In an effort to better catalogue the history of the world’s preeminent Baseball league, the PEBA, Baseball Observers reviewed the draft classes of all 32 current franchises in an effort to select the top 5 as measured by WAR produced.  Without further ado:

Number 5: 2016, Aurora Borealis – 137.1 WAR

Unlike the other classes in the top 5, Aurora’s class of 2016 lacks one standout performer who really propelled the class to the upper echelons.  Instead, the 2016 selections and their overall production are a product of two primary drivers: four (4!) first round picks, and excellent scouting. At 1.6 the Borealis drafted CF Matthew Ferrel who would go on to have six productive seasons with Aurora before commencing a tour of the PEBA which landed him with 5 other franchises prior to retiring with the Borealis in 2032. At 1.10 the Borealis selected Catcher Miguel Angel Galvez who only appeared in 10 games for Aurora prior to being dealt, but still enjoyed a 13 season big league career (primarily with Duluth) prior to hanging up his cleats also in 2032. At 1.12 Aurora selected SP Junior Cook who spent a significant portion of his career as a reliever, but produced a couple fine seasons with San Antonio from 2023-2024 before retiring in 2025. The Borealis completed their epic first round selecting LF River Pope who ultimately became the most productive of all their selections, compiling 37.3 WAR across 13 seasons, 12 of which he spent in Aurora blue. The Borealis punctuated their most productive draft by selecting SP Eric Perkins at 2.6 who would go on to produce 13.5 WAR with 5 teams in his 9 year big league career.

Number 4: 2020, New Orleans Trendsetters – 143.8 WAR

The Trendsetters epic 2020 haul was headlined by a pair of players who would later go on to superstardom, selecting SP John Turner at 1.1 and 1B Felx Zavala 4.1.  Turner, currently in Tempe, spent 7 years in New Orleans fronting the Trendies rotation before making stops in Aurora and Amsterdam where he continued to post ace numbers.  Zavala, an unheralded choice at the time of his selection, was a mainstay in the Trendsetters lineup for 10 seasons before being dealt to Crystal Lake during the 2033 season and is enjoying something of a renaissance with Hartford as of this writing.  At 1.17 New Orleans selected LF Roberto “Poseidon” Garcia who spent 8 years in the bayou before also moving to Hartford. Not yet done, the Trendsetters selected an entire OF worth of quality in 2020, picking LF Gabe Moran in the supplemental 1st round, followed by RF Jim McIntosh at 2.16.  Perhaps most astonishingly from this enormous haul, all of the top players from the Trendsetters class remain active and it is possible – if not likely – that this group will continue to climb the ranks as a result.

Number 3: 2011, Bakersfield Bears – 156.3 WAR

An all-time haul, powered by a number of mid-round steals propelled the Bears 2011 class to the top ranks. Headlining the 2011 group was the selection of legendary Bears hurler Fred Benjamin who would go on to spend 10 seasons with the Bears winning the Golden Arm award in 2016.  Benjamin moved on to Arlington where he spent a further 6 productive seasons prior to retiring after the 2029 campaign. Benjamin’s 61.9 WAR drove this class to number 3, but beyond his second round pick, the Bears had an astonishing number of hits starting with fellow SP Cristo Santiago at 6.14.  Santiago, heralded for his longevity finally finished his playing career in 2033 following stints with five clubs (though he never appeared in Bakersfield) and racking up 37.5 WAR.  The Bears’ first round pick from 2011 was no slouch either as the club selected C Jose Cruz at 1.14 and he would go on to be the Bears primary backstop for 8 seasons prior to finishing up his career with stints in Shin Seiki, Palm Springs, and San Antonio. At 3.9 the Bears selected SP Phil Anderson and at 7.9 the team selected 3B Boyd Johnson who would combine to produce another 29.8 WAR between them (split evenly) and helped drive much of the Bears mid 2010’s success along with their fellow 2011 picks.  Top to bottom, the 2011 Bakersfield draft class was a masterpiece of scouting and depth which produced so many productive big leaguers it’s difficult to fathom in light of the seeming dearth of top-end talent in recent classes.

Number 2: 2019, Omaha Cyclones (Hartford Harpoon) – 168.9 WAR

The Cyclones crushed the 2019 draft which they kicked off by selecting perennial All-Star 3B Luis Cedeno at 1.1.  The Colombian native has proceeded to become one of the most prolific offensive forces in the PEBA’s history winning two Royal Raker awards to go along with eight All-Star game nominations.  All told, Cedeno has produced a whopping 81.7 WAR and remains among the games elite at the age of 36.  Far from finished however, the Harpoon selected SP Orlando Garcia at 2.14.  Garcia would go on to pitch 10 excellent years in the PEBA before retiring after the 2033 season and compiling 30.7 WAR.  With their other selection in the 2019 second round (also the first of the round), the Harpoon drafted the venerable 2B Mark Edwards who continues to ply his trade in the league.  Edwards, a defensive and OBP specialist, has produced a surprising 30.1 WAR during his 13 year big league career.  At 3.25 Hartford selected SP Curt Mills who had a solid, if understated big league career, but the biggest surprise by far was the Harpoon’s selection at 7.1 (159th overall) of 1B Ron Myers who has similarly continued to produce solid stat lines across 11 seasons in the PEBA.  Now a member of the WIL’s Kure Arsenal, Myers and company pushed the Hartford 2019 class – with Cedeno as the foundation – all the way to the second spot.  With a little luck, this class could surpass the league’s best of all-time….

Number 1: 2008, Tempe Knights – 180.2 WAR

No real surprise at the top of this list, the class that produced legendary SP Markus “Fireworks” Hancock checks in at number 1.  While the selection of Hancock at 1.1 steals the show – and undoubtedly powers the overall ranking given his otherworldly production of 130 WAR during his big league career – the Knights had two further, albeit less heralded hits amongst their 2008 class. At 2.1 Tempe selected pitcher Bryant Duncan who moved between the bullpen and rotation during his 15 year big league career which included three All-Star appearances and a cumulative 27.3 WAR.  Perhaps an even finer selection however ended up being Catcher Bob Keller at 1.8.  Keller, who would later go on to star for the aforementioned Borealis produced a further 27.1 WAR during his twelve year ML career which spanned four clubs and included two All-Star selections along with two All Leather awards. Cumulatively, the draft class headlined by the league’s best ever player remains number 1, but time will tell if another can unseat it.