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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the second inning at PNC Park. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Best National League draft picks of the last decade

By Lauren Amour, Kevin Henry, Taylor Bretl | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 11:41 AM ET

Making the right selections in the MLB Draft can prove to be franchise-altering for teams. With the 2025 draft underway (rounds 1-3 took place Sunday, with rounds 4-20 to be completed Monday), Yardbarker's MLB writers took a look at the best draft pick each club has made in the last decade.

(Records and stats are entering play on Monday.)

NL East

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) in the on-deck circle against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves (42-53) | RHP Spencer Strider | Selected in the fourth round in the 2020 MLB Draft, Strider rode a fast track to the majors after two years at Clemson, debuting in October 2021. The 26-year-old led the league in strikeouts in 2023 with 281 across 186.2 innings, accruing a 7.3 bWAR in his five seasons.

Miami Marlins (44-51) | CF JJ Bleday | A fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, Bleday was traded to the A’s in February 2023. Optioned to the minors twice this season, the 27-year-old hasn’t lived up to his draft pedigree, but he had a career-best 20-homer season in 2024.

New York Mets (55-42) | 1B Pete Alonso | The 2019 NL Rookie of the Year captivated the league by hitting 53 homers in his first MLB season. Alonso was a second-round pick in 2016 out of Florida and has accumulated 23.0 bWAR, 247 homers and 663 RBI during his seven years with the Mets.

Philadelphia Phillies (55-41) | 3B Alec Bohm | Hitting .295 in the first half of 2024, Bohm was named the starting third baseman for the NL in the All-Star Game. That’s been his most significant career accomplishment thus far after being the third overall selection of the 2018 draft out of Wichita State.

Washington Nationals (38-58) | OF Dylan Crews | Although still a lot left to prove at the MLB level, the LSU product is by far the Nationals’ best draft choice of the last decade. Crews is currently on the injured list, having batted just .196 with seven homers and 15 RBI in 45 games. -- Lauren Amour

NL Central

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) hits a RBI single against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning at Target Field. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Chicago Cubs (57-39) | 2B Nico Hoerner | Drafted in the first round in 2018, Hoerner has been one of the most consistent hitters in MLB since his call-up a year later in 2019. On top of a .278 career batting average, Hoerner is also efficient on defense, winning a Gold Glove in 2023.

Cincinnati Reds (50-47) | SP Hunter Greene | Drafted second overall in 2017, Greene has been one of the hardest-throwing pitchers the Reds organization has seen, hitting triple digits on his fastball. He earned his first career All-Star selection in 2024 and holds a career 3.74 ERA with a 29.7 strikeout percentage in 83 games.

Milwaukee Brewers (56-40) | 2B Brice Turang | Turang was Milwaukee’s first-round pick in 2018 and has emerged as one of the best defenders in MLB since his call-up, winning both a Gold Glove and Platinum Glove last season. This season, he is also finding his bat, slashing .274/.345/.366 with six home runs and 39 RBI in 93 games.

Pittsburgh Pirates (39-58) | SP Paul Skenes | The first overall pick in 2023, Skenes has quickly become one of the best pitchers in the majors, winning the NL Rookie of the Year and finishing third in NL Cy Young voting in his debut season. Now set to start his second All-Star Game in as many years, he holds a career 1.98 ERA with 301 strikeouts in 43 starts.

St. Louis Cardinals (51-46) | CP Ryan Helsley | Despite being drafted in the fifth round in 2015, Helsley has become one of MLB’s best closing arms, earning multiple All-Star selections and winning the NL Reliever of the Year last season. He holds a career 2.70 ERA over 296.2 innings pitched, and his 103 saves are the sixth-most in franchise history -- Taylor Bretl

NL West

Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) throws the ball to first base for an out against the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Target Field. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Arizona Diamondbacks (47-50) | SS Dansby Swanson | Taken by the Diamondbacks with the top overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft, Swanson was traded to the Atlanta Braves before the 2016 season. In Atlanta, he bloomed into a two-time All-Star and helped the Braves win the 2021 World Series.

Colorado Rockies (22-74) | CF Brenton Doyle | A two-time Gold Glove winner, Doyle was a fourth-round pick for the Rockies in 2019. While a solid defensive presence and an everyday player, the Rockies are still waiting for him to find consistency at the plate.

Los Angeles Dodgers (58-39) | C Will Smith | Selected with the 32nd overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft, Smith will start this year’s All-Star Game behind the plate in the middle of a career year where he leads the National League in batting average (.323) and on-base percentage (.425). Already at 22.4 bWAR in his seven-year MLB career, it’s conceivable he will go down as the greatest catcher in Dodgers history.

San Diego Padres (52-44) | SS CJ Abrams | Dealt to the Washington Nationals as part of the Juan Soto deal at the 2022 MLB trade deadline, Abrams has become one of the core pieces for the Nationals as they try to rebuild. The 24-year-old Abrams already has 20 stolen bases this season while slashing .287/.353/.483 in 364 plate appearances.

San Francisco Giants (52-45) | OF Bryan Reynolds | A second-round pick in the 2016 MLB draft, Reynolds was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of the swap that sent Andrew McCutchen to the Giants before the 2018 season. Reynolds made his debut in 2019, finishing fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year race, and has a pair of All-Star Game appearances in his seven MLB seasons. -- Kevin Henry

Taylor Bretl

Taylor Bretl writes about Major League Baseball with a focus on the Milwaukee Brewers. He is founder of Around the Globe Baseball.

Kevin Henry

A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), Kevin Henry has been covering MLB and MiLB for nearly two decades. Those assignments have included All-Star Games and the MLB postseason, including the World Series. Based in the Denver area, Kevin calls Coors Field his home base, but travels throughout North America during the season to discover the best stories possible

Lauren Amour

Lauren Amour is a writer and editor based in the Greater Philadelphia area. She works as an editor and writer at Yardbarker, covering MLB and the Philadelphia Phillies.

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