With the MLB Draft just a day away, we figured we would mix a little fantasy with regular baseball today. ESPN recently did a franchise draft, where they redrafted the entire league, where salaries don’t matter. In their draft, two Pirates went in the first round — Andrew McCutchen (9) and Gerrit Cole (29)— but we figured we’d give it a shot, too, to see if the two differ in value.
1. Mike Trout: 23-year-old CF – Not much of a surprise here. By far the best player in baseball.
2. Bryce Harper: 22-year-old OF – You either love him or hate him, but there’s no denying his skills, which he is showing off during his breakout season. Did I mention he’s only 22 years old?
3. Kris Bryant: 23-year-old 3B – There was more hype with Bryant coming up than any prospect since Harper. So far, he’s lived up to it with his extraordinary power and his plate discipline will only improve.
4. Manny Machado: 22-year-old INF – Machado’s stock has slowed down some with his injuries the past two years, but he’s showing the promise that he has this season. He’s a doubles hitter that is developing power.
5. Paul Goldschmidt: 27-year-old 1B – He fell way too far in ESPN’s draft in my opinion. He’s just 27 and may be the most underrated player in baseball.
6. Giancarlo Stanton: 25-year-old OF – The Marlins obviously want him for the long haul given the contract they gave him. Terrific talent, but would like to see more than mammoth home runs from him consistently.
7. Andrew McCutchen: 28-year-old OF – He’s 28 already? Wow, that’s hard to believe. I have him two spots ahead of ESPN, but you’re getting McCutchen in his prime right now.
8. Yasiel Puig: 24-year-old OF – His antics can be tiring, but he attracts young fans to the game in a way similar to Harper. The upside is undeniable, even if he had his sophomore slump last season.
9. Anthony Rizzo: 25-year-old 1B – The Cubs’ first baseman can do it all, as he had a breakout season last year. He’s following it up with a stellar 2015, too.
10. Carlos Correa: 20-year-old SS – He’s raking in Triple-A, and he should be up shortly for Houston. This guy has it all at a premium position.
11. Joc Pederson: 23-year-old OF – The power is obviously there, as his numbers are through the roof this year. However, his plate discipline is poor right now, but that will improve over the years.
12. Jose Altuve: 25-year-old 2B – He’s only 25 still? Wow. He’s the best hitter in baseball not named Miguel Cabrera in baseball.
13. Clayton Kershaw: 27-year-old SP – Sorry, I’m not one to start my team with a pitcher given the injury scares. Kershaw is as good as they come, though.
14. Jose Fernandez: 22-year-old SP – Fernandez will be coming back from Tommy John surgery next month, but he shows no sign of rust at least in his extended spring training start. He has a 2.25 ERA and .97 WHIP in 36 career starts. Yeah, he’s good.
15. Yoan Moncada: 20-year-old INF – The Red Sox threw all of the money at the then 19-year-old Moncada this offseason. He should be on an accelerated path to the big leagues for 2016.
16. Matt Harvey: 26-year-old SP – The Dark Knight has been dominant sans one start against the Pirates from his return from Tommy John surgery.
17. Joey Gallo: 21-year-old 3B – Gallo made his debut this past week in a huge game against the Chicago White Sox. He strikes out more than your drunk frat brother at the bar, but his upside is worth it.
18. Nolan Arenado: 24-year-old 3B – Arenado is another underrated player who is stuck in Colorado. It’s great for his offensive numbers, but he’d be dominant no matter where he played.
19. Addison Russell: 21-year-old INF – Russell hasn’t taken off like his teammate Bryant has in his rookie year with the Cubs, but he’s done a solid job thus far and the future is bright.
20. Felix Hernandez: 29-year-old SP – King Felix is as consistent as they come, but ESPN had him way too high at No. 4.
21. Max Scherzer: 30-year-old SP – We’ll see if the Nationals regret this signing or not, but so far he’s been nothing but an ace.
22. Anthony Rendon: 25-year-old INF – Rendon was a stud last year in his first full season with the Nationals. However, it’s the injuries that keep holding him back.
23. Corey Kluber: 29-year-old SP – The reigning Cy Young is at it again for the Indians.
24. Byron Buxton: 21-year-old OF – Twins’ fans are waiting (im)patiently for the soon-to-be star OF.
25. Corey Seager: 21-year-old SS – Seager’s bat and glove will make him a star for the Dodgers.
26. Madison Bumgarner: 25-year-old SP – He’s SO young still. It’s crazy. However the workload is already a concern for me. If not, he’d be higher than he is.
27. Gerrit Cole: 24-year-old SP – Cole has as much upside as anyone on this list outside of Fernandez. If we did this next year at this time, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Cole as a top 10 pick.
28. Mookie Betts: 22-year-old OF – Betts hasn’t lived up to the hype yet, but I have no doubt that he’s going to be a star. Think Andrew McCutchen.
29. George Springer: 25-year-old OF – He has all of the pop in the world, but man, can he please cut down on the strikeouts? It’s a killer.
3o. Josh Donaldson: 29-year-old 3B – He’s a little older, but the guy can flat out rake. It doesn’t matter if he’s in Toronto (hitter heaven) or Oakland (hitter hell). I’d love to have Donaldson anchor my team.
Just missed: Chris Sale, Chris Archer, Starling Marte, Freddie Freeman, Jose Abreu, Jacob deGrom, Kolten Wong, Miguel Cabrera.
