Who Would the Yankees Pick When Redrafting the Star-Studded 2010 MLB Draft?
A decade later, the 2010 MLB Draft class still stands as one of the best of all time.
To go along with the No. 1 overall selection Bryce Harper, stars drafted include Jacob deGrom, Manny Machado, Chris Sale and Christian Yelich, to name a few.
Looking back, the Yankees missed out on a star-studded class. New York picked Cito Culver with the club's lone first-round selection (32nd overall). Culver has yet to make his big-league debut, last seen in the Marlins' system two years ago. He's a career .231 hitter in the Minor Leagues.
In honor of the 2020 MLB Draft – albeit a shortened version – starting on Wednesday, Sports Illustrated's Emma Baccellieri went back in time to redraft much of the first round from 2010.
Here's how the first 15 picks look in her analysis (which you can read in full by clicking here):
| Pick Number | Team | Actual Pick | Redraft Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Washington Nationals | Bryce Harper | Chris Sale (Actual: #13, Chicago White Sox) |
2 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Jameson Taillon | Bryce Harper (Actual: #1, Washington Nationals) |
3 | Baltimore Orioles | Manny Machado | Christian Yelich (Actual: #23, Miami Marlins) |
4 | Kansas City Royals | Christian Colon | Manny Machado (Actual: #3, Baltimore Orioles) |
5 | Cleveland Indians | Drew Pomeranz | Jacob deGrom (Actual: #272, New York Mets) |
6 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Barret Loux | Yasmani Grandal (Actual: #12, Cincinnati Reds) |
7 | New York Mets | Matt Harvey | Andrelton Simmons (Actual: #70, Atlanta Braves) |
8 | Houston Astros | Delino DeShields, Jr. | Noah Syndergaard (Actual: #38, Toronto Blue Jays) |
9 | San Diego Padres | Karsten Whitson | J.T. Realmuto (Actual: #104, Miami Marlins) |
10 | Oakland Athletics | Michael Choice | Adam Eaton (Actual: #561, Arizona Diamondbacks) |
11 | Toronto Blue Jays | Deck McGuire | Matt Harvey (Actual: #7, New York Mets) |
12 | Cincinnati Reds | Yasmani Grandal | James Paxton (Actual: #134, Seattle Mariners) |
13 | Chicago White Sox | Chris Sale | Whit Merrifield (Actual: #268, Kansas City Royals) |
14 | Milwaukee Brewers | Dylan Covey | Kevin Kiermaier (Actual: #941, Tampa Bay Rays) |
15 | Texas Rangers | Jake Skole | Joc Pederson (Actual: #352, Los Angeles Dodgers) |
Not a bad group, right?
Another reason this draft is so memorable, beyond the star power at the top of the first round, is the amount of proven big leaguers that were taken throughout. Players that may not win any individual awards, could make an All-Star Game or two at their peak performance, but have proven themselves as solid contributors in an everyday role.
There's still another 16 picks to go before the Yankees are on the clock.
That said, here are some of the names that would've been called to fill out the first round when redrafting the 2010 MLB Draft (in descending order of when they were initially selected in '10):
- Jameson Taillon (#2 Pirates)
- Drew Pomeranz (#5, Indians)
- Delino DeShields (#8, Astros)
- Mike Foltynewicz (#19, Astros)
- Aaron Sanchez (#34, Blue Jays)
- Nicholas Castellanos (#44, Tigers)
- Jedd Gyorko (#59, Padres)
- Drew Smyly (#68, Tigers)
- Eddie Rosario (#135, Twins)
- Kevin Gausman (#202, Dodgers)
- Mark Canha (#227, Marlins)
- Kole Calhoun (#264, Angels)
- Corey Dickerson (#260, Rockies)
- Adam Duvall (#348, Giants)
- Robbie Ray (#356, Nationals)
- Evan Gattis (#704, Braves)
That's not even mentioning the players that were selected, but didn't sign. With a different team, and higher pick, who knows if the likes of Jon Gray, Michael Lorenzen, Hunter Renfroe or even Aaron Judge would have committed in 2010 rather than becoming a first-round selection years later.
You'll notice, none of the 31 players listed so far were initially taken by the Yankees. The best picks from New York that year, in terms of Major League production, were either first baseman Tyler Austin, outfielder Ben Gamel or right-hander Tommy Kahnle (who is now a Bronx Bomber, but played much of his first four big-league seasons elsewhere).
So, who's left for New York then?
If the Yankees aren't able to secure one of the aforementioned ballplayers in this hypothetical redraft, here's a small pool of picks they would've likely picked from at No. 32:
- Taijuan Walker (#43, Mariners)
- Brandon Workman (#57, Red Sox)
- Jimmy Nelson (#54, Brewers)
- Niko Goodrum (#71, Twins)
- Derek Dietrich (#79, Rays)
- Tommy Kahnle (#175, Yankees)
- Cody Allen (#480, Indians)
Who would you choose? Picture Allen or Kahnle in the Bombers' 'pen for the last seven-or-so years. Dietrich's lefty power stroke could've taken full advantage of the short porch at Yankee Stadium...
New York has the No. 28 selection in the 2020 MLB Draft. The organization will make its lone first-round selection on Wednesday night. For more MLB Draft content from Inside The Pinstripes, here are a few related pieces from this week:
- Yankees' Biggest MLB Draft Misses of the 2010s
- NFL Stars the Yankees Have Selected in MLB Draft
- Breaking Down the Best No. 28 Picks in MLB Draft History
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For more from Max Goodman, follow him on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. Follow ITP on Twitter @SI_Yankees and Facebook @SIYankees
