FAVORITE DAY ONE DRAFTS (Multiple Picks)

Toronto Blue Jays

• RHP Deck McGuire | RHP Aaron Sanchez | RHP Noah Syndergaard | RHP Asher Wojciechowski

Tampa Bay Rays

• OF Josh Sale | C Justin O’Conner | OF Drew Vettleson

Boston Red Sox

• 2B Kolbrin Vitek | OF Bryce Brentz | RHP Anthony Ranaudo

Detroit Tigers

• 3B Nick Castellanos | RHP Chance Ruffin

Colorado Rockies

• OF Kyle Parker | RHP Peter Tago

I know it’s probably a mistake to assume each player will have a successful big league career, but I have a hard time looking at Toronto’s quartet of righthanders and not seeing at least two above-average starting pitchers and one dominant reliever. A success rate like that would have the brains behind the Blue Jays thrilled. Tampa and Boston went in totally different directions, but achieved similarly fantastic results. The Rays added three plus prep bats (Sale and O’Conner were both at the top of their respective positions within the prep class) while the Red Sox took two advanced college hitters and a potential top of the rotation collegiate starting pitcher. I’ve noted the similarities between Vitek and Brentz in this space on more than one occasion, so it’s funny to see the two of them wind up with the same big league franchise. Now the question will be whether or not the two ever share the same outfield at Fenway or if Boston gives Vitek an honest shot at sticking in the infield. I don’t love the Ruffin pick by the Tigers (spending a top 50 pick on a college reliever without a dominant pitch?), but the upside of Castellanos more than makes up for it. Will he sign? What are his demands? Is it really possible for the Tigers to get this late in the draft without drafting a fireballing righthanded pitcher? So many questions, precious few answers. Actually, to go back to Ruffin for a minute, armed with the knowledge that fast tracking him in the bullpen would always be there as a safety net, I’d seriously consider giving him a shot in the rotation first. Colorado went for some serious upside with their first two selections. Parker in the Coors Field outfield is a scary thought, but it’s possible he was drafted with the idea he’d follow in Todd Helton’s footsteps at first after his contract is up. I’ve got a really strong intuitive feeling with Parker, but I’ve been wrong before so who knows. Tago had a first round grade from me, so picking him up earns the Rockies big points in my book.

FAVORITE DAY ONE 2010 MLB DRAFTS (One and Done)

Pittsburgh Pirates

• RHP Jameson Taillon

San Diego Padres

• RHP Karsten Whitson

Minnesota Twins

• RHP Alex Wimmers

Chicago White Sox

• LHP Chris Sale

Cincinnati Reds

• C Yasmani Grandal

Milwaukee Brewers

• RHP Dylan Covey

I wouldn’t normally give a team credit for taking the second best player in the draft with the second overall pick, but Pittsburgh did the absolute right thing by taking Taillon over Machado or the mystery college pitcher they were considering. Every other pick listed above represents the best value for the spot in the round that each team could have conceivably imagined heading into draft day. I’d argue the biggest winner of the group is Chicago taking Sale at 13. That’s some serious value.

LEAST FAVORITE DAY ONE 2010 MLB DRAFTS (Multiple Picks)

Los Angeles Angels

• 3B Kaleb Cowart | RHP Cameron Bedrosian | OF Chevy Clarke | SS Taylor Lindsey | OF Ryan Bolden

Texas Rangers

• OF Jake Skole | C Kellin Deglan | RHP Luke Jackson | 3B Mike Olt

Houston Astros

• 2B Delino DeShields | RHP Mike Foltynewicz | C Michael Kvasnicka

I’m a big Bedrosian supporter, but the other four players drafted by the Angels all have big enough question marks to give me pause. I should probably give them the benefit of the doubt after snagging Mike Trout (a player I was not very high on) with their first pick last year, but their choices just didn’t seem to follow any kind of logical pattern to me. Texas did what they had to do because of their tight finances, but that’s a relatively weak haul on paper. The Astros continue to confound me with their draft day choices. They followed through on their desire to build up the middle defensively with the addition of DeShields, but I’ve got a hunch this pick will be remembered in much the same way Buffalo’s selection of Donte Whitner is held up as an unnecessary overdraft. That may not be the best example, but it’s the first that came to mind. Sorry, Bills fans. Anyway, the comparison may not even be fair because you have to believe the Astros had some kind of insider knowledge that another team was hot on DeShields in the middle of the first. Or not. You’re call. Either way, weird pick. Kvasnicka, too. A great deal of his value is tied up in his becoming a regular catcher, something that Houston probably hopes never happens on their watch with Jason Castro in the pipeline.

LEAST FAVORITE DAY ONE 2010 MLB DRAFTS (One and Done)

New York Yankees

• SS Cito Culver

Arizona Diamondbacks

• RHP Barret Loux

Chicago Cubs

• RHP Hayden Simpson

Florida Marlins

• 1B/OF Christian Yelich

San Francisco Giants

• OF Gary Brown

None of the above picks are “bad” per se, they are just some of my least favorites. That’s a tiny disctinction to some, but it means a lot to me. Culver and Simpson will both go down as examples of extreme overdrafts and rightfully so; a potential defensive-first utility player and an above-average big league reliever should not be targeted in the first round of the draft. Loux will forever be compared with similarly talented (and, presumably, priced) righthanded college pitching prospects like Jesse Hahn, Addison Reed, and Asher Wojchiechowski.  I need a plus bat out of a prep 1B/corner OF, and Christian Yelich just doesn’t have it. Brown started the year as one of my favorite semi-sleeper prospects (I thought for a long time he might go within spitting distance of his more publicized teammate, Christian Colon), but somehow managed to turn me off while hitting .438. Go figure. It’s just so darn hard finding any amateur prospect with a walk rate as low as Brown’s having any kind of sustained big league success. He could be a major outlier as the rare no patience/little power player to succeed professionally, but that’s not something I’m willing to bet a first round pick on finding out.

Complete listing of supplemental first round selections after the jump…

1s.33 Houston – C Mike Kvasnicka

1s.34 Toronto – RHP Aaron Sanchez

1s.35 Atlanta – SS Mike Lipka

1s.36 Boston – OF Bryce Brentz

1s.37 Los Angeles Angels – SS Taylor Lindsey

1s.38 Toronto – RHP Noah Syndergaard

1s.39 Boston – RHP Anthony Ranaudo

1s.40 Los Angeles Angels – OF Ryan Bolden

1s.41 Toronto – RHP Asher Wojciechowski

1s.42 Tampa – OF Drew Vettleson

1s.43 Seattle – RHP Taijuan Walker

1s.44 Detroit – 3B Nick Castellanos

1s.45 Texas – RHP Luke Jackson

1s.46 St. Louis – RHP Seth Blair

1s.47 Colorado – RHP Peter Tago

1s.48 Detroit – RHP Chance Ruffin

1s.49 Texas – 3B Mike Olt

1s.50 St. Louis – RHP Tyrell Jenkins