This story was originally published by Dead Spin
There is no more inexact science than the MLB Draft.
For every team that hits the jackpot by taking Reggie Jackson, there’s another one that thinks it’s struck gold by selecting Steve Chilcott (here’s looking at you, 1966 Mets). Or there’s the story of the 2004 San Diego Padres, who could have had Justin Verlander as the No. 2 overall pick but instead opted for Matt Bush.
It only took Bush 12 years, four organizations and 39 months in jail to make the bigs, by which time Verlander had already accumulated enough stats to land Kate Upton and likely first-ballot immortality in Cooperstown.
Point is, the guy your team takes Sunday night in the first round might be a star or might be a bust. If you think you know, you probably don’t. And don’t feel bad; there’s a good chance the guy picking for your team has no idea, either.
All that being said, the right pick might transform a franchise. So we’ll take a crack at who might get their chance to change the fortunes of a team one day.
Cleveland Guardians: Travis Bazzana, Oregon State 2B
The Guardians have the rare chance to take a player who might be able to help them in a playoff push, should they choose. But with economics being a concern here, this could be their selection, as industry insiders feel they could make a deal with him prior to the draft to avoid being J.D. Drewed.
Cincinnati Reds: Jac Caglianone, Florida 1B/LHP
In Caglianone, the Reds get a guy who has one of the purest power swings around. And in case pro pitchers find holes in his swings that the college guys never did, Caglianone might also be able to pitch in the MLB. This seems like a win-win at this spot.
Colorado: Charlie Condon, Georgia OF/3B
The guy who made his home park look like Lamade Stadium this year just seems like a natural for Coors Field.
Oakland Athletics: JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia SS/2B
The team that famously shunned high school players during Billy Beane’s tenure isn’t going to roll the dice with this high pick.
Chicago White Sox: Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest 1B
There’s a lot of things this organization needs, and one way to get better is to take one of the best power bats in the draft in Kurtz.
Kansas City Royals: Braden Montgomery, Texas A&M OF
The Royals tend to lean towards high school players, but Montgomery appears to be an option too intriguing to pass up.
St. Louis Cardinals: Hagen Smith, Arkansas LHP
Taking a top college arm like Smith seems like the kind of low-hanging fruit they can’t pass up.
Los Angeles Angels: Christian Moore, Tennessee 2B
An organization that hunts big bats early in drafts can’t pass up the leadoff man for the first-time national championship Volunteers.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Bryce Rainer, Harvard-Westlake (CA) SS
The first high school guy off the board winds up with the Pirates.
Washington Nationals: James Tibbs, Florida State OF
The Nationals add to their already-loaded farm system with a guy who helped the Seminoles get to Omaha.
Detroit: Konnor Griffin, Jackson Prep (MS) SS/OF.
Boston: Chase Burns, Wake Forest RHP.
San Francisco: Cam Caminiti, Saguaro (AZ) LHP.
Chicago Cubs: Vance Honeycutt, North Carolina OF.
Seattle: Jurrangelo Cijntje, Mississippi State P.
Miami: Cam Smith, Florida State 3B.
Milwaukee: Seaver King, Wake Forest 3B/OF.
Tampa Bay: Ryan Waldschmidt, Kentucky OF.
New York Mets: Kaelen Culpepper, Kansas State SS.
Toronto: Carson Benge, Oklahoma State OF.
Minnesota: Billy Amick, Tennessee 3B.
Baltimore: Brody Brecht, Iowa RHP.
Los Angeles Dodgers: William Schmidt, Catholic HS (LA) RHP.
Atlanta: Walker Janek, Sam Houston State C.
San Diego: Ryan Sloan, York HS (IL) RHP.
New York Yankees: Trey Yesavage, East Carolina RHP.
Philadelphia: Theo Gillen, Westlake HS (TX) SS/2B.
Houston: Kellon Lindsey, Hardee Senior HS (FL), SS.
Arizona: Malcolm Moore, Stanford C.
Texas: Tommy White, LSU 3B.
