2011
This draft had a real roller coaster appearance with one noted failure – Henry Owens. Owens finally was released after his notorious control issues ended his stay with the organization, but then you have a fellow first-round choice, Jackie Bradley. Bradley may have a checkered career with noted slumps interspersed with streaks of incredible hitting. A first-round success? Becoming an All-Star says it is.
Matt Barnes was picked right after Sonny Gray – who the Red Sox wanted, but Barnes has had a positive contribution. In 2017 the hard-throwing right-hander from the University of Connecticut showed the promise of being a number one pick. Barnes best MLB days may be ahead of him. After a 7-3 season and 70 games, Barnes has already delivered.
Blake Swihart is on MLB life support. The switch-hitting catcher was once among the top prospects in baseball, but injuries have affected that once promising future. Still, Swihart is mentioned in trade rumors since you don’t give up on hitting potential that Swihart has displayed.
What makes this entire draft a five-star success is one player chosen in the fifth round – Mookie Betts. If no player in the draft ever made it to the majors just what Mookie has done would make baseball ops do a happy dance.