MLB Draft: Best and Worst Picks of Each Team in the 2000s

Who Is Each Organization’s Best And Worst Selection In The MLB Draft In The 2000s?

Los Angeles Angels

Best – Mike Trout, First Round, 2009 – As the 25th selection in the draft, Trout has simply been the best player in the game since he became a full-time player in 2012. He’s had bWAR seasons of 10.8, 9.3, 7.9, and 9.4 in his four full seasons. He could be the first pick in the draft and still be easily the best pick of the organization.

Worst – Brandon Wood, First Round, 2003 – Wood was the 23rd selection of the draft and he leaped onto the prospect scene, reaching as high as the #3 prospect on Baseball America’s prospect list before the 2006 season. However, his big minor league power never could translate to the major leagues, and the Angels had made moves to clear space for Wood to play by letting popular Angels player Chone Figgins go, ending a strong run at the top of the AL West that they’ve only been able to accomplish again one time since that move, in 2014.

Houston Astros

Best – Ben Zobrist, Sixth Round, 2004 – While this may seem an odd choice, a team makes selections to win, and they used Zobrist for exactly that reason, trading him in 2006 to Tampa Bay for Aubrey Huff in pursuit of a pennant. That Huff didn’t pan out and the Astros finished out of the playoff was not Zobrist’s fault. He was one of that era’s few hits in the draft.

Worst – Chris Burke, First Round, 2001 – The 10th pick of the draft, Burke was seen as the eventual replacement for Craig Biggio at second base. Burke moved quickly through the minor leagues, but he never was able to be consistent at the major league level, and before he was 30, he had played his final major league game.

Oakland Athletics

Best – Andre Ethier, Second Round, 2003 – After drafting him in the 37th round, the A’s came back to Ethier when he was back in the draft again in 2003. He moved through the system well and ended up being a big piece to help the Athletics acquire Milton Bradley. Over the years following, the Athletics certainly wished they had his big bat back.

Worst – Michael Choice, First Round, 2010 – As the 10th pick of the 2010 draft, Choice’s immense talent was going to move quickly and help him be an impact player. Especially after he hit 30 home runs in 2011 in the minor leagues, teams thought he’d be an impact player, but he’s now in his third organization in his young career, and he’s struggling even to make contact in AAA now in the Cleveland Indians organization.

Toronto Blue Jays

Best – Aaron Hill, First Round, 2003 – The 13th selection in 2003 moved to full time starter already in 2005 and played well immediately. His best season with Toronto was 2009, when he hit .286 with 36 home runs. He’s eclipsed 25 home runs three times as a middle infielder, something almost unheard of with modern focus on defense up the middle.

Worst – Deck McGuire, First Round, 2010 – A 6’6, 220 pound right hander out of Georgia Tech, McGuire was a fairly “easy” choice at the 11th pick, assuming he’d move up the system quickly, and in his first season in the system, he finished his season at AA. However, he simply lost his touch completely and couldn’t get his pitches in the zone without them being incredibly hittable for hitters, and he’s now on his fourth organization, struggling to re-establish his value for the Cardinals’ AAA team.

Atlanta Braves

Best – Adam Wainwright, First Round, 2000 – Braves fans may not want to remember that the Braves snagged Wainwright with a comp pick in 2000, and he never made an appearance in the majors for the Braves, instead being part of the trade for J.D. Drew, and he’s finished in the top 3 of Cy Young Award voting four times for the Cardinals in his career, being a true ace for them.

Worst – Jo-Jo Reyes, Second Round, 2003 – The first selection of the Braves in the 2003 draft, Reyes was supposed to be a mature pick that could be a very good control lefty that would eat up innings. Instead, he totaled a 6.40 ERA for the Braves and has totaled a 6.04 ERA in his career in the major leagues.

Next: Brewers, Cardinals, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Dodgers

Milwaukee Brewers

Best – Ryan Braun, First Round, 2005 – The 5th overall pick needs a big career to end up here, and Braun has certainly provided that since coming out of the University of Miami, tallying 264 home runs and a .304 career average with the Brewers in that time, making 6 All-Star games.

Worst – Mark Rogers, First Round, 2004 – The 5th overall pick the year before Braun was a start contrast as the high school righty with a mature build and big stuff ended up taking 6 seasons to debut, and he was out of professional baseball in 2013 at 28 years old.

St. Louis Cardinals

Best – Yadier Molina, Fourth Round, 2000 – Has there been a more important player to a franchise than Molina? He’s been the anchor of the team behind the plate early in his career until his bat caught up to make him one of the most dynamic dual threats as a catcher.

Worst – Shaun Boyd, First Round, 2000 – The 13th overall selection, Boyd just never could make it as a hitter. He was an incredible athlete that was to be able to add power and baseball skill in the Cardinals system, but he remained a raw athlete all the way. He left professional baseball in 2007 at 25 years old and has played some Indy ball since, but that’s it.

Chicago Cubs

Best – Josh Donaldson, First Round, 2007 – A compensatory pick, Donaldson was traded just barely a year after being drafted, not really getting a chance to be a Cub, but his trade was really the piece of a change that needed to happen in the Cubs organization that eventually brought in Theo Epstein and a change in philosophy.

Worst – Luis Montanez, First Round, 2000 – In one of the most incredible things to me, Montanez struggled to make his mark so much after being selected 3rd overall that he was allowed to leave as a minor league free agent after six years in the Cubs system. He did make the majors with the Orioles as a backup, but he’s totaled 323 plate appearances in the major leagues. By 2013, he was out of professional baseball.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Best – Brandon Webb, Eighth Round, 2000 – Webb was up within 3 seasons after being selected in the 3rd round, a rare thing for such a “late” pick. He then rattled off an incredible run of pitching from 2003-2008, peaking with three seasons in a row from 2006-2008 when he finished in the top 2 of Cy Young Award voting all three seasons. Webb blew out his shoulder in the first game of the 2009 season and has sadly never made it back to the major leagues.

Worst – Barret Loux, First Round, 2010 – With the #6 overall selection, the D’backs tabbed Loux, and he chose instead to declare himself a free agent, meaning that their selection was never realized. Of course, Loux’s career has never really been what he was expected to be either, as he’s now in Independent ball as a 27 year-old after no teams offered him a contract this offseason.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Best – Clayton Kershaw, First Round, 2006 – He’s only the greatest pitcher of his generation, so he must have been the #1 overall selection, right? Try the 7th overall selection in the draft. By spring training of 2008, it was clear he was going to be a superstar before he was even 20, and he was up a couple months into the 2008 season at 20.

Worst – Ben Diggins, First Round, 2000 – For the second time in his career, Diggins was selected in the first round in 2000 as the 17th overall selection. His huge 6’7, 230 pound frame had teams dreaming on him. His first two seasons were great, but then the Dodgers traded him to the Brewers as part of a minor league deal, and after 2005, he was out of baseball.

Next: Giants, Indians, Mariners, Marlins, Mets

San Francisco Giants

Best – Buster Posey, First Round, 2008 – The 5th selection in the draft, Posey made his major league debut the season the season after he was drafted, and in 2010, he was the Rookie Of The Year and led the Giants to a World Series championship. He missed most of 2011 due to injury, but he’s still had 3 All-Star selections and won an MVP in his 5 full seasons in the league.

Worst – Emmanuel Burriss, First Round, 2006 – Coming out of Kent State, Burriss was expected to be a nearly major league ready player, and he showed he was, making an impact on the 2008 team. The issue is that he’s never hit anywhere near as well as he did in that half-season in 2008, struggling to make contact and be successful on the basepaths ever since. He’s now on his 4th organization.

Cleveland Indians

Best – Jason Kipnis, Second Round, 2009 – Kipnis moved quickly as a 2nd round pick to the majors, playing quite a bit in 2011 and full time in 2012. He’s been a vital part of Cleveland’s lineup ever since, hitting near the top of the lineup and providing a blend of power and speed.

Worst – Beau Mills, First Round, 2007 – A big (6’3, 220) lefty-swinging corner infielder coming out of college, the Indians projected Mills to be a power hitting solution for them in short order, and in 2008, he hit 21 home runs in the minors and looked to be on the way to just that. However, that was the point at which Mills stalled, and after 2012, at 25 years old, he was done with professional baseball.

Seattle Mariners

Best – Doug Fister, Seventh Round, 2006 – Fister was one of the rare guys who was selected 3 times in the draft, going in the 49th round in 2003, then the 6th round in 2005, so the Mariners getting him in the 7th was great for their organization, and the 6’8 lefty moved up to the major leagues for 10 starts in the 2009 season. Since then, he’s been a very successful starter, much more than any 7th rounder should be certainly.

Worst – Jeff Clement, First Round, 2005 – The 3rd overall selection in the 2005 draft, Clement moved quickly to the major leagues, but he never could hit at the big league level in spite of multiple opportunities with three organizations. He was out of baseball before he was 30 after the 2013 season.

Miami Marlins

Best – Giancarlo Stanton, Second Round, 2007 – The biggest raw power in the big leagues, arguably, was drafted in the 2nd round, and he moved quickly up to the majors out of high school, topping 30 home runs 3 times, in spite of injury issues plaguing his career.

Worst – Kyle Skipworth, First Round, 2008 – Picked 6th overall out of high school, Skipworth was expected to take some time to work to the big leagues. However, his defense was mediocre behind the plate, and his bat was never great, as he’s got a .214/.279/.384 minor league line overall, though he’s still getting opportunities.

New York Mets

Best – David Wright, First Round, 2001 – Selected 38th overall out of high school, Wright moved quickly for a HS kid, getting to the big leagues for a large chunk of the 2004 season. In his first full season in 2005, he hit .306/.388/.523 and finished in the top 20 in MVP voting. He’s been the backbone of the Mets ever since.

Worst – Billy Traber, First Round, 2000 – Selected 16th overall out of Loyola Marymount, Traber moved quickly up to AAA in his first minor league season. He was traded in the offseason that season, and he was with 6 organizations in 10 years before being released in 2010 from the minor leagues.

Next: Nationals, Orioles, Padres, Phillies, Pirates

Texas Rangers

Best – Ian Kinsler, Seventeenth Round, 2003 – A 17th round selection out of Arizona State, Kinsler worked quickly to the major leagues, winning the 2nd base job out of spring in 2006. He’s hit 195 home runs and stolen 204 bases in his 11 seasons in the big leagues with Texas and now with Detroit.

Worst – Kasey Kiker, First Round, 2006 – Selected 12th overall out of high school, Kiker got a lot of notice when he put up a big season in the Midwest League in 2007, but he stalled out in AA, and he was out of professional baseball after 2011.

Tampa Bay Rays

Best – James Shields, Sixteenth Round, 2000 – Taken late in the draft out of high school, Shields was a lottery ticket, but he followed the step-by-step program that Tampa follows, and he was a vital part of the 2008 Tampa Bay team that made the world series, leading the league in shutouts and throwing 215 innings. He then moved on to anchor the Kansas City Royals for two seasons.

Worst – Dewon Brazelton, First Round, 2001 – A big (6’4, 215) righty out of Middle Tennessee State, the Rays felt they had a rotation anchor picking Brazelton #3 overall. He responded by working his way to the big leagues quickly, making a September appearance in 2002. The problem was that major league hitters just never swung through anything he offered, and Brazelton ended up being traded before 2006, and he was part of 3 organizations in the next 2 seasons before being out of pro baseball altogether at age 27.

Boston Red Sox

Best – Dustin Pedroia, Second Round, 2004 – Selected out of Arizona State, Pedroia was quickly in the big leagues, starting full time in 2007. Pedroia has been an anchor in the Red Sox lineup ever since, winning a Rookie Of The Year award, Most Valuable Player award, and being selected to four All Star games.

Worst – Phil Dumatrait, First Round, 2000 – One of the more intriguing things is that the Red Sox really don’t have any guys who never made the majors in their drafts, so a guy like Dumatrait who never really made it as a major leaguer is the biggest miss the team had, though the Red Sox traded away Dumatrait in 2003 in a deal to shore up their bullpen.

Cincinnati Reds

Best – Joey Votto, Second Round, 2002 – Drafted out of high school, Votto took his time working to the major leagues, but once he hit the major leagues, he was immediately an elite hitter, and he’s been the cornerstone of the Reds lineup when he’s been healthy ever since.

Worst – Ryan Wagner, First Round, 2003 – Drafted 14th overall, Wagner was supposed to impact immediately, and he did that with a solid 2003 with the Reds, but he was never good after that. Wagner’s frequently cited now as a cautionary tale as to why not to take relievers in the first round.

Colorado Rockies

Best – Troy Tulowitzki, First Round, 2005 – Taken 7th overall out of Long Beach State, Tulo made it quickly to the majors, making his debut in 2006. He was tremendous immediately as the Rockies starting shortstop and was their franchise cornerstone until being traded last season to Toronto.

Worst – Greg Reynolds, First Round, 2006 – Drafted 2nd overall out of Stanford, Reynolds was expected to move quickly to the major leagues as a big (6’7, 225) righty, but he injured his shoulder in 2007 and was never the same pitcher after that, and he totaled a 7.01 ERA in 33 major league appearances.

Next: Royals, Tigers, Twins, White Sox, Yankees

Kansas City Royals

Best – Zack Greinke, First Round, 2002 – After being selected #6 overall out of high school, Greinke moved to the majors even quicker than most college guys, making 24 starts in the majors in 2004. He had some non-injury time away from the game that is cited frequently, but he’s widely regarded one of the more intelligent players in the game.

Worst – Mike Stodolka, First Round, 2000 – If you’re asking “who?!”, then you get why he’s here. Stodolka was the 4th overall selection in the draft out of high school, and after 7 seasons attempting to pitch, he moved to the plate and still couldn’t make it to the majors, leaving professional baseball after 2008, reaching AAA as a hitter as the closest he got to the bigs.

Detroit Tigers

Best – Justin Verlander, First Round, 2004 – The 2nd overall pick from Old Dominion University, Verlander made it quickly to Detroit, making the opening day rotation in 2006. He’s been one of the best pitchers in the league ever since, even reinventing himself after he saw his velocity drop off in recent seasons and having very good success the last two seasons again.

Worst – Kyle Sleeth, First Round, 2003 – Drafted 3rd overall out of Wake Forest, Sleeth was a big-time pitcher in college, and he was assumed to translate this easily to the major leagues. Then in 2004, he ended up betting hurt and having Tommy John surgery, and he’s a good example of how that surgery is certainly not a guaranteed return for the pitchers, as Sleeth never got his stuff back, and by 2008 he retired from the game, having never even made AAA, let alone the major leagues.

Minnesota Twins

Best – Joe Mauer, First Round, 2001 – The top overall pick from the Twin Cities area was everything the franchise could have hoped, being the marquee face of the franchise with the bat and behind the plate for many years before concussion issues at catcher forced him to first base. He’s reportedly had major clearing of the concussion symptoms finally this past offseason, and his numbers have jumped up this season, indicating that could be true. He could have a nice second half to his career coming as well.

Worst – Adam Johnson, First Round, 2000 – The Twins took Johnson 2nd overall out of Cal State-Fullerton, and he hurried to the big leagues, making his debut in July of 2001, but he showed he didn’t belong in the big leagues, and he never was able to stick in the big leagues, totaling only 26 1/3 innings at the major league level.

Chicago White Sox

Best – Chris Sale, First Round, 2010 – In spite of tremendous stuff, Sale fell to the 13th selection as teams were worried his quirky delivery would force him to the bullpen. The White Sox weren’t worried about that, and actually brought him right to the major leagues as a reliever in his draft season, and he pitched the entire 2011 season out of the bullpen as well. Then he was moved into the rotation in 2012 and he’s been an All Star every season since and been one of the more dominant pitchers in the major leagues not named Kershaw.

Worst – Joe Borchard, First Round, 2000 – Borchard was the 12th pick only because he wanted big money out of Stanford, and the White Sox were willing to give it to him. He had big expectations from the get go, as indicated by being the #23 overall prospect by Baseball America after his draft season. He showed all kinds of power at AA in his first full season in the minors, but then he could never translate it to the big leagues, totaling 26 home runs in 800 plate appearances in the majors.

Next: MLB Draft Round 1&2 Roundup

New York Yankees

Best – Brett Gardner, Third Round, 2005 – Gardner was drafted out of the College of Charleston, and most saw him as a project player, but he worked his way through the system and pushed into the majors midway through the 2008 season. He’s been an excellent defender and a solid speed guy in the Yankee lineup ever since.

Worst – C.J. Henry, First Round, 2005 – The Yankees didn’t fare so well with their first pick in the same draft, grabbing a power hitting outfielder out of high school in Oklahoma with the 15th pick. The power never did develop, and Henry was gone from the Yankees in 2008 already never getting out of A-ball.