All that said, I’m just going on a bit of a light dive here. There’s always more to note, and this piece is not intended to be comprehensive research by any measure. Enjoy!
The First Round
First, some interesting facts:
Madison employs five 2029 first round picks: DH Pablo Garza, RF Taki Takata, SP Ed Williams (AAA), RP Rick Bradley, and 2B Steve Overgaag. Garza is the obvious prize, having accrued the most 2nd most career WAR (16.
of anyone in this draft, and the 2nd most JAWS score of all. Top honors for both belong to Kalamazoo’s SP John Ross (18.0, 18.6).Of the 25 players selected in round one, 1 has retired (R1P25 SP Larry Hicks, whom I traded for, bleh) and 1 is out of a job (R1P16, ex-Statesmen C Charley Van Der Kamp).
11 position players were selected, with Garza (R1P2) being the first selected, compared to 14 pitchers.
Five players are stuck in AAA, while 18 are currently on PEBA rosters.
The only of four players selected by Yuma in the first round to ever play an inning of baseball for them is SS Sean Saunders. He played one game in 2033 and went 0-2.
Who was the best talent to come out of this draft?
It’s hard to choose between Garza (16.8 career WAR), Ross (18.0 WAR), and Toyoma’s C Kevin Newton (13.6 WAR) as the most productive to date, but perhaps the best overall pick was 8th overall pick SP Shou Saitou. The Okinawa Shisa rookie seems to have the moon as his ceiling, with OSA rating him as one of only 17 SPs in PEBA with 5 star potential. Having born witness to his recent shutdown of an otherwise hot Niihama offense, I think OSA may be onto something.
Were there any steals? Late round miracles?
Absolutely. Again working off OSA ratings, San Juan’s Tetsuzan Shimada, their first selection of the draft at R4P92, looks like he should be an all-star level SP. At age 27 and in his third season, he’s a little tardy in his production. He’s only earned 1.6 WAR in 69 career starts, and now he’s out with a torn UCL. Still, his stuff is excellent and he should enjoy a long, industrious career. Similarly, Niihama’s own SP Anthony MacDonald (by way of Palm Springs, R3P74), is a promising 24-year-old SP in his sophomore season. He, too, has yet to produce much, having only earned 1.2 WAR in 58 career starts. Still, his four pitch arsenal is excellent, and he should feature enough control and movement to bring his HR and BB totals down a bit while figuring out how to most effectively utilize that bag of tricks. Three picks later, R3P77, Gloucester’s CL Robert Giles (by way of the Rule 5 draft), was selected by New Orleans. With a 2.85 ERA and 1.1 WAR 53.2 innings into his rookie season, he’s living up to the OSA billing. Bakersfield’s RP Zak Newman (R4P2, AMA) has been electric in his 3rd season: 0.78 WHIP, 1.75 ERA, 11.8 K/9 in 47 appearances.
On the position player side of things, SS Shane George has debuted for Bakersfield (drafted R4P111 by Yuma) and has earned 2.0 WAR while helping the Bears to a resurgent season with his outstanding glove (4.5 ZR, 1.032 EFF) and average bat (100 OPS+). SS Sam Olson out of Kalamazoo (R3P75) is a similar story in his third season (2.6 WAR, 100 OPS+). 1B Tracy Young (R4P97) of San Juan has hit 18 HRs on the year, posting a 119 OPS+ in his 4th season.
What about really late round steals?
Yuma selected SP Paul Watts at R12P342. Since being traded to WV and then lost to Tempe via Rule 5 (after a 6.2 WAR season in AA no less), Watts skipped AAA and debuted at the tender age of 27 for the Knights. He’s holding his own with a 3.89 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 1.7 WAR through 27 starts.
RP Greg Simon was drafted R10P9 by Charleston, but was released 12 days later. Subsequently signed by San Juan, Simon worked his way through that system and debuted in May this season. He’s struggling a bit, but who expects a 10th round pick to make it at all?
C Rakiki Abe, originally R11P291, was drafted and quickly released by Toyoma. He then signed with Kentucky, and has since made 121 starts, earning 1.5 WAR with a collective 105 OPS+. If you’re looking for a solid switch-hitting catcher, Kentucky currently has him stashed in AAA, and you could do far worse.
OF/DH Wilton Lewis went undrafted in 2028 and was then drafted R15P433 by Manchester. He was released 11 days later, but in the throes of regret, was re-signed nearly a year later by Manchester. He was then selected in the 2034 Rule 5 by Charleston, only to be released in June and return, once more, to the Maulers. All that bouncing around, and at age 28, he finally picked up a bat with a Maulers uniform on. He’s appeared in 34 games this season and amassed a 157 OPS+, hitting 8 HRs and drawing 16 BBs in 93 PAs.
Last one I’ll mention: Mr. Irrelevant, at least the apparent Mr. Irrelevant as he’s the last listed remaining non-overwritten player, may be anything but irrelevant. He is listed as R25P454(!), but OSA rates him at 2.5 stars as a 3B. Tristan MacComie of the Statesmen is currently playing for their AAA affiliate, putting in long hours, and earned 0.7 WAR this season.
And who was the worst selection?
That’s a very subjective call, but it’s hard not to look at the retired Larry Hicks or the unemployed van der Kamp as the worst busts. #1 overall selection SP Jose Tojeira, selected ahead of elite talents like Garza, Ross, Newton, and Saitou, is also a candidate. Not because he’s bad – he’s not, having earned 3.6 WAR so far this season – but for the opportunity cost. Another candidate is #5 overall selection, 1B Kyushichi Ohayasho. He certainly looks anything but elite for Reno after earning a 2032 all-star bid, but at least he still plays solid defense. OF Forrest Aldridge, R1P21, has earned -0.8 career WAR to date, while 24-year-old retiree CL Damon Williamson earned -3.8 WAR despite being R2P31, though perhaps that figure is a bit unfair given that he was thrust to the PEBA level at age 19 by the Maulers via the Rule 5 draft, bringing about his age 20 retirement.
Which Organization Has Enjoyed the Most Production from the 2029 Class?