{"id":755768,"date":"2026-06-23T12:18:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/755768\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T12:18:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:18:08","slug":"mlb-power-rankings-its-time-to-highlight-the-homegrown-stars-who-have-made-their-mark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/755768\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB Power Rankings: It\u2019s time to highlight the homegrown stars who have made their mark"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every week,\u200b we\u200b ask a selected group of our baseball\u200b writers\u200b \u2014 local and national \u2014 to rank the teams from first to worst<\/a>. Here are the collective results.<\/p>\n

We are now just a few weeks out from the MLB Draft, and while it may have less buzz compared to its football counterpart<\/a>, don\u2019t mistake it as irrelevant \u2014 the picks made at this year\u2019s Rule 4 could impact many teams for years to come.<\/p>\n

Here, then, is a power rankings that reminds you of just how important the MLB Draft is to every franchise. From the best team in baseball to the worst, every single one of them has a draft pick they can point to as evidence that something is going right. Just look at some of the names on this danged list of notable draftees for every team.<\/p>\n

All stats are through Monday morning unless noted.<\/p>\n

Record: 50-29
Last Power Ranking: 1<\/p>\n

Notable draftees: Will Smith (Rd. 1, 2016)\/Dalton Rushing (Rd. 2, 2022)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a copout to list both Smith and Rushing together: It\u2019s a way to impress upon the reader that the Dodgers aren\u2019t finding everyday players in the draft \u2026 except one very, very, very important position. The Dodgers drafted Smith with the 32nd overall pick in the 2016 Draft, and his Hall of Fame-adjacent career so far has led to multiple championships. He\u2019ll probably help them get to at least one more before he\u2019s done.<\/p>\n

Whatever will the Dodgers do when Smith departs? They already know. The only other draft pick who gets regular at-bats in this lineup is Rushing, who looks like he\u2019ll be a perfect complement to Smith for years. The Dodgers don\u2019t hit on most of their draft picks, but when they do, it solves a huge organizational problem for a decade or so. Must be nice. \u2014 Grant Brisbee<\/p>\n

Record: 48-29
Last Power Ranking: 3<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Drake Baldwin (Rd. 3, 2022)<\/p>\n

No, the answer isn\u2019t Austin Riley or Michael Harris II or Bryce Elder, though they\u2019re all worthy choices. It\u2019s Dylan Dodd, of course. OK, just kidding, it\u2019s Baldwin, the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year, a third-round pick in 2022 out of Missouri State who has simply looked like a stud for every nanosecond of his big-league career. Baldwin was the fifth catcher selected in the 2022 draft, behind Kevin Parada (yet to debut for the Mets), Daniel Susac (went from the Athletics to the Giants in the Rule 5 Draft), Dalton Rushing (has made a lot of friends this season<\/a>), and Logan Tanner (the Reds switched him to pitching this year, but he has been injured). Solid pick, IMO. \u2014 Zack Meisel<\/p>\n

Record: 46-31
Last Power Ranking: 2<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Ben Rice (Rd. 12, 2021)<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a list of all the players selected before Rice in the 2021 draft: Henry Davis, Jack Leiter, Jackson Jobe, Marcelo Mayer, Colton Cowser, Jordan Lawlar, Frank Mozzicato, Benny Montgomery, Sam Bachman, Kumar Rocker \u2026 and 352 others.<\/p>\n

Yeah, Rice was the 363rd overall pick, a 12th-rounder out of Dartmouth. Matt Hyde was the scout smart enough to push for the Ivy League kid. The Yankees studied him in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, the Cape Cod League, and in a men\u2019s pickup league full of dudes twice his age, a circuit the Yankees referred to as \u201cThe Ben Rice League.\u201d Now, he\u2019s among the league leaders in home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, and he\u2019s among the primary reasons why the Yankees keep cruising without Aaron Judge<\/a>. \u2014 Meisel<\/p>\n

Record: 47-29
Last Power Ranking: 4<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Jacob Misiorowski (Rd. 2, 2022)<\/p>\n

With apologies to Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick and wins-leader Aaron Ashby, there\u2019s just nobody else here who compares. Misiorowski throws harder than anyone in the game \u2014 and maybe anyone ever, though Nolan Ryan won\u2019t say for sure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

His 1.45 ERA and 0.753 WHIP are just absurd at this point in the season, and are just two of his numbers that rank best in baseball. The others:<\/p>\n

Strikeouts: 138
FIP: 1.66
Hits\/9: 4.5
Home runs\/9: 0.4
K\/9: 13.4<\/p>\n

Not bad for a guy who wasn\u2019t even a first-round pick. It\u2019s not often one guy can make an entire league of people kick themselves. \u2014 Levi Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 43-32
Last Power Ranking: 5<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Shane McClanahan (Rd. 1, 2018)<\/p>\n

The Rays\u2019 scouting sleuths only had to travel across the Howard Frankland Bridge to find McClanahan, who attended the University of South Florida. When healthy, he\u2019s been one of the league\u2019s most proficient pitchers, with a 3.07 ERA in 88 career starts. He\u2019s rolling again for the Rays after missing the last two seasons because of elbow and triceps issues. Tampa took the lefty with the 31st overall pick in 2018, the 12th pitcher selected. Of that group \u2014 which includes Casey Mize, Ryan Weathers and Grayson Rodriguez \u2014 only Logan Gilbert and Brady Singer have piled up a higher WAR total. No one, though, has a better ERA. \u2014 Meisel<\/p>\n

Record: 42-36
Last Power Ranking: 10<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Aaron Nola (Rd. 1, 2014)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a rough season and a half for Nola, but kudos to him for making his 300th start last week, all with the Phillies. He\u2019s the only active player to make even 250 starts all with one team. (Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland is the only other pitcher with 200 or more.) The Phillies snagged Nola with the seventh pick in 2014, after Brady Aiken, Tyler Kolek, Carlos Rod\u00f3n, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Gordon and Alex Jackson. The player drafted immediately after Nola? Freeland, of course. \u2014 Meisel<\/p>\n

Why MLB’s draft proposal would be bad for baseball’s future<\/p>\n

Keith Law<\/p>\n

Record: 40-39
Last Power Ranking: 6<\/p>\n

Notable draftees: Cole Young (Rd. 1, 2022)\/Colt Emerson (Rd. 1, 2023)<\/p>\n

The Mariners have a good thing going with their double-play combo. Maybe the best of things. A double-play combo that grows together over the decades, thrilling hometown crowds with their dual-threat dynamism, is the dream of every franchise. Just ask the Tigers, who debuted shortstop Alan Trammell and second baseman Lou Whitaker in 1977, and neither one of them played for another team before retiring (Whitaker in 1995 and Trammell in 1996), winning a championship along the way.<\/p>\n

It would be an incredible feat of continuity if the Mariners can pull it off, having two Hall of Fame-worthy* middle infielders for multiple decades. That\u2019s the distant dream, and they\u2019ll settle for a couple of potential All-Star infielders until it\u2019s time to discuss such matters. It\u2019s sure been a fun start.<\/p>\n

* Justice for Sweet Lou, please.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n

Record: 40-37
Last Power Ranking: 12<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Ian Happ (Rd. 1, 2015)<\/p>\n

Unlike a lot of teams in the Central divisions, the Cubs don\u2019t have that many draft picks on their big-league roster right now. Like \u2026 four. This list is missing a big would-be contributor, with SP Cade Horton on the shelf, but right now, it\u2019s Matt Shaw, Nico Hoerner, Happ and reliever Ethan Roberts. There are some international signings to add to the \u201chomegrown\u201d list, but most of their roster has been acquired via free agency and trades.<\/p>\n

So we\u2019re going with Happ, the first-round pick in 2015, who has been this year\u2019s squad\u2019s third most valuable player by bWAR (2.0). \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 42-34
Last Power Ranking: 7<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: JJ Wetherholt (Rd. 1, 2024)<\/p>\n

The Cardinals are a somewhat surprising contender, and the rookie Wetherholt might be the biggest reason why. With the young Gold Glover Masyn Winn entrenched at shortstop, Wetherholt is on his way to becoming that most special kind of middle infielder: The incredibly overqualified second baseman. They\u2019re hard to create in laboratory conditions. They have to grow naturally, like a truffle.<\/p>\n

Once you have one, like the Cards do, you get to have Shortstop Left and Shortstop Right, while most teams are having trouble finding just one competent shortstop or second baseman. Wetherholt might be an All-Star in his rookie year. The awards should get even more impressive after that. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n

Record: 40-37
Last Power Ranking: 8<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Davis Martin (Rd. 14, 2018)<\/p>\n

There are a few really nice options for the White Sox: Sam Antonacci has been quite good (elite in one very odd aspect of the game<\/a>) and Colson Montgomery should certainly get a mention as well.<\/p>\n

But any time a 14th-round pick \u2014\u00a0who had been worth 2.5 bWAR in his first 51 games, starting in 2021 \u2014 puts up 2.8 bWAR and leads the AL with nine wins in his first 15 starts \u2026 well, you gotta pick that guy.<\/p>\n

Martin has had a couple of bumps in the road lately \u2014 nine earned runs in 3 1\/3 innings to the Yankees and six earned in 4 2\/3 in Minnesota \u2014 and he\u2019s still sporting a 3.18 ERA. That should tell you just how effective he\u2019s been for the White Sox. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 41-38
Last Power Ranking: 11<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Parker Messick (Rd. 2, 2022)<\/p>\n

My answer to this week\u2019s prompt was almost \u201cIDK man, take your pick.\u201d If the Guardians\u2019 on-field batting average were as high as their scouting department\u2019s hit rate in the draft, I think Cleveland would be the favorite to topple the Yankees in the AL in October. Look at this list of names who are currently contributing in the big leagues:<\/p>\n

Travis Bazzana \u2014\u00a0Rd. 1, 2024
Tanner Bibee \u2014\u00a0Rd. 5, 2021
Daniel Espino \u2014 Rd. 1, 2019
Hunter Gaddis \u2014 Rd. 5, 2019
Petey Halpin \u2014 Rd. 3, 2020
Tim Herrin \u2014\u00a0Rd. 29, 2018
Steven Kwan \u2014\u00a0Rd. 5, 2018
Parker Messick \u2014\u00a0Rd. 2, 2022
Daniel Schneemann \u2014 Rd. 33, 2018
Gavin Williams \u2014 Rd. 1, 2021<\/p>\n

That\u2019s 10 players out of the currently-active 26-man roster.<\/p>\n

In addition, Chase DeLauter (Rd. 1, 2022) is currently on the IL, and we haven\u2019t even mentioned Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez, Brayan Rocchio or Angel Mart\u00ednez (because this is a draft-specific column, not an International Free Agent column) or Cade Smith, since he was a non-drafted free agent in 2020.<\/p>\n

Sheesh. \u2014\u00a0Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 40-39
Last Power Ranking: 13<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Max Meyer (Rd. 1, 2020)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been an assembly line of talented Marlins starting pitchers in recent years, but injuries or trades always seem to get in the way. Sandy Alcantara won a Cy Young Award, but ever since, he\u2019s either been hurt, part of the rumor mill, or both. They dealt away Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers and Jes\u00fas Luzardo. Eury P\u00e9rez and Braxton Garrett have struggled to stay healthy. It\u2019s been difficult to enjoy one of these guys without interruption. But here comes Meyer to change that. He was the third overall pick in 2020 out of the University of Minnesota, but elbow and hip surgeries cost him time. Now, finally, he\u2019s enjoying a breakout season that should earn him an All-Star nod. \u2014 Meisel<\/p>\n

Record: 41-38
Last Power Ranking: 14<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Brad Lord (Rd. 18, 2022)<\/p>\n

Four 2022 Nationals draftees have reached the majors. Three have a negative WAR total. The fourth is Lord, Washington\u2019s 18th rounder, selected at No. 531 overall. He\u2019s been a revelation this season, covering multiple innings at a time as a reliever. Over the last two months, Lord has a 1.10 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 32 2\/3 innings. Good Lord, indeed. He\u2019s not soaking up low-leverage innings in mop-up duty, either. He\u2019s usually working the fifth, sixth, seventh and\/or eighth innings in Nationals wins \u2014 and there have been more of those than many anticipated. That\u2019s quite a find at pick No. 531. \u2014 Meisel<\/p>\n

Record: 39-39
Last Power Ranking: 9<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: The whole rotation<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t realized this until I started poking around for these rankings, but all five of the Pittsburgh Pirates\u2019 starting pitchers are guys they drafted and developed.<\/p>\n

Paul Skenes \u2014 Rd. 1, 2023
Jared Jones \u2014 Rd. 2, 2020
Mitch Keller \u2014 Rd. 2, 2014
Braxton Ashcraft \u2014 Rd. 2, 2018
Bubba Chandler \u2014 Rd. 3, 2021<\/p>\n

You could also throw in Carmen Mlodzinski, who was a first-rounder in 2020.<\/p>\n

The offense has a few options, including Jared Triolo, Nick Gonzales, and (of course) Konnor Griffin (who is currently on the IL). But as \u201cnotable\u201d goes, I think a whole rotation made of guys you drafted is pretty neat. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 40-37
Last Power Ranking: 16<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Jackson Merrill (Rd. 1, 2021)<\/p>\n

Think of all the Padres\u2019 first-round picks since the beginning of the AJ Preller era like baby turtles hatching from their beach sand-covered eggs and scrambling to the water before birds can get to them. MacKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams and Robert Hassell III were gobbled up in the Juan Soto trade. Robby Snelling got snatched away in the Tanner Scott trade. Ryan Weathers went in the Garrett Cooper trade. Xavier Edwards went for Tommy Pham.<\/p>\n

And then there was Merrill, the one they decided to keep. He\u2019s still just 23, so don\u2019t worry too much about the .636 OPS just yet; players with enough talent to make the All-Star Game when they\u2019re 21 tend to find a way back from their slumps. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n

Record: 39-39
Last Power Ranking: 18<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Trey Yesavage (Rd. 1, 2024)<\/p>\n

Could I interest you in tracing the steps back to the Blue Jays drafting Jeff Hoffman with the ninth overall pick in 2014 and then marveling at the path he took to wind up in Toronto a decade later? No? You don\u2019t want to do that? OK, fine, we\u2019ll go with Yesavage \u2014 the 20th overall pick in 2024, the darling wunderkind of the Blue Jays\u2019 run to the 2025 World Series, the all-grown-up-and-absolutely-huge little brother in a rotation full of grizzled veterans. It\u2019s been a chore at times to watch Toronto\u2019s offense this season, but Yesavage offers a reason to stay glued to the TV every five days. \u2014 Meisel<\/p>\n

Record: 38-40
Last Power Ranking: 15<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Jacob Latz (Rd. 5, 2017)<\/p>\n

The easy answer here would be potential superstar Wyatt Langford or breakout-season Josh Jung, but it\u2019s worth giving some attention to Latz, since it has taken some time for him to reach his potential.<\/p>\n

His MLB debut came as a loophole: In 2021, players were allowed to pitch in the big leagues without being officially added to the 40-man roster if there was a COVID-19 outbreak. After that weird debut, Latz went back to Triple A, and in 2022, he stayed there the whole season, posting a 5.77 ERA. He was also in Round Rock for most of 2023 at the age of 27, which is perilously close to \u201cI\u2019m not sure this guy is going to make it\u201d territory.<\/p>\n

And then\u2026<\/p>\n

2024: 3.71 ERA in 46 big-league games
2025: 2.84 ERA in 33 big-league games
2026: 1.51 ERA in 28 big-league games, so far, including 13 saves<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t get a lot of age-30 breakout seasons, but Latz has been a rock<\/a> for the Texas bullpen. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 39-39
Last Power Ranking: 17<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Corbin Carroll (Rd. 1, 2019)<\/p>\n

Carroll is exactly what teams hope for out of their first-round picks out of high school. Send them to rookie ball as teenagers, have them hit their way to Triple A within a couple years, bring them up as fresh-faced 21-year-old rookies and watch them dominate for the next decade or so.<\/p>\n

If I\u2019m an owner, I call my director of amateur scouting and president of baseball operations into a meeting, pull up Carroll\u2019s Wikipedia page, and say \u201cdo that\u201d before the draft. It\u2019s what every team is trying to do when they pick a five-tool player out of high school. The Diamondbacks have one of the best examples currently going.<\/p>\n

(I would be such an effective owner. If anyone has a spare few billion lying around, think of me.) \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n

Record: 38-40
Last Power Ranking: 22<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Tyler Soderstrom (Rd. 1, 2020)<\/p>\n

Nick Kurtz is the most impressive homegrown draftee on the Athletics\u2019 roster, of course, if only because he\u2019s one of the most impressive draftees, period, over the last decade or two. But teams cannot live on top-10 draft picks alone. They\u2019ll have to supplement them with picks that come much lower in the first round, especially if they start having any kind of success.<\/p>\n

Enter the 24-year-old Soderstrom, who was the 26th-overall pick out of Turlock High, and while it looks like his time behind the plate is over, he\u2019s already become a middle-of-the-order presence, and the shrinking gap between his walks and strikeouts augurs well for his ability to break out in an even bigger way. Teams can eventually stumble into a ready-made star like Kurtz, but they\u2019ll need consistent, quieter wins in the later half of the first round to really get the most out of the draft. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n

Record: 34-44
Last Power Ranking: 24<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Tarik Skubal (Rd. 9, 2018)<\/p>\n

If you go back to Sunday\u2019s lineup, seven of the nine Tigers hitters were acquired via the draft, with only James Outman (waivers) and Zach McKinstry (trade) as outliers. That\u2019s incredible.<\/p>\n

But, with apologies to Dillon Dingler, Kevin McGonigle, and a whole team of Tigers with slightly less funny names, how could I pick anyone but Skubal, who is the reigning back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner, and might have a chance to reshape the franchise again at this year\u2019s trade deadline?<\/p>\n

I got curious: was Skubal the most valuable pitcher ever taken in the ninth round? The answer: No, that\u2019s Jacob deGrom, who has been worth 46.5 bWAR in 263 career games over 13 years. Between deGrom and Skubal on the list sit five other pitchers:<\/p>\n

Goose Gossage (22 years)
Doyle Alexander (19 years)
Charlie Leibrandt (14 years)
Keith Foulke (11 years)
Jeff Montgomery (13 years)<\/p>\n

Skubal is in his seventh year in the big leagues. \u2014\u00a0Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 34-43
Last Power Ranking: 19<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Nolan McLean (Rd. 3, 2023)<\/p>\n

The Orioles drafted McLean with the 81st pick in 2022, but the two sides couldn\u2019t strike an agreement. The Mets were the beneficiary. He returned to Oklahoma State for another year, the Mets took him with the 91st pick, and less than two years later, he made his big-league debut<\/a>. He\u2019s looked the part ever since. The Mets have a rotation in flux, with Clay Holmes and Christian Scott injured, with Kodai Senga and David Peterson struggling and Freddy Peralta poised to be a popular trade target. At least they know they have McLean for the long haul. \u2014 Meisel<\/p>\n

Record: 31-45
Last Power Ranking: 20<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Jarren Duran (Rd. 7, 2018)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tempting to choose Payton Tolle here, but for the purpose of track records, we\u2019ll go with Duran, though who knows how much longer he\u2019ll don a Red Sox uniform. He was a seventh-round pick in 2018 \u2014 No. 220 overall \u2014 just behind a pitcher named Travis Moths, who totaled 19 2\/3 innings as a professional and never advanced past A-ball. Duran is unmistakably having a down year, but he was one of the league\u2019s most dynamic outfielders the three seasons before that. From 2023-25, he ranked second in the league in doubles and second in triples. \u2014 Meisel<\/p>\n

Record: 38-42
Last Power Ranking: 21<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Gunnar Henderson (Rd. 2, 2019)<\/p>\n

In 2019, the Orioles grabbed Adley Rutschman with the first overall pick, took Henderson with the 42nd pick, snagged Kyle Stowers at pick 71, and chose Joey Ortiz at No. 108. They used Stowers to acquire Trevor Rogers. They used Ortiz to acquire Corbin Burnes. Rutschman and Henderson have been lineup staples. Henderson, who has racked up 20.0 fWAR before his 25th birthday, is the gem. He was the 10th shortstop selected in that draft, behind Bobby Witt Jr., CJ Abrams, Keoni Cavaco, Bryson Stott, Will Wilson, Braden Shewmake, Greg Jones, Logan Davidson and Anthony Volpe. Obviously, the Royals don\u2019t regret taking Witt, and the Padres used Abrams to trade for Juan Soto. But, well, Cavaco, for instance, sputtered in A-ball and then played for the independent Chicago Dogs (and that\u2019s dog as in hot dog). \u2014 Meisel<\/p>\n

Record: 38-42
Last Power Ranking: 25<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Byron Buxton (Rd. 1, 2012)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty unusual for a team to have four first-round picks in their lineup at the same time, but that\u2019s what the Twins are doing these days, with Buxton (2012), Trevor Larnach (2018), Royce Lewis (2017) and Brooks Lee (2022). Luke Keaschall (Rd. 2, 2023) might be the answer to this question next year, should the Twins trade Buxton at this year\u2019s deadline, but for now, this is Buck\u2019s team.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just seniority that earns him the nod here, though. He\u2019s having a great year, going into Monday\u2019s game with a .925 OPS and 24 home runs. If he keeps this up, that\u2019s going to earn him some MVP votes. \u2014 Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 37-43
Last Power Ranking: 23<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Jeremy Pe\u00f1a (Rd. 3, 2018)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a reason why the Astros are comfortably under .500, looking at the homegrown draftees in their lineup is a great place to start. There\u2019s Pe\u00f1a at the top, offering a delightful combination of defensive and offensive ability. At the bottom of the lineup is often Jake Meyers, a 30-year-old 13th-rounder from 2017 with a career .672 OPS. In between them, the Astros don\u2019t have a single homegrown draftee in the lineup.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re getting contributions from draftees on the pitching side from Hunter Brown and Spencer Arrighetti, and it\u2019s not like the lineup is the team\u2019s biggest problem this year, but the conveyor belt of young talent got jammed along the way for the Astros\u2019 dynasty. Technicians are looking at it right now, but it\u2019s probably not going to be ready in time for them this season. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n

Record: 37-40
Last Power Ranking: 26<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Chase Burns (Rd. 1, 2024)<\/p>\n

Sal Stewart, Tyler Stephenson and Matt McLain are fellow first-round picks made good, but Burns has been magnificent this year, going 9-1 with a 2.00 ERA. Yeah, the NL Cy Young Award might be Jacob Misiorowski\u2019s to lose, but it looks like Burns is going to at least make The Miz earn it.<\/p>\n

How good has Burns been? His 4.2 bWAR is double that of the next-highest Red (Elly De La Cruz, 2.1). \u2014\u00a0Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 32-48
Last Power Ranking: 28<\/p>\n

Notable Draftee: Zach Neto (Rd. 1, 2022)<\/p>\n

Mike Trout is the obvious choice, a generational talent and franchise-defining superstar who was selected after 23 other teams (including the Diamondbacks twice!) passed on him. But with him on the IL and far removed from his halcyon days, let\u2019s go with Neto. You might think of him as a very good shortstop on both sides of the ball, someone who is excellent at baseball. All true, but he represents something even more important to the Angels: He\u2019s proof that the franchise doesn\u2019t destroy everything they touch.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not being glib or facetious! It\u2019s important to have a player like that, whose inherent talent remains unaffected by whatever is perpetually going on with the franchise. It\u2019s a proof of concept in the best way. The Angels can draft, develop and employ good players. Here\u2019s one. Now they just need a lot more of them. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n

Record: 33-46
Last Power Ranking: 29<\/p>\n

Notable Draftee: Bobby Witt Jr. (Rd. 1, 2019)<\/p>\n

Like many of the small-market teams, the Royals have had to rely heavily on drafted players. Most of their starting lineup comes from players they\u2019ve drafted, and I would love to zag where the entire rest of the world would zig here to point out a few draft successes (hello Carter Jensen, Jac Caglianone, Noah Cameron, Daniel Lynch IV, etc).<\/p>\n

But Witt is the franchise, and the franchise is Witt. The second overall pick of the 2019 draft is a perennial MVP candidate, and this might be the year he finally breaks through and wins it, with Aaron Judge spending time on the IL. \u2014\u00a0Weaver<\/p>\n

Record: 31-46
Last Power Ranking: 27<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Bryce Eldridge (Rd. 1, 2023)<\/p>\n

The Giants once had a run of first-round picks that was one of the best in history<\/a>. Directly after that, they had \u2026 not one of the best draft runs in history. The Giants have flailed and failed at the highest levels of the draft over the last decade, whiffing on numerous first-round picks. The best first-rounder they drafted after Joe Panik (2012) was either Heliot Ramos or Patrick Bailey, both of whom are helpful-but-limited starters.<\/p>\n

Now that Eldridge is up and doing monstrous, long-levered things, though, the Giants can fantasize about the burgeoning farm system leading them out of their current mess. If you ever need a reminder of just how important the draft is, though, look at the 2026 Giants: They exist as currently formed because they spent a decade screwing up their first-round picks. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n

Record: 31-48
Last Power Ranking: 30<\/p>\n

Notable draftee: Hunter Goodman (Rd. 4, 2021)<\/p>\n

All it takes is one. I remember going to Bat Day at Candlestick Park and spending the entire game staring at my cool-as-heck Chili Davis bat with an Atari logo on it<\/a>. The Giants would eventually lose 94 and 100 games in subsequent seasons, but I\u2019d always cheer Chili on. He was the best player a five-year-old could possibly imagine, considering his name was on an Atari bat.<\/p>\n

Goodman is that player for a young Rockies fan right now, and he\u2019s the best player in baseball to them. They\u2019re entirely correct: Goodman is the best player in baseball. To them. And that\u2019s all that matters. All it takes is one player like this to make a huge difference for the next generation. Now that you\u2019re all the way down here at the bottom, let\u2019s remember how cool it can be when even the most uncompetitive franchises nail a pick. \u2014 Brisbee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every week,\u200b we\u200b ask a selected group of our baseball\u200b writers\u200b \u2014 local and national \u2014 to rank…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":755769,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[485,495,3960,3966,3959,49,48,508,3961,3983,491,4021,490,1506,474,3962,487,3981,493,3965,462,475,3980,481,509,477,512,470,82,3982,480,3992,507,3968],"class_list":["post-755768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-arizona-diamondbacks","tag-athletics","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-baltimore-orioles","tag-boston-red-sox","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-cincinnati-reds","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-colorado-rockies","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-houston-astros","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-miami-marlins","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-mlb","tag-new-york-mets","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-seattle-mariners","tag-sports","tag-st-louis-cardinals","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-texas-rangers","tag-toronto-blue-jays","tag-washington-nationals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/755768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=755768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/755768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/755769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=755768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=755768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=755768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}