2 pick, and now they face a tough choice between doubling down on the Tucker selection or prioritizing pitching and taking Valdez.Īs good as Tucker already is with a terrific mix of power, speed and defense, there's a strong case to be made that Valdez is the more important player to the team's success as a standout postseason performer and the new ace of the staff following the departure of Justin Verlander in free agency. We already have them re-upping their selection of Bregman with the No. 5 overall), Patrick Sandoval (11th round) and Myles Straw (12th round) while also signing pitchers Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Jose Urquidy and Enoli Paredes on the international market. The Houston Astros had a wildly successful year of adding talent to the organization in 2015, drafting Alex Bregman (No. Valdez's Actual Draft Position: International signing (HOU, $10,000) Still, his upside and impact potential makes it impossible to justify dropping him any lower than No. Of course, the PED suspension and his relatively slow start to the 2023 campaign while he shakes off the rust has to be talked about, and there's also the question of whether the Rangers spend so freely on Marcus Semien and Corey Seager had they already signed Tatis to a long-term extension. Could that have been a 50-homer campaign for the then-22-year-old if he were in Texas? That might have helped keep him healthy in 2021 when he launched an NL-leading 42 home runs, but played in only 130 games while dealing with a nagging back issue. would have made the shift to the outfield even earlier in their organization and been the answer at that spot.

The Texas Rangers have had a tough time finding stability in center field since Josh Hamilton departed in free agency, so perhaps Fernando Tatis Jr. Tatis' Actual Draft Position: International signing (CWS, $700,000) Then again, maybe Guerrero would have been the one who was included in the ill-advised deal that sent Dansby Swanson to the Atlanta Braves less than a year after he was drafted in exchange for Shelby Miller.īrian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Louis Cardinals prior to the 2019 season, and that's the same year that Guerrero made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays, so things would have lined up perfectly for continuity at the position. The D-backs traded Goldschmidt to the St. would have helped the organization avoid a step backward. However, the opportunity to replace franchise icon Paul Goldschmidt at first base with Vlad Jr.

at the top of this class, and there's really no wrong answer. The D-backs would have their pick of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. There might not be a better hypothetical redraft that includes international players to be sitting in the No. Guerrero's Actual Draft Position: International signing (TOR, $3.9 million bonus)

Angels in the city garrett leigh