Posted by Steve
The draft is just a few days away, so I’ve been reading up on draft stuff. Along the way I looked back at the 2005 draft, which could go down as one of the greatest drafts in MLB history, at least as far as first rounds are concerned. The 2005 Draft was probably the most I’ve ever followed a draft. I remember watching it online, praying there was some way Alex Gordon might fall to the Brewers at number five. Pretty funny to think about now, considering Braun should go down as the best or second best player from this draft. Here’s a glance at some of the players taken in the first round.
1. Justin Upton
2. Alex Gordon
3. Jeff Clement
4. Ryan Zimmerman
5. Ryan Braun
Might as well pause right here for a minute. Wow, look at that top five! It seems likely that at least three of those players will be/are superstars. Braun is already there. If Zimmerman isn’t, he should be soon–I’d choose him as the starting NL third baseman. Justin Upton is having his breakout season and is still only 21–he could be a transcendent hitter. Alex Gordon is the only one you could call mildly disappointing, and he still seems like he’ll be a good hitter. Jeff Clement is still Seattle’s number one prospect and was Baseball America’s number 48 prospect in baseball. He’s owning AAA. I imagine he’ll be up in Seattle this season.
That’s an outstanding top five, but take a look at the other good/useful players to come out of the first round.
6. Ricky Romero
7. Troy Tulowitzki
9. Michael Pelfrey
10. Cameron Maybin
11. Andrew McCutchen
12. Jay Bruce
13. Brandon Snyder (Blowing up in AA this year)
15. Lance Broadway
16. Chris Volstad
21. Cliff Pennington
23. Jacoby Ellsbury
25. Matt Garza
27. Joey Devine
That’s 18 players right there, and there are a few more who could still regain prospect status or become solid big leaguers. That’s pretty incredible.
Aside from being a great first round for MLB, it was undoubtedly an A+ for Jack Z and the Brewers. Take a look at the players the Brewers drafted in 2005. Keep in mind GMs and scouting directors often say a successful draft is one that yields one good MLB player, and anything more than two is considered a great draft.
Round 1: Ryan Braun
What more to say here? Braun will be an MVP candidate the next several years. The Brewers lucked out a bit here. If the 2005 draft was re-picked, Braun would probably be the first pick overall, so having him fall to fifth was fortunate. It’s also unlikely that the Brewers would have taken him with the top pick at the time, so like I said, luck had a hand it it.
Round 3 (No round 2 choice): Will Inman
Interesting that Will Inman has plateaued since being traded to the Padres for Scott Linebrink. While Linebrink wasn’t anything great, he brought two comp picks. You could argue the Brewers traded Inman at the perfect time, as his value was peaked as the Brewers number two pitching prospect behind Yo Gallardo at the time of the trade.
Round 4: Mat Gamel
Brewerfan Power 50 Ranking: 1
Pretty incredible that the Brewers could get Mat Gamel and Ryan Braun in the same draft. Regardless of his position, Gamel will be an impact hitter.
Round 7: Michael Brantley
Brantley was another great pick. He profiled as a future leadoff hitter for the Brewers before being included as the second big piece in the CC Sabathia deal. He was a top 10 prospect in the Brewers’ system at the time of the trade.
Round 8: Jemile Weeks
It’s too bad they couldn’t get Rickie’s little brother signed, but as far as talent, they got great value in this pick. Weeks played college ball at Miami for three years and turned himself into a first round pick for Oakland last year.
Round 18: Zach Braddock
Brewerfan Power 50 Ranking: 10
Braddock is the number two pitching prospect in the Brewers’ system, and the way things are going for Jeffress this season, Braddock might move up to number one pretty soon. He’s been limited to only 12 and a third innings this season, but he has 22 strikeouts and two walks.
Round 25: Taylor Green
Brewerfan Power 50 Ranking: 8
Cleveland had the choice of either Brantley or Green as the PTBNL in the Sabathia trade, and they chose Brantley. Green would have been equally tough to lose. He doesn’t have a ton of power, but he is a good contact hitter with a patient eye. He will very likely be a major leaguer.
That’s seven players who either seem likely to be solid major leaguers (and obviously more in some cases) or helped the Brewers add value in a trade. Pretty amazing.
