Thought to be a weaker than usual draft class, at least compared to the past few seasons, there was still no shortage of young potential superstars taken in the first part of the 2017 DTBL Draft. The 25th version of this pre-season ritual kicked off Thursday, March 9. The Cougars decided to start things with a Story, Trevor Story to be exact. What followed in the first round was the typical parade of youngsters, this year mostly dominated by hitters. But there were a couple intriguing pitchers selected as well. Potential tends to trump proven performance in the early stages of this league’s drafts, but that was especially the case this year as a player who will likely start the season in the minors was among the first five players taken. I don’t recall that ever happening before. Here’s a recap of how the first round went down.
The Cougars kicked things off with perhaps the surest thing among this DTBL rookie class. A year ago at this time, Trevor Story was earning his spot as the Rockies starting shortstop, despite not yet having made his MLB debut. It didn’t take long for him to make an impression though. He cruised his way through his first four months in the big leagues, slugging 27 home runs with 72 RBI and a .272 average. He appeared to be a lock for the NL Rookie of the Year award. But then he tore a ligament in his thumb and missed the final two months of the season. Nonetheless, he appears to be a safe bet as a major power contributor at a premium position playing in the hitters paradise in Denver. He was pretty close to a no-brainer selection for the Cougars who finished dead last in homers last year.
The Jackalope followed by selecting another slugger who wasted no time making an impression in the big leagues. Despite not making his season debut until August, catcher Gary Sanchez slugged his way to being the runner up for AL Rookie of the Year. In just 53 games, Sanchez hit 20 home runs while posting a .299 average. Sanchez should immediately become one of the best fantasy catchers in the league, and considering how shallow the talent pool is at that position, could be irreplaceable for the Jackalope for some time to come. Sanchez going second was easily the earliest selection of a catcher since Buster Posey was the first overall pick in 2011.
On paper, this appeared to be a hitter heavy draft, with no pitchers as obvious selections at the top of the draft. But the Gators were in serious need of pitching help and believe they found a potential ace in Aaron Sanchez. Sanchez is technically not a DTBL rookie, having debuted as a relief pitcher for the Naturals in 2015. But last year was his first chance to earn his stripes as a starter and it went quite well. He won 15 games with a 3.00 ERA, marks that exceeded all Gators starters last year. He will join Jose Quintana in hopes of improving the league’s worst pitching staff of a season ago.
Like Sanchez, the fourth overall selection is also not a DTBL rookie. The Moonshiners picked shortstop Jonathan Villar, who prior to 2016 had been a fantasy and real-life afterthought. The Brewers picked him up from the Astros in exchange for a low level minor leaguer. In Villar’s three seasons in Houston, he hit a total of 10 home runs and never topped 18 steals in a season. Then he showed up in Milwaukee and slugged 19 homers with a MLB leading 62 stolen bases in 2016. From cast-off to one of the most valuable fantasy players in the entire league. It is hard to know for sure if last season was the new normal for Villar, but if he even comes close to reaching those numbers again, this will be a great pick by the Moonshiners. Villar went hitless in 17 at bats for the Naturals way back in 2014, yet he is still just 25 years old.
The fifth pick was unquestionably the biggest risk/reward selection of the first round. The Naturals went with the White Sox newly acquired phenom Yoan Moncada. A third baseman for this season, he will likely shift to 2B in the future. Moncada was the main piece of the winter blockbuster that sent Chris Sale from Chicago to Boston. For service time and development reasons, Moncada is unlikely to begin the season in the majors. But he is regarded as either the best or second best prospect in the game, depending on the publication. He has impressive power and speed, making him an incredibly intriguing fantasy asset. The Naturals have had success with taking chances on top prospects. Just last year, they took Trea Turner despite knowing he would begin the year in the minors. That certainly paid off. Of course, that was an eighth round pick, not fifth overall. So there is tremendous risk with this selection as well, but the payoff could be huge.
The next two picks were guys with similar lofty prospect pedigrees to Moncada, but who have proven themselves a little more in the big leagues. The Darkhorses were probably extremely surprised to be able to draft third baseman Alex Bregman with the sixth pick in the draft. Although not a position of need for them, Bregman’s talent was far too enticing to pass up. Despite getting off to a very rough start upon promotion, Bregman rebounded nicely to hit .264 with eight homers and 34 RBI in just 49 games. He figures to anchor the hot corner for the Darkhorses and Astros for some time to come.
While many publications have Moncada ranked as the top prospect in baseball, others give the nod to his former Red Sox teammate, outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Benintendi can flat out hit. He had a solid big league debut, which led to him being a starter for the Red Sox in the post-season, just a month into his big league career. The Mavericks will add him to their impressive stable of young talent.
The eighth pick featured the second pitcher of the draft. The Choppers selected Royals lefty Danny Duffy. Duffy was once a highly touted prospect, but had only a modest track record before last season. But he is now the unquestioned ace of the Royals staff. He struck out 188 batters in 180 innings with an impressive 3.51 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. The Choppers now lay claim to three of the best left-handed pitchers in baseball: Duffy, Chris Sale and Jon Lester.
The first round of the previous two DTBL drafts featured three Cubs. This year, just one. With the ninth pick, the Demigods took Cubs catcher Willson Contreras. Contreras also started hitting immediately upon promotion. He hit .282 with 12 home runs in 76 games. He immediately earned regular time, both behind the plate and in the outfield, for a team loaded with talent. He will join Buster Posey to create an enviable catching duo for the Demigods.
The Kings ended the first round the way it started, with a Rockie. The defending champions selected outfielder David Dahl. Dahl was a candidate to be selected earlier in the round, but probably fell a bit due to a rib injury that he continues to nurse. He will almost certainly begin the season on the disabled list. However, it is hard to pass up on a power/speed guy who plays half his games in Colorado. Dahl hit .315 with seven home runs and five stolen bases in 63 big league games.
There were not any trades involving first round picks, but there was one deal completed during the first round and two more in the second. Here is a brief summary of those deals. The Kings traded promising young outfielder Gregory Polanco to the Moonshiners for established star third baseman Kyle Seager. The primary motivation for the Kings was to clear a bit of space in their crowded outfield (and eventually led to their interest in picking Dahl) while acquiring a proven commodity at a weak spot on their roster. Meanwhile, the Moonshiners added a much needed potential young star in Polanco. He and Villar could immediately become their best offensive players.
The Moonshiners were not done dealing, however. They also sent their long time star second baseman Ian Kinsler to the Jackalope for a second round pick (12th overall). That pick was used to select promising young closer Edwin Diaz. Kinsler spent ten impressive years with the Moonshiners and will now help solidify the Jackalope middle infield.
Finally, the third trade of the early portion of the draft sent Odubel Herrera from the Naturals to the Demigods for the Demigods’ second round pick (19th overall). The Naturals used that pick on shortstop Jose Peraza. Herrera gives the Demigods another power/speed guy who fills a major need for outfield depth.
In summary, the first round featured eight DTBL rookies, two who still have MLB rookie eligibility (Moncada and Benintendi), and nine guys who are 25 or younger (all but Duffy). While there may not have been as many top level certain superstars in this draft, there was still an impressive infusion of young talent.