Re-Drafting the 2010 MLB Draft Using Advanced Analytics
What Should've Happened
By way of WAR, where does Harper and other top picks rate?
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nationals | Chris Sale | LHP | 28.9 |
| 2 | Pirates | Bryce Harper | OF | 24.3 |
| 3 | Orioles | Manny Machado | 3B/SS | 23.1 |
| 4 | Royals | Matt Harvey | RHP | 14.4 |
| 5 | Indians | Christian Yelich | 1B/OF | 13.0 |
| 6 | Diamondbacks | Noah Syndergaard | RHP | 10.6 |
| 7 | Mets | Yasmani Grandal | C | 9.8 |
| 8 | Astros | Drew Pomeranz | LHP | 6.1 |
| 9 | Padres | Aaron Sanchez | RHP | 4.6 |
| 10 | Athletics | Taijuan Walker | RHP | 3.8 |
Five-time All-Star Chris Sale is the player to dethrone Harper at the top of the class. With a record of 75-51 in 151 career starts, Sale has proven himself as one of the elite pitchers. He's most known for his big strikeout numbers, which have extended past 10.0 per nine innings pitched in his seven-plus seasons in the bigs.
Then there's Harper -- a four-time All-Star, 2012 Rookie of the Year, a Silver Slugger recipient and the 2015 NL MVP. While accomplishing all this, Harper has tallied up 127 home runs and 352 RBI across 671 career games.
Harper is followed by another hard-hitter and All-Star performer in Manny Machado, who, has 107 home runs and 319 RBI in five-plus big league seasons. As a result, the star infielder has been voted to the All-Star Game three times and owns two Gold Glove Awards.
The small drop-off then leads us into two pitchers -- Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard -- and a young, proven bat in Christian Yelich. All three have a WAR of at least 10.6 in their early careers, with Harvey and Syndergaard (teammates) boasting a combined record of 55-44 and two All-Star bids between them. Yelich, on the other hand, has 45 dingers in 502 games along with one Gold Glove and one Silver Slugger.
Backstop Yasmani Grandal is a one-time All-Star and has proven himself to be more than a serviceable MLB catcher. In catching 471 games over five-plus seasons, the Cuban defector has amassed 69 homers and 217 RBI.
Drew Pomeranz, Aaron Sanchez and Taijuan Walker -- three star-potential pitchers -- round out the top 10. Although they have just two All-Star appearances between them, the three have put together 74 wins in 189 total starts. As for Sanchez, he also obtained an ERA title in 2016.
