Best MLB Draft Classes by Team: Who Came Out on Top?

The Guardians then followed that up by taking Dean Curley 64th overall, another high-end SEC hitter. Curley, similarly to LaViolette, is an electric power threat, being one of the more physically gifted players in the draft. This pick has a ton of value once again.

Outside of their top two picks, the Guardians also managed to grab standout college players in Aaron Watson, Nolan Schubart, Luke Hill, Riley Nelson, and Anthony Martinez, all players who have really solid makeups. My favorite of these picks is Schubart, as he was a preseason first-round talent, and the Guardians managed to select him in the third round.

While the majority of these hitters do have some concerns surrounding their big-league projections, the risk could be worth the major potential reward. Schubart especially possesses some unreal power, but he needs to see his hit tool develop a little more.

The Guardians also happen to be a pitching factory, and they scooped up one of the more peculiar arms in the ninth round, Ryan Prager. Prager was selected by the Angels in the third round last season, yet returned to Texas A&M for another season.

Although he struggled, Prager is still a very interesting arm, with his fastball generating some impressive lift and his slider projecting well. For the Guardians, an arm like this has the potential to be developed in their system, getting him back to the player he was last season.

Nelson Keljo is another solid arm they scooped up in round six, a projectable left-hander with a very good fastball. He could develop into a fiery closer, an exciting profile for Keljo.

Overall, the Guardians have one of the most high-risk, high-reward classes in the draft, making them a clear winner if everything goes their way player development-wise.

Chicago White Sox

Prior to this year’s draft, the White Sox found themselves fully at the mercy of the teams above them. Their first pick was 10th overall, meaning that the chaos ahead of them would be in charge of which player they could land early in the draft. This worked out in their favor, as shortstop Billy Carlson fell right into their laps.

Carlson, another member of Corona High School’s loaded roster, was projected as one of the best prep players available in the first round. Carlson was often given some unreal grades on his power tool and with his glove, with the main concern surrounding his hit tool.

In fact, Carlson’s glove was so good that scouts often slapped a 70 grade on his defense, labeling him as one of the more advanced shortstops in the class. Despite the concerns surrounding his hit tool, his bat could develop into one of the best in the minors, making this a great grab for the White Sox.

Since they took Carlson a little over slot, they proceeded to get crafty with the rest of their class, and it worked. They landed Jaden Fauske with their second pick, a prep outfielder with incredible barrel control and some solid power potential. For an under-slot pick, this was one of the best routes they could’ve taken. Fauske was an LSU commit but will likely forego his commitment to sign with the Sox.

Their next four picks were really solid, as they selected shortstop Kyle Lodise, catcher Landon Hodge, right-hander Gabe Davis, and shortstop Colby Shelton. This four-pick run was one of my favorites on draft day, with Lodise, Hodge, and Shelton all projecting as plus bats and Davis being an intriguing college arm.

Hodge and Lodise share one thing in common: they both have a pretty good feel for the barrel. This adds to the number of players in this class who share a similar skill set, as they pair with Carlson and Fauske in this area. Lodise and Hodge will both use the whole field to their advantage, driving the ball consistently.

To add to an already solid class, the White Sox proceeded to grab Texas catcher Rylan Galvan nearly 155 picks after where he was ranked on our board, making this pick have some tremendous value.

They did have to do some saving with many of their picks, but they had multiple picks where they found great value and decent upside.

Seattle Mariners

When the Mariners’ front office was preparing for this year’s draft, I don’t think they could’ve planned things out any better than they unfolded. With the third overall pick in the draft, they were likely going to land one of the best players in the draft, but I doubt they expected to land the best collegiate player in the class.

After Eli Willits and Tyler Bremner were selected, the Mariners found themselves in the perfect spot to land LSU left-hander Kade Anderson, the top pitcher in our draft rankings. Anderson flew up boards thanks to some very good performances down the stretch, all of which contributed to the Tigers’ National Championship run.

Anderson has a legitimate four-pitch mix, a rare sight for an arm in the draft. His fastball gets a ton of ride and carry, allowing for it to be a scary pitch at the top of the zone. Anderson also has smooth mechanics and a decent amount of extension, making the pitch play up even further. It sits in the low-mid 90s but will play up due to its characteristics.

Anderson will get the majority of his strikeouts on his other pitches, with his slider, curveball, and changeup all inducing plenty of whiffs and sharp breaks. Anderson showed this on full display during his complete game in the College World Series, where he also proved that he could be a big game pitcher.

Anderson almost immediately agreed to an $8.8 million deal with the club, making this one of the best gets on draft day. This is even more true considering the Mariners excel at developing arms.

The Mariners didn’t stop there, as they landed Anderson a battery-mate in the Comp-A round, selecting North Carolina catcher Luke Stevenson 35th overall. Stevenson has some of the best power for a catcher in the class, making his offensive profile pretty interesting overall.

They also proceeded to have one of the best value picks in the entire draft, as the Mariners landed outfielder Korbyn Dickerson at pick 152 overall, nearly 100 picks later than he was ranked on our board.

Dickerson was projected to have one of the best all-around bats in the draft, with his bat producing eye-popping exit velocities this season at Indiana. He’s smooth and quick to the ball, allowing him to consistently drive balls all over the diamond. He’s also a pretty good fielder, with the potential to stick in center field long term.

Arizona State pitcher Lucas Kelly and catcher Grant Jay were another two picks that provided good value, as they put together a class with hefty upside. With the Mariners being able to land so many valuable picks later than expected, they’re an easy winner in this year’s draft.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles came into this year’s draft in one of the best positions possible. They possessed the largest bonus pool in addition to four first-round picks, making it tough for them to be a loser in this draft. Not only did they do a great job, but they walked away with a way better class than expected.

Their draft kicked off with the selection of Ike Irish 19th overall, a pick with really good value. Although he profiles more as an outfielder, Irish looks to be one of the best overall hitters in the class, with his hit tool leading the way. The Orioles selected him eight picks after when he was ranked on our board, giving this pick great value.

Due to concern that Irish likely won’t stick behind the plate, the Orioles went and grabbed one of the other best catchers in the draft, Caden Bodine. Bodine was the catcher for a Coastal Carolina team that went the whole way to the College World Series final, being one of the best all-around hitters in college baseball along the way.

Not only this, but Bodine is also one of the best defenders in the entire class, as he steals strikes regularly. Since the Orioles have struggled when it comes to developing pitching, grabbing a very good defensive catcher could make their arms play even better than expected

They then followed this up with another pick with great value, as the Orioles selected Golden Spikes Award Winner Wehiwa Aloy with the 31st pick in the draft. Aloy has really good power, alongside some sneakily good bat-to-ball skills, making him dangerous in all aspects at the dish. He’s also a decent defensive shortstop.

Aloy was another pick with great value, as he was selected 11 picks later than he was ranked on our Top 315.

The Orioles then rounded out their four first-round picks with another valuable selection in outfielder Slater de Brun. de Brun, a Vanderbilt commit, regularly reached base and didn’t expand the zone much during his high school games. He’s a very toosly outfielder, and is very valuable at pick 37 overall.

As if four first-round picks weren’t enough, the Orioles proceeded to add some more very interesting college prospects in the following rounds. Pitchers Joseph Dzierwa and Caden Hunter have healthy upside and are worth taking a chance on, given the state of the arms in their system.

Also, Vanderbilt outfielder RJ Austin is another solid all-around player they added. His contact will guide him, but he’s got some decent power to go with it.

Overall, it’s hard to miss when you have four first-round picks, and the Orioles put this on display during this year’s draft.

Athletics

Similarly to some of the other big winners in this year’s draft, the Athletics were at the mercy of the 10 teams picking ahead of them in the first round. Despite this, they made out with a haul and did very well for themselves.

The Athletics managed to land Jamie Arnold with the 11th pick in the draft, an arm many people saw as the potential number one pick before the college season. Arnold, a left-hander with a funky release point, has touched 98 mph this season on his heater while also mixing in a devastating slider and a decent changeup.

Although his command slipped a little bit this season, he’s still one of the most dominant arms on the board. Arnold was ranked sixth on our Top 315, and to get him here at pick 11 was tremendous value.

The Athletics also found themselves in a really good position with their 48th pick in the draft, as they selected Indiana outfielder Devin Taylor with this pick. Taylor has one of the best bats in the entire class, with his unique blend of both power and a solid hit tool carrying him to new heights.

To put it simply, Taylor flat out rakes, as he’s regularly able to drive the ball extremely hard to all fields. Seeing him play in person this year, I can also attest to him being more athletic than he’s given credit for. Taylor was widely considered a first-round talent before the season, and to land him in the second round makes for some very good value overall.

The Athletics followed up their first two picks with two other very good value selections in the third and fourth rounds.

Gavin Turley, an impressive all-around athlete, was the club’s third-round pick. There are some questions surrounding his hit tool, but he does have some of the most electric power on the collegiate side of this class. He has a quick bat and makes plenty of loud contact. If the hit tool comes along, he could be one of the better picks in the third round.

They then selected Zane Taylor in the fourth round, a standout collegiate senior starter. Taylor saw his fastball touch 98 mph, as he also mixes in a solid changeup. It’s a dangerous pairing that makes him a fascinating arm.

The Athletics also grabbed some other interesting talent, such as Logan Suave, Daniel Bucciero, and Bobby Boser, rounding out a very good class overall. For the A’s, there’s a ton of good value to like here.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The final team that put together a very good class this draft was the Dodgers, as they took a unique approach to the draft that should be rewarded heavily in the coming seasons. Their first pick wasn’t until 40th overall, and they made the most of it, selecting left-hander Zachary Root.

Root comes with a legitimate four-pitch mix, with his breaking balls and offspeed pitches being the focal point of his arsenal. He throws a tremendous curveball and a very good changeup, both pitches that have received as high as a 60-grade from some scouts.

Also, Root throws a decent cutter as well as a solid fastball, allowing him to put together a very solid mix. For the Dodgers, if they can maximize his heater, he’ll become one of the best arms in the class.

They then followed up their selection of Root by drafting another Arkansas standout, Charles Davalan, with the 41st pick in the draft.

Davalan is one of my favorite prospects in the class, with his contact-oriented approach making for one of the best hit tools in the entire class. He’s posted some unreal contact rates while eclipsing the 110 exit velocity threshold, creating very good pop in addition to his hit tool.

Davalan also has very good plate discipline while crushing lefties, both being valuable qualities for any hitter entering professional baseball. With Davalan already being such a good hitter overall, him landing with the Dodgers creates a dangerous combination that could lead to him being one of the best prospects in the sport very soon.

The Dodgers also chose to bet on the upside that Cam Leiter possesses with their second-round pick. Although we haven’t seen him be healthy much at FSU, he’s shown some electric stuff on the mound, including a fastball that nearly touched triple-digits when healthy.

They also took a shot on Landyn Vidourek in the third round, a rising college outfielder from Cincinnati University. Vidourek is a fantastic runner with good pop and a hit tool that’s still left a lot to be desired. However, with him being such a good athlete and the fact that he’s already touched high exit velocities, there’s a lot for the Dodgers to build on.

With how good the Dodgers are at maximizing their prospects’ talent, there’s a very good chance these four players quickly develop into some of the best prospects in the minor leagues. Look out, because all four of these pairings are going to be dangerous.