Padres News: 2011 MLB Re-Draft Finds Friars Landing Current Ace

It was always meant to be

The San Diego Padres are among the teams in the league that have been fortunate with superstar after superstar. Some of that came organically through the draft, and most of it came through trades. 

This is the type of approach the front office has decided to take, and even though it hasn't panned out, the Padres remain one of the most talented teams in the league. Talent can only take you so far, but the team is banking on it. 

The draft is a great way to collect talent and build toward the future. The Padres have ignored that and have sought ready now  talent, including their righty ace Joe Musgrove. San Diego acquired Musgrove before the 2021 season and has been with the team since. He was selected in the 2011 MLB draft by the Toronto Blue Jays but never played a big league game with them and is now on his third team in eight years, but what if he was always meant to be a Padre? 

MLB expert for Bleacher Report Joel Reuter re-drafted the 2011 MLB Draft and had your Padres select the home-town kid in Musgrove with their 10th overall pick. 

 10. San Diego Padres: RHP Joe Musgrove

Actual Pick:

2B Cory Spangenberg 

Musgrove's Actual Draft Position:

No. 46 overall (Toronto Blue Jays)

Right-hander Joe Musgrove was born in El Cajon, California, 15 miles east of Petco Park, and after spending time in the Blue Jays, Astros and Pirates organizations he eventually found his way home when he was traded to the San Diego Padres prior to the 2021 season.This expedites him joining the San Diego organization by a decade, and makes him an early building block in the team's push to contend.The 30-year-old has a 3.21 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 434 strikeouts in 409.2 innings since joining the Padres, and he signed a five-year, $100 million extension last August.

It seems like it was always meant to be, no matter how you slice it. Musgrove went from Toronto to Houston to Pittsburgh and is now back home, where it all started for him. 

He joined the team 10 years later, but I guess it's better late than never. The righty ace has been great for the Friars, posting a 3.21 ERA and a 25-18 record as a starter in a loaded rotation. 

In the original draft, San Diego took second baseman Cory Spangenberg. He spent five seasons with the team and played 387 games, tallying 27 home runs, 109 RBIs, and 298 hits from 2014-2018. He then found himself in Milwaukee in 2019 and was out of the league after that season until this season, where he played one game with the St Louis Cardinals. 

Hey, you can't win them all, and the Padres ended up with their guy at the end of the day.