rangers
Actual pick: Kellin Deglan
Our pick: Jimmy Nelson
Injuries have derailed Nelson's progress, but he looked like a perennial All-Star in the making during the 2017 campaign for Milwaukee (3.49 ERA, 10.21 K/9). Deglan, meanwhile, hasn't hit well enough to reach the majors.
23. Miami Marlins
Actual pick: Christian Yelich
Our pick: Jedd Gyorko
With Yelich moving into the top five, the Marlins settle on Gyorko, and they get a solid everyday infielder who's hit 112 career homers thus far.
24. San Francisco Giants
Actual pick: Gary Brown
Our pick: Jameson Taillon
If Taillon comes back from Tommy John surgery to pitch consistently at his 2018 level, he would shoot back up future versions of this list. He was the original second overall selection for a reason and could still pan out.
25. St. Louis Cardinals
Actual pick: Zack Cox
Our pick: Drew Pomeranz
Pomeranz has been wildly inconsistent, but he's shown enough to stick as a top-flight reliever. That makes him the better pick over Cox, who never appeared above Triple-A despite some decent stretches in the minors.
26. Colorado Rockies
Actual pick: Kyle Parker
Our pick: Mark Canha
Canha isn't a sexy alternative to Parker for the Rockies, but they thought highly enough of the San Jose native to grab him in the real-life Rule 5 Draft before he was traded to the A's and established himself as a solid big leaguer.
27. Philadelphia Phillies
Actual pick: Jesse Biddle
Our pick: Taijuan Walker
Aside from a very good rookie campaign, Biddle was a major bust, which makes selecting a prep star like Walker a better decision.
28. Los Angeles Dodgers
Actual pick: Zach Lee
Our pick: Addison Reed
Though Reed hasn't found a team since the Twins released him in 2019, he served as a very reliable late-inning option for several seasons this past decade.
29. Los Angeles Angels
Actual pick: Cam Bedrosian
Our pick: Drew Smyly
The Angels, who are forever longing for starting pitching, select Smyly out of Arkansas instead of Bedrosian, who has become a solid reliever for Los Angeles.
30. Los Angeles Angels
Actual pick: Chevy Clarke
Our pick: Aaron Sanchez
As frustrating as Sanchez has been after his All-Star 2016 season (15-2, 3.00 ERA), he'd be a vast improvement over Clarke, even if the former ultimately becomes a full-time reliever.
31. Tampa Bay Rays
Actual pick: Justin O'Connor
Our pick: Derek Dietrich
The Rays missed out on Dietrich with their selection of O'Connor, who didn't stick with the team despite showing promise in the minors.
32. New York Yankees
Actual pick: Cito Culver
Our pick: Niko Goodrum
Goodrum's story is still being written, as he's discovering his niche as a flexible, super-utility player who would have fit in nicely on the heavily-injured 2019 iteration of the Yankees.