2014 MLB redraft: Astros land Trea Turner
With the 2024 MLB Draft beginning Sunday, theScore looks back a decade and redrafts the first round from the 2014 event.
1. Houston Astros
Actual pick: Brady Aiken, LHP
Our pick: Trea Turner, SS
The Astros already had an elite shortstop in 2014 after selecting Carlos Correa two years prior. Picking Turner, who has amassed 39.5 fWAR throughout his career, would have given Houston one of the top infields in baseball, with Correa likely shifting to third base and Jose Altuve manning second. That trio would have been a nightmare for opposing clubs to face and likely would have caused the Astros to pass on Alex Bregman in the 2015 draft.
2. Miami Marlins
Actual pick: Tyler Kolek, RHP
Our pick: Aaron Nola, RHP
It's possible Nola, who's won 100 games and thrown more than 1,500 innings for the Phillies, could have pitched for someone else in the NL East. Instead, the Marlins used the second overall pick on Texas high schooler Kolek, who never pitched in the majors and was out of baseball by 2019. Nola was scooped up by the Phillies five picks later.
3. Chicago White Sox
Actual pick: Carlos Rodón, LHP
Our pick: Logan Webb, RHP
Rodón has had a nice career, finishing top-six in Cy Young voting twice and throwing a no-hitter, but Webb is the superior pitcher. The 27-year-old has established himself as one of baseball's top hurlers over the past four seasons, amassing the third-most innings pitched, fifth-most fWAR, and third-lowest FIP among qualified starters.
4. Chicago Cubs
Actual pick: Kyle Schwarber, C
Our pick: Kyle Schwarber, C
We have to agree with the Cubs' pick at four. Schwarber hit 121 homers and posted an .816 OPS for Chicago while playing a big role in its 2016 World Series win. He's since become a fixture in Philadelphia, with consecutive seasons of 46-plus homers in 2022 and 2023.
5. Minnesota Twins
Actual pick: Nick Gordon, SS
Our pick: Matt Chapman, 3B
Since 2014, the Twins' top performer at third base has been Eduardo Escobar, who amassed 9.2 fWAR at the hot corner during his Minnesota tenure. Things could have been a lot different in the Land of 10,000 Lakes had the Twins selected Chapman, a four-time Gold Glove and two-time Platinum Glove winner, instead of Gordon, who hasn't lived up to expectations and is currently on the Marlins.
6. Seattle Mariners
Actual pick: Alex Jackson, OF
Our pick: Dylan Cease, RHP
Cease, a high schooler, didn't come into his own until 2021, meaning the Mariners could have had another stud arm in their already impressive rotation. Instead, they selected Jackson, an outfielder-turned-catcher who owns a .406 OPS in 99 career games.
7. Philadelphia Phillies
Actual pick: Aaron Nola, RHP
Our pick: Carlos Rodón, LHP
With Nola off the board, the Phillies could have grabbed Rodón, who would have been the best starting option available at this point in the draft had he not already been picked.
8. Colorado Rockies
Actual pick: Kyle Freeland, LHP
Our pick: Michael Conforto, OF
Conforto had a solid career with the Mets before moving to the Giants, but who knows what kind of numbers he would have put up playing most of his games at Coors Field, where he's posted a career .330/.415/.510 slash line with nine extra-base hits and 13 RBIs in 28 games.
9. Toronto Blue Jays
Actual pick: Jeff Hoffman, RHP
Our pick: Brandon Woodruff, RHP
Hoffman never blossomed into a top-of-the-rotation starter like the Blue Jays hoped, although he did just make the All-Star team as a reliever. They could have had Woodruff, owner of two All-Star appearances and a career 3.10 ERA, here instead.
10. New York Mets
Actual pick: Michael Conforto, OF
Our pick: Jordan Montgomery, LHP
Montgomery started his career in New York but could have pitched in Queens instead of the Bronx. The southpaw could have provided the Mets with a dependable innings-eater from the left side. New York's best left-handed starters since 2014 have been Steven Matz, David Peterson, and Jonathon Niese.
11. Toronto Blue Jays
Actual pick: Max Pentecost, C
Our pick: Jack Flaherty, RHP
The Blue Jays missed by selecting Pentecost, who never played in the majors and hasn't suited up since 2018. Flaherty, meanwhile, has had some dominant campaigns when healthy, including this season's career-high 11.6 K/9 and career-low 3.06 FIP.
12. Milwaukee Brewers
Actual pick: Kodi Medeiros, LHP
Our pick: Justin Steele, LHP
Steele has blossomed into a Cy Young contender, finishing fifth for the NL version of the award last season. Medeiros has never appeared in the majors, owning a 4.91 ERA in 179 minor-league games.
13. San Diego Padres
Actual pick: Trea Turner, SS
Our pick: Rhys Hoskins, 1B
With Turner off the board, the Padres could have landed a slugging first baseman in Hoskins, who has 161 career round-trippers and 448 RBIs.
14. San Francisco Giants
Actual pick: Tyler Beede, RHP
Our pick: Jordan Romano, RHP
Beede hasn't amounted to much and continues to bounce around organizations, while Romano turned himself into one of the game's best closers with 105 career saves and 11.2 career K/9.
15. Los Angeles Angels
Actual pick: Sean Newcomb, LHP
Our pick: Alex Verdugo, OF
Newcomb didn't pitch a game for the Angels, who traded him to the Braves in a 2015 deal for Andrelton Simmons. Verdugo, who was also part of a big swap involving Mookie Betts, has proven to be a reliable big-league outfielder thanks to a .757 career OPS.
16. Arizona Diamondbacks
Actual pick: Touki Toussaint, RHP
Our pick: Mitch Keller, RHP
Toussaint, like the aforementioned Newcomb, never pitched a game for the team that drafted him. Arizona flipped him to the Braves in 2015. The D-Backs could have had Keller, a one-time All-Star, who's been pretty good in his age-26-28 seasons.
17. Kansas City Royals
Actual pick: Brandon Finnegan, LHP
Our pick: Lane Thomas, OF
Thomas has become a 20-20-caliber player who could have manned the outfield for the Royals and potentially fast-tracked their rebuild following the 2015 World Series win. Finnegan, who appeared in the 2014 World Series months after getting drafted, hasn't pitched in the majors since 2018 and currently plays independent ball.
18. Washington Nationals
Actual pick: Erick Fedde, RHP
Our pick: Kyle Freeland, LHP
Freeland was one of the top arms available in 2014, but he hasn't panned out aside from his stellar 2018 campaign. Perhaps pitching away from Coors Field would have helped his career. One also wonders if the Nationals sign fellow lefty Patrick Corbin in 2018 if Freeland is on the roster.
19. Cincinnati Reds
Actual pick: Nick Howard, RHP
Our pick: J.D. Davis, 3B
Davis had some nice years for the Mets and Giants and owns a career .768 OPS. Howard never pitched above Triple-A and is currently in High-A for the Braves organization.
20. Tampa Bay Rays
Actual pick: Casey Gillaspie, 1B
Our pick: Luke Weaver, RHP
Weaver has turned into a solid bullpen piece for the Yankees after an inconsistent career as a starter for multiple organizations. Gillaspie is one of those rare draft picks the Rays got wrong. The 31-year-old hit 60 minor-league homers, spent three years in independent ball, and no longer plays.
21. Cleveland Guardians
Actual pick: Bradley Zimmer, OF
Our pick: Jose Trevino, 3B
The Guardians could have employed one of the top defensive catchers in the game in Trevino, who owns a career 67.5 FanGraphs defensive rating. Instead, they chose Zimmer, who's strong defensively in his own right but has been used more as a bench piece throughout his career.
22. Los Angeles Dodgers
Actual pick: Grant Holmes, RHP
Our pick: Ryan Yarbrough, LHP
Holmes recently surfaced in the big leagues with the Braves after spending 10 years in the minors. Meanwhile, Yarbrough has pitched meaningful innings for contenders like the Rays and Dodgers.
23. Detroit Tigers
Actual pick: Derek Hill, OF
Our pick: Erick Fedde, RHP
Hill has appeared in 121 big-league games with the Tigers and Rangers but is more of a glove-first type with a career 73 OPS+. Fedde has transformed into a solid big-league starter after turning around his career in Korea.
24. Pittsburgh Pirates
Actual pick: Cole Tucker, SS
Our pick: Tanner Scott, LHP
Tucker hasn't amounted to much in the bigs and was recently outrighted to the minor leagues by the Angels, his fourth organization. Scott is a hot commodity ahead of his season's trade deadline thanks to a 1.42 ERA as the Marlins closer.
25. Oakland Athletics
Actual pick: Matt Chapman, 3B
Our pick: Jeff Hoffman, RHP
With Chapman off the board, the A's could have taken Hoffman. He's become a top reliever in the Phillies' bullpen over the past two seasons.
26. Boston Red Sox
Actual pick: Michael Chavis, SS
Our pick: Ryan O'Hearn, 1B
O'Hearn has become an effective run producer and slugger late in his career. Chavis posted a .704 OPS in 168 games for the Red Sox and is now playing in the minor leagues.
27. St. Louis Cardinals
Actual pick: Luke Weaver, RHP
Our pick: Spencer Turnbull, RHP
Turnbull threw a no-hitter for the Tigers in 2021 and has been terrific for the Phillies this season. He would have been a solid pick for the Cardinals with Weaver off the board.