Astros Draft Picks/Undrafted Free Agents on Social Media

First off, I'd like to apologize for falling off the face of the earth after two weeks of recaps. I really did need to adhere to my hiatus. But, I'm breaking it for this post to welcome the Class of 2021 to the Houston Astros organization. 

Some of you are probably familiar with this post, in which I track down the draft picks on social media and list their accounts here. If you are so inclined, you're welcome to follow them. Unless noted otherwise, these are their Twitter accounts.

Round 3, Pick 87: Tyler Whitaker, OF, Bishop Gorman High School, Las Vegas

Twitter: @twhitaker00 

Instagram: tylerrwhitaker 

College commitment: Arizona

Round 4, Pick 117: Alex Ulloa, SS, Calvary Christian Academy, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 

@_alexulloaa_ (his Instagram name is also the same)

College commitment: Oklahoma State

Round 4, Pick 132: Chayce McDermott, RHP, Ball State 

Twitter: @Chayce_mcd99 

Instagram: iam_chaycemcd (private account)

Round 5, Pick 148: Quincy Hamilton, OF, Wright State 

Twitter: @Q_Ham10

Instagram: qham_10

Round 6, Pick 178: Spencer Arrighetti, RHP, Louisiana-Lafayette

Twitter: @szane_24 

Instagram: szarrighetti

Round 7, Pick 208: Joey Loperfido, OF, Duke 

Twitter: @joeyloperfido (Twitter)

Instagram: joey_loperfido

Round 8, Pick 238: Colton Gordon, LHP, Central Florida 

Twitter: @ColtonZimGordon 

Instagram: coltongordon10

Round 9, Pick 268: Aaron Brown, RHP, Middle Tennessee State

Twitter: @AaronBrown15_

Instagram: aaron_brown_15 (private account)

Round 10, Pick 298: Michael Sandle, OF, South Alabama

Twitter: @MochaMike12

Instagram: mochamike12

Round 11, Pick 328: Chad Stevens, SS, Portland

Twitter: @chad_stevens2

Instagram: chad_stevens2 (private account)

Round 12, Pick 358: Rhett Kouba, RHP, Dallas Baptist

Twitter: @LilBabyKoubaJr

Instagram: rhettkouba 

Round 13, Pick 388: Kobe Kato, 2B, Arizona

Twitter: @kobebe10

Instagram: kobebe_

Round 14, Pick 418: Bryant Salgado, RHP, Oregon State

Instagram: bryantt_37

Round 15, Pick 448: Adrian Chaidez, RHP, UCLA

Instagram: adrian_chaidez28 (private account)

Round 16, Pick 478: Nic Swanson, RHP, Northeastern State

Twitter: @nicrswanson

Instagram: nicswanson_

Round 17, Pick 508: Justin Williams, 3B, Penn State

Twitter: @justwilliams5

Round 18, Pick 538: Will Wagner, 2B, Liberty

Twitter: @WillWags5; not active

Round 19, Pick 568: Hector Nieves, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Gurabo, Puerto Rico

Instagram: hectornieves_11

College commitment: Northwest Florida State College

Round 20, Pick 618: Jackson Linn, OF, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Twitter: @JacksonLinn4; no tweets yet

Instagram: jacksonlinn27 (private account)

College commitment: Tulane

UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS

In the past, there were players that apparently signed undrafted free agent deals but never actually appeared in a game anywhere in the Houston Astros organization.

Walker Brockhouse, RHP, Memphis

Twitter: @walkerb_34

Instagram: waalker.b

Jacob DeLabio, RHP, Carthage College

Twitter: @JacobDeLabio

Instagram: delabio55; It looks like he hasn't touched it since he created it in high school.

Kasey Ford, RHP, Kansas State

Twitter: @kc_ford12

Instagram: kc_ford55 (private account)

Ray Gaither, RHP, Dallas Baptist

Twitter: @raygaither

Instagram: raygaither

Deylen Miley, RHP, Bellarmine

Twitter: @DEYMAN7

Instagram: deyman7

Bryan Perez, RHP, Glendale Community College

Marshall Hunt, RHP, Sacramento City College

Jaxon Hallmark, OF, Nebraska

Twitter: @HallmarkJaxon

Instagram: jaxon_lee

Twenty Years of MLB Draft History: 1998 - 2017

A couple months back, I started a team-by-team deep dive into 20 years worth of draft history (from 1998 through 2017) in order to get a better handle on the relative success (or failure) of the various franchises over that time period. Links to the team-by-team information can be found at the end of this post. (In addition, there are write-ups looking even more closely at the initial results of the 2018 draft for each team in those posts, but that information will be summarized separately.)

This post is an attempt to summarize the results of the drafts from 1998 through 2017 (to date) in order to see what impact the draft has had on the various affiliates over that time period, which teams and players have had the most success thus far (and which teams and players are seeing the most early success in the later drafts), which years produced the most talent thus far and just how likely it is that a drafted, signed player will make it to The Show. Obviously since there are players from even the early years of this period still playing (I'm looking at you, Sabathia!), this information will evolve as players from all of these draft classes continue to write their baseball histories. I plan to revisit and update this information again during the next offseason in order to watch that evolution.

GENERAL NOTES: Information was obtained from Baseball-Reference and the MLB Draft History site. The occasional discrepancy in historical information was resolved to the best of my ability by delving into the player information available on B-R. On the historical draft information, the player position reflects the position at which the player was drafted (and not any subsequent change of position). The use of WAR to rank players and teams is simply an attempt to keep the rankings as objective as possible.

HISTORICAL DRAFT RESULTS 1998 - 2017 (TO DATE)

28162 Drafted
18079 Signed
64.2% of Drafted Players Signed
9377 Pitchers Signed
8702 Position Players Signed
9372.5 Total WAR
15.6 Average WAR per Affiliate per Year
2730 Total Players to MLB
15.1% of Players Signed made it to the MLB

HISTORICAL DRAFT RESULTS 1998 - 2007 (TO DATE)

Since many of the players signed in the last few years are still working their way up through the system, let's look at that same data from the first 10 years that I researched to get a better idea of the likelihood of a drafted player getting to the big leagues since presumably most, if not all, the players drafted from 1998 through 2007 will have already made it to the big leagues by now if they're going to make it at all.

14772 Drafted
8653 Signed
58.6% of Drafted Players Signed
4398 Pitchers Signed
4255 Position Players Signed
6852.5 Total WAR
22.8 Average WAR per Affiliate per Year
1521 Total Players to MLB
17.6% of Players Signed made it to the MLB

17.6% of drafted, signed players made it to the majors (albeit some just for a cup of coffee) which translates into a slightly less than 1-in-6 chance of making it to the big leagues.

YEAR-BY-YEAR HISTORIC DRAFT RESULTS 1998 - 2017 (TO DATE)
Highs in each category are in bold.

1998 | 1445 Drafted | 827 Signed | 143 to MLB (17.3%) | 700.3 WAR
1999 | 1474 Drafted | 857 Signed | 147 to MLB (17.2%) | 831.9 WAR
2000 | 1452 Drafted | 847 Signed | 141 to MLB (16.6%) | 688.8 WAR
2001 | 1485 Drafted | 836 Signed | 140 to MLB (16.7%) | 551.1 WAR
2002 | 1482 Drafted | 851 Signed | 152 to MLB (17.9%) | 789.4 WAR
2003 | 1480 Drafted | 829 Signed | 147 to MLB (17.7%) | 552.3 WAR
2004 | 1498 Drafted | 914 Signed | 162 to MLB (17.7%) | 669.2 WAR
2005 | 1501 Drafted | 857 Signed | 150 to MLB (17.5%) | 723.6 WAR
2006 | 1502 Drafted | 889 Signed | 175 to MLB (19.7%) | 714.0 WAR
2007 | 1453 Drafted | 946 Signed | 154 to MLB (16.3%) | 631.9 WAR
2008 | 1504 Drafted | 969 Signed | 196 to MLB (20.2%) | 444.1 WAR
2009 | 1521 Drafted | 926 Signed | 167 to MLB (17.5%) | 650.9 WAR
2010 | 1525 Drafted | 993 Signed | 181 to MLB (18.2%) | 496.4 WAR
2011 | 1529 Drafted | 974 Signed | 193 to MLB (19.8%) | 434.0 WAR
2012 | 1237 Drafted | 919 Signed | 160 to MLB (17.4%) | 246.8 WAR
2013 | 1215 Drafted | 900 Signed | 155 to MLB (17.2%) | 123.2 WAR
2014 | 1214 Drafted | 904 Signed | 90 to MLB (10.0%) | 89.8 WAR
2015 | 1214 Drafted | 948 Signed | 56 to MLB (5.9%) | 32.5 WAR
2016 | 1216 Drafted | 924 Signed | 10 to MLB (1.1%) | 2.3 WAR
2017 | 1215 Drafted | 939 Signed | 1 to MLB (0.1%) | 0.0 WAR

HISTORIC DRAFT RESULTS BY AFFILIATE 1998 - 2017 (TO DATE)
Ranked by WAR; highs in each category are bolded.

Cardinals | 939 Drafted | 742 Signed | 122 to MLB (16.4%) | 502.4 WAR
Red Sox | 946 Drafted | 540 Signed | 94 to MLB (17.4%) | 433.9 WAR
D'Backs | 954 Drafted | 656 Signed | 104 to MLB (15.9%) | 400.2 WAR
Rays | 951 Drafted | 596 Signed | 82 to MLB (13.8%) | 399.8 WAR
Rangers | 947 Drafted | 584 Signed | 94 to MLB (16.1%) | 391.5 WAR
Nationals | 939 Drafted | 568 Signed | 85 to MLB (15.0%) | 376.0 WAR
Braves | 964 Drafted | 562 Signed | 93 to MLB (16.5%) | 356.2 WAR
Brewers | 938 Drafted | 616 Signed | 84 to MLB (13.6%) | 356.0 WAR
Phillies | 916 Drafted | 617 Signed | 85 to MLB (13.8%) | 344.2 WAR
Athletics | 889 Drafted | 601 Signed | 93 to MLB (15.5%) | 341.2 WAR
Angels | 944 Drafted | 667 Signed | 90 to MLB (13.5%) | 331.4 WAR
Rockies | 952 Drafted | 592 Signed | 88 to MLB (14.9%) | 327.8 WAR
Royals | 946 Drafted | 611 Signed | 94 to MLB (15.4%) | 316.7 WAR
Tigers | 912 Drafted | 623 Signed | 92 to MLB (14.8%) | 303.4 WAR
Dodgers | 935 Drafted | 553 Signed | 86 to MLB (15.6%) | 299.5 WAR
Pirates | 937 Drafted | 553 Signed | 86 to MLB (15.6%) | 297.9 WAR
Reds | 951 Drafted | 599 Signed | 83 to MLB (13.9%) | 289.6 WAR
Marlins | 944 Drafted | 628 Signed | 84 to MLB (13.4%) | 288.8 WAR
Cubs | 945 Drafted | 572 Signed | 90 to MLB (15.7%) | 282.3 WAR
Padres | 912 Drafted | 623 Signed | 118 to MLB (18.9%) | 282.3 WAR
Twins | 961 Drafted | 551 Signed | 79 to MLB (14.3%) | 281.0 WAR
White Sox | 946 Drafted | 596 Signed | 87 to MLB (14.6%) | 275.0 WAR
Blue Jays | 938 Drafted | 626 Signed | 103 to MLB (16.5%) | 260.0 WAR
Giants | 944 Drafted | 635 Signed | 115 to MLB (18.1%) | 255.0 WAR
Indians | 952 Drafted | 565 Signed | 79 to MLB (14.0%) | 252.0 WAR
Mets | 931 Drafted | 605 Signed | 95 to MLB (15.7%) | 251.5 WAR
Astros | 904 Drafted | 630 Signed | 76 to MLB (12.1%) | 251.4 WAR
Orioles | 937 Drafted | 603 Signed | 81 to MLB (13.4%) | 236.7 WAR
Mariners | 941 Drafted | 603 Signed | 71 to MLB (11.8%) | 200.9 WAR
Yankees | 947 Drafted | 562 Signed | 97 to MLB (17.3%) | 187.9 WAR

Although the Cardinals have had a great deal of success in the draft over this time period, the numbers are somewhat skewed by "The Pujols Effect." Roughly one-fifth of the total WAR accumulated by all Cardinals drafted players over that time period can be attributed to the outsized contribution of one Albert Pujols.

Further breaking down these results into the earlier 10-year period and the latter 10-year period ...

TOP 5 TOTAL WAR 1998 - 2007 (TO DATE)
(Earlier 10-year period)

Cardinals | 487 Drafted | 376 Signed | 69 to MLB (18.4%) | 378.6 WAR
Red Sox | 497 Drafted | 268 Signed | 49 to MLB (18.3%) | 364.2 WAR
Rays | 495 Drafted | 259 Signed | 50 to MLB (19.3%) | 347.9 WAR
Rangers | 498 Drafted | 279 Signed | 51 to MLB (18.3%) | 326.0 WAR
Phillies | 470 Drafted | 315 Signed | 46 to MLB (14.6%) | 310.8 WAR

BOTTOM 5 TOTAL WAR 1998 - 2007 (TO DATE)
(Earlier 10-year period)

Mariners | 497 Drafted | 254 Signed | 36 to MLB (14.2%) | 113.6 WAR
Astros | 453 Drafted | 291 Signed | 39 to MLB (13.4%) | 123.8 WAR
Giants | 504 Drafted | 314 Signed | 67 to MLB (21.3%) | 132.2 WAR
Blue Jays | 484 Drafted | 305 Signed | 50 to MLB (16.4%) | 155.3 WAR
Indians | 509 Drafted | 292 Signed | 43 to MLB (14.7%) | 156.6 WAR

TOP 5 TOTAL WAR 2008 - 2017 (TO DATE)
(Latter 10-year period)

D'Backs | 452 Drafted | 335 Signed | 42 to MLB (12.5%) | 138.3 WAR
Angels | 445 Drafted | 359 Signed | 40 to MLB (11.1%) | 135.2 WAR
Astros | 451 Drafted | 339 Signed | 37 to MLB (10.9%) | 127.6 WAR
Cardinals | 452 Drafted | 366 Signed | 53 to MLB (14.5%) | 123.8 WAR
Giants | 440 Drafted | 321 Signed | 48 to MLB (15.0%) | 122.8 WAR

BOTTOM 5 TOTAL WAR 2008 - 2017 (TO DATE)
(Latter 10-year period)

Yankees | 443 Drafted | 284 Signed | 49 to MLB (17.3%) | 30.4 WAR
Phillies | 446 Drafted | 302 Signed | 39 to MLB (12.9%) | 33.4 WAR
Tigers | 439 Drafted | 308 Signed | 38 to MLB (12.3%) | 46.6 WAR
Rays | 456 Drafted | 337 Signed | 32 to MLB (9.5%) | 51.9 WAR
Reds | 447 Drafted | 293 Signed | 36 to MLB (12.3%) | 52.8 WAR

TOP 20 DRAFT CLASSES BY HIGH TOTAL WAR 1998 - 2017 (TO DATE)

1999 | Cardinals | 8 to MLB | 133.6 WAR
2000 | Expos | 7 to MLB | 95.8 WAR
2009 | Angels | 6 to MLB | 95.0 WAR
1998 | White Sox | 6 to MLB | 89.2 WAR
2003 | Rangers | 5 to MLB | 87.4 WAR
2004 | Astros | 6 to MLB | 77.9 WAR
2006 | Rays | 7 to MLB | 77.8 WAR
2000 | Braves | 9 to MLB | 71.7 WAR
2007 | Braves | 4 to MLB | 71.2 WAR
1999 | Rays | 6 to MLB | 70.9 WAR
2009 | D'Backs | 12 to MLB | 70.5 WAR
2005 | Nationals | 6 to MLB | 70.5 WAR
2002 | Reds | 2 to MLB | 69.3 WAR
2001 | Rangers | 2 to MLB | 69.2 WAR
1998 | Rockies | 8 to MLB | 68.9 WAR
2005 | Brewers | 6 to MLB | 68.8 WAR
2000 | Pirates | 5 to MLB | 68.1 WAR
2000 | Phillies | 3 to MLB | 67.5 WAR
2006 | Yankees | 10 to MLB | 67.2 WAR
2006 | Dodgers | 2 to MLB | 67.1 WAR

MY NOMINEES FOR THE 5 WORST DRAFT CLASSES 1998 - 2017 (TO DATE)

2001 | Reds | 50 Drafted | 23 Signed | 0 to MLB | N/A WAR
2007 | Astros | 42 Drafted | 34 Signed | 0 to MLB | N/A WAR
1998 | Angels | 50 Drafted | 35 Signed | 1 to MLB | -0.7 WAR
2000 | Orioles | 43 Drafted | 21 Signed | 1 to MLB | -0.5 WAR
2005 | Cubs | 51 Drafted | 33 Signed | 1 to MLB | -0.1 WAR

YEAR-BY-YEAR HIGH TOTAL WAR 1998 - 2017 (TO DATE)

1998 | White Sox | 6 to MLB | 89.2 WAR
1999 | Cardinals | 8 to MLB | 133.6 WAR
2000 | Expos | 7 to MLB | 95.8
2001 | Rangers | 2 to MLB | 69.2 WAR
2002 | Reds | 2 to MLB | 69.3 WAR
2003 | Rangers | 5 to MLB | 87.4 WAR
2004 | Astros | 6 to MLB | 77.9 WAR
2005 | Nationals | 6 to MLB | 70.5 WAR
2006 | Rays | 7 to MLB | 77.8 WAR
2007 | Braves | 4 to MLB | 71.2 WAR
2008 | Giants | 8 to MLB | 63.0 WAR
2009 | Angels | 6 to MLB | 95.0 WAR
2010 | White Sox | 5 to MLB | 53.6 WAR
2011 | Red Sox | 8 to MLB | 61.1 WAR
2012 | Athletics | 7 to MLB | 29.0 WAR
2013 | Cubs | 4 to MLB | 24.4 WAR
2014 | Phillies | 3 to MLB | 18.2 WAR
2015 | Astros | 3 to MLB | 12.0 WAR
2016 | Indians | 1 to MLB | 1.1 WAR
2017 | Braves | 1 to MLB | 0.0 WAR

YEAR-BY-YEAR HIGH INDIVIDUAL WAR 1998 - 2017 (TO DATE)

(Note: The following players are listed at the position at which they were originally drafted.)

1998 | 62.7 WAR, LHP C.C. Sabathia, 1st rd | Indians
1999 | 100.0 WAR, 3B Albert Pujols, 13th rd | Cardinals
2000 | 65.4 WAR, 2B Chase Utley, 1st rd | Phillies
2001 | 55.1 WAR, C Joe Mauer, 1st rd | Twins
2002 | 65.7 WAR, RHP Zach Greinke, 1st rd | Royals
2003 | 57.3 WAR, SS Ian Kinsler, 17th rd | Rangers
2004 | 63.4 WAR, RHP Justin Verlander, 1st rd | Tigers
2005 | 46.4 WAR, 3B Ryan Braun, 1st rd | Brewers
2006 | 64.6 WAR, LHP Clayton Kershaw, 1st rd | Dodgers
2007 | 39.2 WAR, 1B Giancarlo Stanton, 2nd rd | Marlins
2008 | 41.3 WAR, C Buster Posey, 1st rd | Giants
2009 | 64.3 WAR, OF Mike Trout, 1st rd | Angels
2010 | 43.1 WAR, LHP Chris Sale, 1st rd | White Sox
2011 | 35.2 WAR, SS Mookie Betts, 5th rd | Red Sox
2012 | 18.3 WAR, SS Carlos Correa, 1st rd | Astros
2013 | 21.6 WAR, 3B Kris Bryant, 1st rd | Cubs
2014 | 15.5 WAR, RHP Aaron Nola, 1st rd | Phillies
2015 | 12.7 WAR, SS Alex Bregman, 1st rd | Astros
2016 | 1.1 WAR, RHP Shane Bieber, 4th rd | Indians
2017 | 0.0 WAR, RHP Kyle Wright*, 1st rd | Braves

*Wright is the only 2017 drafted player to have made his MLB debut as of the end of the 2018 season.

HIGH INDIVIDUAL WAR OVERALL 1998 - 2017

(Note: The following players are listed at the position at which they were originally drafted.)

1999 | 100.0 WAR, 3B Albert Pujols, 13th rd | Cardinals
2002 | 65.7 WAR, RHP Zach Greinke, 1st rd | Royals
2000 | 65.4 WAR, 2B Chase Utley, 1st rd | Phillies
2006 | 64.6 WAR, LHP Clayton Kershaw, 1st rd | Dodgers
2009 | 64.3 WAR, OF Mike Trout, 1st rd | Angels
2004 | 63.4 WAR, RHP Justin Verlander, 1st rd | Tigers
1998 | 62.7 WAR, LHP C.C. Sabathia, 1st rd | Indians
1998 | 59.3 WAR, LHP Mark Buehrle, 38th rd | White Sox
2002 | 58.8 WAR, C Joey Votto, 2nd rd | Reds
2003 | 57.3 WAR, SS Ian Kinsler, 17th rd | Rangers
2002 | 56.4 WAR, LHP Cole Hamels, 1st rd | Phillies
2001 | 55.1 WAR, C Joe Mauer, 1st rd | Twins
2006 | 54.5 WAR, RHP Max Scherzer, 1st rd | D'Backs
2004 | 52.1 WAR, SS Dustin Pedroia, 2nd rd | Red Sox
2006 | 51.9 WAR, 3B Evan Longoria, 1st rd | Rays
2001 | 51.8 WAR, 3B Mark Teixeira, 1st rd | Rangers
2001 | 50.4 WAR, 3B David Wright, 1st rd | Mets
2002 | 47.7 WAR, OF Curtis Granderson, 3rd rd | Tigers
2005 | 46.4 WAR, 3B Ryan Braun, 1st rd | Brewers
2004 | 45.3 WAR, 2B Ben Zobrist, 6th rd | Astros

YEAR-BY-YEAR TOP 5 INDIVIDUAL WAR 1998 - 2017 (TO DATE)

(Note: The following players are listed at the position at which they were originally drafted.)

1998
62.7 WAR, LHP C.C. Sabathia, 1st rd | Indians
59.3 WAR, LHP Mark Buehrle, 38th rd | White Sox
44.9 WAR, OF J.D. Drew, 1st rd | Cardinals
44.8 WAR, 3B Matt Holliday, 7th rd | Rockies
25.1 WAR, 1B Carlos Pena, 1st rd | Rangers

1999
100.0 WAR, 3B Albert Pujols, 13th rd | Cardinals
39.6 WAR, RHP Jake Peavy, 15th rd | Padres
39.2 WAR, OF Carl Crawford, 2nd rd | Rays
37.7 WAR, RHP John Lackey, 2nd rd | Angels
35.7 WAR, RHP Josh Beckett, 1st rd | Marlins

2000
65.4 WAR, 2B Chase Utley, 1st rd | Phillies
43.5 WAR, LHP Cliff Lee, 4th rd | Expos
42.2 WAR, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 1st rd | Marlins
38.9 WAR, C Yadier Molina, 4th rd | Cardinals
38.2 WAR, RHP Adam Wainwright, 1st rd | Braves

2001
55.1 WAR, C Joe Mauer, 1st rd | Twins
51.8 WAR, 3B Mark Teixeira, 1st rd | Rangers
50.4 WAR, 3B David Wright, 1st rd | Mets
35.0 WAR, RHP Dan Harren, 2nd rd | Cardinals
32.6 WAR, 3B Kevin Youkilis, 8th rd | Red Sox

2002
65.7 WAR, RHP Zach Greinke, 1st rd | Royals
58.8 WAR, C Joey Votto, 2nd rd | Reds
56.4 WAR, LHP Cole Hamels, 1st rd | Phillies
47.7 WAR, OF Curtis Granderson, 3rd rd | Tigers
43.8 WAR, LHP Jon Lester, 2nd rd | Red Sox

2003
57.3 WAR, SS Ian Kinsler, 17th rd | Rangers
32.4 WAR, SS Adam Jones, 1st rd | Mariners
32.4 WAR, OF Nick Markakis, 1st rd | Orioles
23.7 WAR, SS Aaron Hill, 1st rd | Blue Jays
23.5 WAR, RHP Jonathan Papelbon, 4th rd | Red Sox

2004
63.4 WAR, RHP Justin Verlander, 1st rd | Tigers
52.1 WAR, SS Dustin Pedroia, 2nd rd | Red Sox
45.3 WAR, 2B Ben Zobrist, 6th rd | Astros
34.4 WAR, RHP Jered Weaver, 1st rd | Angels
34.0 WAR, OF Lorenzo Cain, 17th rd | Brewers

2005
46.4 WAR, 3B Ryan Braun, 1st rd | Brewers
44.1 WAR, SS Troy Tulowitzski, 1st rd | Rockies
42.0 WAR, OF Andrew McCutchen, 1st rd | Pirates
38.0 WAR, 3B Ryan Zimmerman, 1st rd | Nationals
37.5 WAR, OF Brett Gardner, 3rd rd | Yankees

2006
64.6 WAR, LHP Clayton Kershaw, 1st rd | Dodgers
54.5 WAR, RHP Max Scherzer, 1st rd | D'Backs
51.9 WAR, 3B Evan Longoria, 1st rd | Rays
24.1 WAR, 2B Justin Turner, 7th rd | Reds
24.0 WAR, OF Josh Reddick, 17th rd | Red Sox

2007
39.2 WAR, 1B Giancarlo Stanton, 2nd rd | Marlins
38.5 WAR, C Josh Donaldson, 1st rd | Cubs
37.9 WAR, LHP David Price, 1st rd | Rays
34.9 WAR, OF Jason Heyward, 1st rd | Braves
34.2 WAR, LHP Madison Bumgarner, 1st rd | Giants

2008
41.3 WAR, C Buster Posey, 1st rd | Giants
23.3 WAR, SS Brandon Crawford, 4th rd | Giants
20.2 WAR, RHP Craig Kimbrel, 3rd rd | Braves
17.4 WAR, RHP Tanner Roark, 25th rd | Rangers
16.1 WAR, OF Charlie Blackmon, 2nd rd | Rockies

2009
64.3 WAR, OF Mike Trout, 1st rd | Angels
40.1 WAR, 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 8th rd | D'Backs
33.1 WAR, 3B Nolan Arenado, 2nd rd | Rockies
27.9 WAR, 2B Kyle Seager, 3rd rd | Mariners
27.3 WAR, RHP Stephen Strasburg, 1st rd | Nationals

2010
43.1 WAR, LHP Chris Sale, 1st rd | White Sox
34.9 WAR, SS Andrelton Simmons, 2nd rd | Braves
33.8 WAR, SS Manny Machado, 1st rd | Orioles
27.4 WAR, OF Bryce Harper, 1st rd | Nationals
27.2 WAR, RHP Jacob deGrom, 9th rd | Mets

2011
35.2 WAR, SS Mookie Betts, 5th rd | Red Sox
23.9 WAR, SS Francisco Lindor, 1st rd | Indians
21.1 WAR, 3B Anthony Rendon, 1st rd | Nationals
18.7 WAR, OF George Springer, 1st rd | Astros
17.4 WAR, RHP Gerrit Cole, 1st rd | Pirates

2012
18.3 WAR, SS Carlos Correa, 1st rd | Astros
13.7 WAR, SS Corey Seager, 1st rd | Dodgers
12.0 WAR, SS Addison Russell, 1st rd | Athletics
11.7 WAR, LHP Alex Wood, 2nd rd | Braves
11.3 WAR, RHP Kevin Gausman, 1st rd | Orioles

2013
21.6 WAR, 3B Kris Bryant, 1st rd | Cubs
13.2 WAR, OF Aaron Judge, 1st rd | Yankees
8.3 WAR, 1B Cody Bellinger, 4th rd | Dodgers
7.4 WAR, LHP Sean Manaea, 1st rd | Royals
6.6 WAR, RHP Jon Gray, 1st rd | Rockies

2014
15.5 WAR, RHP Aaron Nola, 1st rd | Phillies
11.7 WAR, 3B Matt Chapman, 1st rd | Athletics
11.5 WAR, LHP Kyle Freeland, 1st rd | Rockies
10.4 WAR, SS Trea Turner, 1st rd | Padres
9.1 WAR, OF Michael Conforto, 1st rd | Mets

2015
12.7 WAR, SS Alex Bregman, 1st rd | Astros

7.0 WAR, OF Andrew Benintendi, 1st rd | Red Sox

6.5 WAR, 3B Paul DeJong, 4th rd | Cardinals
3.3 WAR, RHP Walker Buehler, 1st rd | Dodgers
2.9 WAR, SS Dansby Swanson, 1st rd | D'Backs

2016
1.1 WAR, RHP Shane Bieber, 4th rd | Indians

0.7 WAR, RHP Corbin Burnes, 4th rd | Brewers

0.5 WAR, RHP Dakota Hudson, 1st rd | Cardinals
0.5 WAR, LHP Joey Lucchesi, 4th rd | Padres

0.3 WAR, SS Garrett Hampson, 3rd rd | Rockies

2017
0.0 WAR, RHP Kyle Wright, 1st rd | Braves

TOP 5 INDIVIDUAL WAR 1998 - 2017 BY TEAM (TO DATE)

(Note: The following players are listed at the position at which they were originally drafted.)

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

ATLANTA BRAVES
2000 | 38.2 WAR, RHP Adam Wainwright, 1st rd
2007 | 34.9 WAR, OF Jason Heyward, 1st rd
2010 | 34.9 WAR, SS Andrelton Simmons, 2nd rd
2007 | 33.1 WAR, 1B Freddie Freeman, 2nd rd
2002 | 31.7 WAR, C Brian McCann, 2nd rd

MIAMI MARLINS
2000 | 42.2 WAR, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 1st rd
2007 | 39.2 WAR, 1B Giancarlo Stanton, 2nd rd
1999 | 35.7 WAR, RHP Josh Beckett, 1st rd
2010 | 26.2 WAR, 1B Christian Yelich, 1st rd
2002 | 24.3 WAR, RHP Josh Johnson, 4th rd

NEW YORK METS
2001 | 50.4 WAR, 3B David Wright, 1st rd
2010 | 27.2 WAR, RHP Jacob deGrom, 9th rd
2002 | 22.8 WAR, LHP Scott Kazmir, 1st rd
2006 | 18.8 WAR, 3B Daniel Murphy, 13th rd
1999 | 17.2 WAR, OF Angel Pagan, 4th rd

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
2000 | 65.4 WAR, 2B Chase Utley, 1st rd
2002 | 56.4 WAR, LHP Cole Hamels, 1st rd
1999 | 25.3 WAR, OF Marlon Byrd, 10th rd
2003 | 22.8 WAR, OF Michael Bourn, 4th rd
2004 | 20.8 WAR, LHP J.A. Happ, 3rd rd

WASHINGTON NATIONALS/MONTREAL EXPOS*
*2000 | 43.5 WAR, LHP Cliff Lee, 4th rd
2005 | 38.0 WAR, 3B Ryan Zimmerman, 1st rd
*1999 | 31.1 WAR, SS Brandon Phillips, 2nd rd

2010 | 27.4 WAR, OF Bryce Harper, 1st rd

*2000 | 27.3 WAR, OF Grady Sizemore, 3rd rd

2009 | 27.3 WAR, RHP Stephen Strasburg, 1st rd

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

CHICAGO CUBS

2007 | 38.5 WAR, C Josh Donaldson, 1st rd

2013 | 21.6 WAR, 3B Kris Bryant, 1st rd

2000 | 19.7 WAR, LHP Dontrelle Willis, 8th rd

2009 | 17.6 WAR, IF D.J. LeMahieu, 2nd rd

2001 | 16.6 WAR, RHP Mark Prior, 1st rd

CINCINNATI REDS
2002 | 58.8 WAR, C Joey Votto, 2nd rd
2006 | 24.1 WAR, 2B Justin Turner, 7th rd
2007 | 23.8 WAR, 3B Todd Frazier, 1st rd
2005 | 18.9 WAR, OF Jay Bruce, 1st rd

1998 | 17.4 WAR, OF Adam Dunn, 2nd rd

MILWAUKEE BREWERS
2005 | 46.4 WAR, 3B Ryan Braun, 1st rd
2004 | 34.0 WAR, OF Lorenzo Cain, 17th rd
2001 | 28.4 WAR, SS J.J. Hardy, 2nd rd
2002 | 23.6 WAR, 1B Prince Fielder, 1st rd
1999 | 23.3 WAR, RHP Ben Sheets, 1st rd

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
2005 | 42.0 WAR, OF Andrew McCutchen, 1st rd
2000 | 35.6 WAR, 3B Jose Bautista, 20th rd
2004 | 20.5 WAR, C Neil Walker, 1st rd
2011 | 17.4 WAR, RHP Gerrit Cole, 1st rd
2000 | 17.3 WAR, RHP Chris Young, 3rd rd

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
1999 | 100.0 WAR, 3B Albert Pujols, 13th rd
1998 | 44.9 WAR, OF J.D. Drew, 1st rd
2000 | 38.9 WAR, C Yadier Molina, 4th rd
2001 | 35.0 WAR, RHP Dan Harren, 2nd rd
1999 | 28.5 WAR, 2B Coco Crisp, 7th rd

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
2006 | 54.5 WAR, RHP Max Scherzer, 1st rd
2009 | 40.1 WAR, 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 8th rd
2005 | 35.0 WAR, SS Justin Upton, 1st rd
2000 | 31.0 WAR, RHP Brandon Webb, 8th rd
2009 | 20.0 WAR, OF A.J. Pollock, 1st rd

COLORADO ROCKIES
1998 | 44.8 WAR, 3B Matt Holliday, 7th rd
2005 | 44.1 WAR, SS Troy Tulowitzski, 1st rd
2009 | 33.1 WAR, 3B Nolan Arenado, 2nd rd
2004 | 17.9 WAR, OF Dexter Fowler, 14th rd
1999 | 17.1 WAR, OF Juan Pierre, 13th rd

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
2006 | 64.6 WAR, LHP Clayton Kershaw, 1st rd
2002 | 37.1 WAR, 2B Russell Martin, 17th rd
1999 | 31.6 WAR, OF Shane Victorino, 6th rd
2003 | 22.2 WAR, OF Matt Kemp, 6th rd
2003 | 17.3 WAR, RHP Chad Billingsley, 1st rd

SAN DIEGO PADRES
1999 | 39.6 WAR, RHP Jake Peavy, 15th rd
2007 | 33.6 WAR, RHP Corey Kluber, 4th rd
2005 | 26.1 WAR, 3B Chase Headley, 2nd rd
2001 | 18.3 WAR, SS Jason Bartlett, 13th rd
2006 | 15.7 WAR, 3B David Freese, 9th rd

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
2008 | 41.3 WAR, C Buster Posey, 1st rd
2007 | 34.2 WAR, LHP Madison Bumgarner, 1st rd
2002 | 29.1 WAR, RHP Matt Cain, 1st rd
2008 | 23.3 WAR, SS Brandon Crawford, 4th rd
2009 | 22.7 WAR, 1B Brandon Belt, 5th rd

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

BALTIMORE ORIOLES
2010 | 33.8 WAR, SS Manny Machado, 1st rd
2003 | 32.4 WAR, OF Nick Markakis, 1st rd
1999 | 30.4 WAR, SS Brian Roberts, 1st rd
2007 | 24.5 WAR, RHP Jake Arrieta, 5th rd
2007 | 18.0 WAR, C Matt Wieters, 1st rd

BOSTON RED SOX
2004 | 52.1 WAR, SS Dustin Pedroia, 2nd rd
2002 | 43.8 WAR, LHP Jon Lester, 2nd rd
2011 | 35.2 WAR, SS Mookie Betts, 5th rd
2001 | 32.6 WAR, 3B Kevin Youkilis, 8th rd
2005 | 31.1 WAR, OF Jacoby Ellsbury, 1st rd

NEW YORK YANKEES
2005 | 37.5 WAR, OF Brett Gardner, 3rd rd
2005 | 22.1, OF Austin Jackson, 8th rd
2006 | 16.0 WAR, RHP David Robertson, 17th rd
2006 | 15.4 WAR, RHP Ian Kennedy, 1st rd
2003 | 13.7 WAR, RHP Tyler Clippard, 9th rd

TAMPA BAY RAYS

2006 | 51.9 WAR, 3B Evan Longoria, 1st rd

1999 | 39.2 WAR, OF Carl Crawford, 2nd rd
2007 | 37.9 WAR, LHP David Price, 1st rd
2000 | 30.6 WAR, RHP James Shields, 16th rd
1999 | 28.3 WAR, OF Josh Hamilton, 1st rd

TORONTO BLUE JAYS
1999 | 27.4 WAR, 3B Alex Rios, 1st rd
2003 | 23.7 WAR, SS Aaron Hill, 1st rd
2011 | 14.3 WAR, OF Kevin Pillar, 32nd rd
2003 | 13.5 WAR, RHP Shaun Marcum, 3rd rd
2010 | 13.2 WAR, RHP Noah Syndergaard, 1st rd

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

CHICAGO WHITE SOX
1998 | 59.3 WAR, LHP Mark Buehrle, 38th rd
2010 | 43.1 WAR, LHP Chris Sale, 1st rd
2004 | 27.5 WAR, LHP Gio Gonzalez, 1st rd
1998 | 20.9 WAR, OF Aaron Rowand, 1st rd

2001 | 16.1 WAR, OF Chris Young, 16th rd

CLEVELAND INDIANS
1998 | 62.7 WAR, LHP C.C. Sabathia, 1st rd
2011 | 23.9 WAR, SS Francisco Lindor, 1st rd
2009 | 21.8 WAR, OF Jason Kipnis, 2nd rd
2002 | 17.9 WAR, RHP Jeremy Guthrie, 1st rd
2006 | 12.6 WAR, RHP Chris Archer, 5th rd

DETROIT TIGERS
2004 | 63.4 WAR, RHP Justin Verlander, 1st rd
2002 | 47.7 WAR, OF Curtis Granderson, 3rd rd
1998 | 19.2 WAR, C Brandon Inge, 2nd rd
2007 | 18.8 WAR, RHP Rick Porcello, 1st rd
1998 | 15.2 WAR, RHP Jeff Weaver, 1st rd

KANSAS CITY ROYALS
2002 | 65.7 WAR, RHP Zach Greinke, 1st rd
2005 | 35.2 WAR, 3B Alex Gordon, 1st rd
1999 | 33.6 WAR, SS Mark Ellis, 9th rd
2000 | 23.2 WAR, OF David DeJesus, 4th rd
2008 | 15.6 WAR, 1B Eric Hosmer, 1st rd

MINNESOTA TWINS
2001 | 55.1 WAR, C Joe Mauer, 1st rd
1999 | 27.2 WAR, C Justin Morneau, 3rd rd
2002 | 26.3 WAR, OF Denard Span, 1st rd
2009 | 23.9 WAR, SS Brian Dozier, 8th rd
2003 | 15.6 WAR, RHP Scott Baker, 2nd rd

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

HOUSTON ASTROS
2004 | 45.3 WAR, 2B Ben Zobrist, 6th rd
2004 | 29.7 WAR, OF Hunter Pence, 2nd rd
2009 | 20.4 WAR, OF J.D. Martinez, 20th rd
2011 | 18.7 WAR, OF George Springer, 1st rd
2012 | 18.3 WAR, SS Carlos Correa, 1st rd

LOS ANGELES ANGELS
2009 | 64.3 WAR, OF Mike Trout, 1st rd
1999 | 37.7 WAR, RHP John Lackey, 2nd rd
2004 | 34.4 WAR, RHP Jered Weaver, 1st rd

2002 | 30.3 WAR, 2B Howie Kendrick, 10th rd

2000 | 27.4 WAR, C Mike Napoli, 17th rd

OAKLAND ATHLETICS
1999 | 32.0 WAR, LHP Barry Zito, 1st rd
2002 | 22.0 WAR, 1B Nick Swisher, 1st rd
2003 | 21.2 WAR, OF Andre Ethier, 2nd rd
1998 | 20.1 WAR, LHP Mark Mulder, 1st rd
2004 | 19.9 WAR, C Kurt Suzuki, 2nd rd

SEATTLE MARINERS
2003 | 32.4 WAR, SS Adam Jones, 1st rd
2009 | 27.9 WAR, 2B Kyle Seager, 3rd rd
2006 | 19.7 WAR, RHP Doug Fister, 7th rd
1998 | 13.4 WAR, LHP Matt Thornton, 1st rd
1999 | 13.1 WAR, RHP J. J. Putz, 6th rd

TEXAS RANGERS
2003 | 57.3 WAR, SS Ian Kinsler, 17th rd
2001 | 51.8 WAR, 3B Mark Teixeira, 1st rd
2000 | 32.2 WAR, 3B Edwin Encarnacion, 9th rd
1998 | 25.1 WAR, 1B Carlos Pena, 1st rd
2003 | 20.2 WAR, LHP John Danks, 1st rd

Obviously, not all of these players have earned all of that WAR for the team that drafted them. In the team-by-team posts (linked below), I touch on this somewhat by showing how much the signing team has benefited from the success of the top player and top draft class signed by them. While some teams received a lot of bang for their buck from their top players (Pujols for the Cardinals, Verlander for the Tigers, Kershaw for the Dodgers, Trout for the Angels, Wright for the Mets, Votto for the Reds, Braun for the Brewers, McCutchen for the Pirates, Pedroia for the Red Sox, Posey for the Giants, Longoria for the Rays, Buehrle for the White Sox, Mauer for the Twins and others), there were other teams whose top player never played for them at the major league level (Zobrist/Astros, Wainwright/Braves, Gonzalez/Marlins, Lee/Expos, Donaldson/Cubs) or played for that team for only a limited time before being traded away (Scherzer/Diamondbacks, Jones/Mariners).

Others fall somewhere in between. Sabathia's WAR for the Indians and the Yankees is roughly equivalent to date with the Yankees taking a slight edge. Matt Holliday played a few seasons for the Rockies before being traded, and the return value of that trade was comparable to Holliday's subsequent success for other teams. Zach Greinke also provided good value for the Royals both pre-trade and post-trade through the value of the acquired players.

You can refer to the links below to see how some of the top draft classes have played out over time, including trade value received (or not) when some of those players were traded away. Some of these trades paid off, some were very lopsided in retrospect and some have yet to play out.

I haven't ranked these draft classes because I don't want to insert my own bias into the equation, but I think you can see which teams have done well over the years, which teams have drafted poorly and which teams are on the rise (or on the decline) in terms of their draft results.

Another post summarizing the early results of the 2018 draft class will be coming soon.

PREVIOUS TEAM-BY-TEAM POSTS COVERING THE 1998 - 2018 DRAFTS

NL EAST
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
NL East 2018 Draft Summary

NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
NL Central 2018 Draft Summary

NL WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
NL West 2018 Draft Summary

AL EAST
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
AL East 2018 Draft Summary

AL CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
AL Central 2018 Draft Summary

AL WEST
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers
AL West 2018 Draft Summary

AL West 2018 Draft Summary

In conjunction with the MLB Draft Deep Dive series that I've been rolling out over the last few weeks (see links below), the following is a down and dirty summary of the early 2018 draft results for the AL West.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST 2018 DRAFT SUMMARY

PITCHING

Pitcher Breakdown
LAA: 20 Signed | 16 C | 4 HS/NS | 18 RHP | 2 LHP
TEX: 19 Signed | 9 C | 3 JC/CC | 7 HS | 16 RHP | 3 LHP
HOU: 16 Signed | 15 C | 1 HS | 15 RHP | 1 LHP
OAK: 16 Signed | 15 C | 1 JC/CC | 14 RHP | 2 LHP
SEA: 16 Signed | 11 C | 3 JC/CC | 2 HS | 11 RHP | 5 LHP

Cumulative Stats for 2018 Draft Class (Pitchers)
HOU: 2.74 ERA | 1.207 WHIP | 364.2 IP | 16 Active Pitchers
TEX: 3.27 ERA | 1.201 WHIP | 170.2 IP | 9 Active Pitchers

OAK: 3.57 ERA | 1.314 WHIP | 368.1 IP | 14 Active Pitchers

SEA: 4.44 ERA | 1.378 WHIP | 316.1 IP | 15 Active Pitchers

LAA: 4.63 ERA | 1.399 WHIP | 281.2 IP | 12 Active Pitchers

Position Player Breakdown
OAK: 19 Signed | 17 C | 1 JC/CC | 1 HS | 2 1B | 2 2B | 4 3B | SS | 7 OF | 3 C

SEA: 18 Signed | 18 C | 1B | 3 2B | 3 3B | 2 SS | 6 OF | 3 C

HOU: 14 Signed | 13 C | 1 JC/CC | 1B | 2B | 3B | 2 SS | 7 OF | 2 C
TEX: 12 Signed | 6 C | 2 JC/CC | 4 HS | 2 2B | 2 3B | 3 SS | 2 OF | 3 C
LAA: 9* Signed | 3 C | 1 JC/CC | 5 HS | 2B | 3B | 2 SS | 4 OF | C

*One additional position player may be added to the totals to account for two-way player RHP/OF/DH William English; he has already been included in the pitching totals for the Angels.

Cumulative Stats for 2018 Draft Class (Position Players)

SEA: .263/.346/.386/.732 | 18 Active Players
TEX: .253/.339/.347/.686 | 11 Active Players
OAK: .243/.339/.343/.682 | 18 Active Players
LAA: .239/.317/.350/.667 | 9 Active Players
HOU: .232/.324/.362/.686 | 14 Active Players

MLB Pipeline Top 30 Prospects
OAK: 5 total (C LHP, C 1B, C SS, 2 C OF*)
HOU: 4 total (HS RHP, C SS, C OF* C OF)
TEX: 4 total (HS RHP*, 2 HS RHP, HS 3B)

LAA: 3 total (HS RHP/OF, HS SS, HS OF*)

SEA: 3 total (C RHP* C RHP, C C)

*Top 10

AL WEST DRAFT CLASS NOTES: PITCHERS

My biggest takeaway from this group is that the Rangers pitchers appear to be the furthest away from helping at the big league level. Not only did they draft a high number of high school and juco pitchers, but a large number of them did not play at all in 2018. Those that did pitch logged the fewest number of innings per pitcher of this group as well. It is a high risk/high reward class with three high school pitchers in the Rangers Top 30 prospects, but we won't find out for a while whether risk or reward will win out. With that said, the Rangers did have some interesting college players in the mix who got off to very good starts. The Angels also had quite a few players who did not play in 2018, but they did have a couple of top 10 round college players who advanced to Full Season A (while the remainder of the class was held back in rookie league). The Angels pitchers weren't able to capitalize on playing against that lower level of competition, though, and the cumulative numbers for the lower round draft picks were not optimal. Houston had the best numbers from the group and, although many of these mostly college players didn't log a lot of innings, most were challenged to the Short Season A level. This class appears to be very deep based on these initial results. Oakland also promoted a good number of players beyond the rookie league level and showed a lot of strength in the lower rounds of the draft. However, the A's top pitching prospect did not play in 2018 and the other pitchers from the top 10 rounds had mixed results. The Mariners top pitching prospect was also missing in action in 2018 and their next highest pick was traded in the offseason. Another lower round pick, one who pitched the most innings from the Seattle group and was promoted to Advanced A, was traded as well. The Mariners were aggressive in promoting some of their lower round players with mostly good results and had the Mariners not traded two of their more promising prospects, I would have liked this group more. Because of that, I will give Houston a slight edge based on initial results. However, my enthusiasm is somewhat tempered by the lack of promotion and the relatively limited number of innings for some of these pitchers in 2018.

AL WEST DRAFT CLASS NOTES: POSITION PLAYERS

The Astros weren't as reluctant to promote their position players as they were their pitchers. As a matter of fact, they were very aggressive and that played out well at the top of the pecking order, but not as well further down the draft. But I like that these almost exclusively college players were exposed to a higher level of competition early in their careers. Both the Angels and the Rangers went heavy on high school and juco players, making it hard to find much relevance in their initial results. It will likely be a couple of years before one can start to really get a handle on the strength of those draft classes. Oakland, however, drafted mostly college players. The A's class had solid results overall at the top of the class and really solid results in the later rounds as well, but they get dinged for (apparently) losing first round pick OF Kyler Murray to the NFL, although they are still reportedly pursuing Murray. The Mariners were 100% college on their position player draft picks and the class performed strongly. Seattle also lost a top player (to an offseason trade), but I still like the early depth of the Mariners class as a whole. However, even without Murray, Oakland probably has a slight edge right now with the shorter term potential of their highly ranked college prospects while the Angels and Rangers have some intriguing longer term potential with their younger prospects.

Houston Astros Draft Review
Los Angeles Angels Draft Review
Oakland Athletics Draft Review
Seattle Mariners Draft Review
Texas Rangers Draft Review

MLB Draft Deep Dive: Texas Rangers

In order to satisfy my innate curiosity as it pertains to the MLB Draft, I have taken a comprehensive look at the 2018 draft for each of the 30 MLB organizations. But I also wanted to get an idea of what each of the teams had done for the 20 years prior so that is included as a prelude to the 2018 information. I'll be looking first at each team in each division, starting with the National League East, and then I'll follow up with a an overall look at both the historical draft results to date and the early 2018 results.

My goal is to get a better idea of the big picture as to how the systems compare in terms of draft results, as well as how a good or bad draft class affects a system, the overall impact of the draft on the baseball talent pool and the circuitous ways in which draft picks are used to bolster a system for which they may never even play. This project is just a first step. I intend to expand on this information over time (including a later revisit of the 2018 class and the addition of the 2019 class next offseason) and I will share my findings as I do so.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

TEXAS RANGERS

Historical Draft Results from 1998 through 2017 (TO DATE)
Drafted 947 | Signed 584 | Pitchers Signed 330 | Position Players Signed 254
Total WAR 391.5
Total Players to MLB 94

Note: The following players are listed at the position at which they were originally drafted.

1998 | 2 to MLB | WAR 24.8 | High WAR 25.1, 1B Carlos Pena, 1st rd
1999 | 8 to MLB | WAR 47.0 | High WAR 20.1, RHP Aaron Harang, 6th rd
2000 | 5 to MLB | WAR 38.5 | High WAR 32.2, 3B Edwin Encarnacion, 9th rd
2001 | 2 to MLB | WAR 69.2 | High WAR 51.8, 3B Mark Teixeira, 1st rd
2002 | 4 to MLB | WAR 3.5 | High WAR 3.0, RHP Jesse Chavez, 42nd rd
2003 | 5 to MLB | WAR 87.4 | High WAR 57.3, SS Ian Kinsler, 17th rd
2004 | 7 to MLB | WAR (0.9) | High WAR 0.6, LHP Zach Phillips, 23rd rd
2005 | 5 to MLB | WAR 1.0 | High WAR 0.9, OF John Mayberry, 1st rd
2006 | 5 to MLB | WAR 35.0 | High WAR 15.4, 1B Chris Davis, 5th rd
2007 | 8 to MLB | WAR 20.5 | High WAR 10.0, RHP Tommy Hunter, 1st rd
2008 | 8 to MLB | WAR 31.1 | High WAR 17.4, RHP Tanner Roark, 25th rd
2009 | 3 to MLB | WAR 0.1 | High WAR 0.9, RHP Tanner Scheppers, 1st rd
2010 | 10 to MLB | WAR (0.9) | High WAR 5.2, LHP Alex Claudio, 27th rd
2011 | 8 to MLB | WAR 26.1 | High WAR 15.6, RHP Kyle Hendricks, 8th rd
2012 | 5 to MLB | WAR 7.6 | High WAR 5.3, 3B Joey Gallo, 1st rd
2013 | 5 to MLB | WAR 1.4 | High WAR 1.6, SS Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 4th rd
2014 | 2 to MLB | WAR (0.4) | High WAR (0.1), 3B Jose Trevino, 6th rd
2015 | 2 to MLB | WAR 0.5 | High WAR 0.6, LHP Jeffrey Springs, 30th rd
2016 | 0 to MLB | WAR 0.0 | High WAR N/A
2017 | 0 to MLB | WAR 0.0 | High WAR N/A

The highest total WAR to date, as well as the high individual WAR, both come from the 2003 draft class. 2B Ian Kinsler (17th round, 57.3 WAR) played for the Rangers for eight seasons (35.0 WAR) before being traded to Detroit for 1B Prince Fielder in November 2013. Kinsler went on to post 17.7 WAR for the Tigers over the next three seasons while Fielder posted 0.3 WAR for the Rangers over that same time period. Not optimal. Kinsler, now with the Red Sox, earned his first World Series hardware in 2018. To date, he is a four-time All-Star and a two-time Gold Glove winner. LHP John Danks (1st round, 20.2 WAR) was another member of this draft class, but he never played for Texas. Danks made his MLB debut for the White Sox after being included in a December 2006 trade that sent RHP Brandon McCarthy to the Rangers. RHP Scott Feldman (30th round, 8.3 WAR) was also drafted by the Rangers in 2003. Feldman played for the team for eight seasons (3.7 WAR) before leaving via free agency. The two remaining members of the class who made it to the bigs are RHP Wes Littleton (4th round, 1.9 WAR) and C Cody Clark (11th round, -0.3 WAR). Littleton played his entire three-year MLB career for the Rangers. Clark was released by the Rangers in 2005 and kicked around the minors for several years, earning his MLB cup of coffee (16 games) for the Astros in August 2013, 10 years after he was drafted.

2018 DRAFT
40 Drafted | 31 Signed | 19 Pitchers | 12 Position Players
17 College | 15 Signed | 9 Pitchers | 6 Position Players
7 JC/CC | 5 Signed | 3 Pitchers | 2 Position Players
16 HS/NS | 11 Signed | 7 Pitchers | 4 Position Players

Notable: The Rangers signed 18 of their top 20 draft picks with the first miss being 15th round OF Cameron Simmons, University of Virginia.

PITCHERS
A whopping TEN of the 19 pitchers signed (16 RHP, 3 LHP) did not play in the minors in 2018. Of those who did play, one was promoted beyond the Short Season A* level (to Advanced A).  Three of the signed pitchers debuted on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Prospect list for the Rangers, one as a Top 10 prospect.

Top Prospects

🔟 RHP Cole Winn, 1st round, Orange Lutheran HS (CA), DNP

RHP Owen White, 2nd round, Carson HS (NC), DNP

RHP Mason Englert, 4th round, Forney HS (TX), DNP

🔟 Top 10 Prospect

Noteworthy Debut

RHP Cole Uvila, 40th round, Georgia Gwinnett College, SSA
31.2 IP | 19 G / 0 GS | 1.42 ERA | 0.884 WHIP | 15 BB : 48 K

In total, the Rangers 2018 Draft pitchers combined for a 3.27 ERA and a 1.201 WHIP (but only 170.2 innings, far fewer than the other affiliates) as compared to the 3.67 ERA and 1.299 WHIP (average of 376.2 innings per affiliate) compiled by the total 2018 Draft class in 2018.

POSITION PLAYERS
All but one of the 12 position players signed (2 2B, 2 3B, 3 SS, 2 OF, 3 C) logged at least some playing time. None of the players were promoted beyond the Short Season A* level. One player debuted on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Prospect list for the Rangers.

Top Prospects

3B Jonathan Ornelas (R/R), 3rd round, Raymond S. Kellis HS (AZ), Rk
48 G | .302/.389/.459/.848 | 25 BB : 41 K | 15 SB : 5 CS | 10 2B / 4 3B / 3 HR

Noteworthy Debut

SS Frainyer Chavez (S/R), 22nd round, Midland College, Rk
45 G | .306/.378/.405/.782 | 19 BB : 37 K | 23 SB : 6 CS

In total, the Rangers 2018 Draft position players combined to hit .253/.339/.347/.686 as compared to .261/.349/.386/.735 batting line compiled by the total 2018 Draft class in 2018.

*Notes on players include the highest level achieved for the 2018 season using the following abbreviations:
Rk = Rookie
SSA = Short Season A
A = Full Season A
A+ = Full Season A Advanced

GENERAL NOTES: Information was obtained from Baseball-Reference and the MLB Draft History site. The occasional discrepancy in historical information was resolved to the best of my ability by delving into the player information available on B-R. On the historical information, the player position in the totals reflects the position at which the player was drafted (and not any subsequent change of position). On the 2018 information, the player position reflects the primary position played in 2018 for all players who were signed and the position at which the player was drafted for those who did not sign. Prospect listings on MLB Pipeline were as of early January and may not reflect any subsequent changes to that site.

PREVIOUSLY

NL EAST
Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals
NL East 2018 Draft Summary

NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
NL Central 2018 Draft Summary

NL WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants
NL West 2018 Draft Summary

AL EAST
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
AL East 2018 Draft Summary

AL CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Kansas City Royals
Minnesota Twins
AL Central 2018 Draft Summary

AL WEST
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland Athletics
Seattle Mariners

COMING NEXT
AL West 2018 Draft Summary