What could’ve been: Reevaluating all Phillies draft picks of the decade
For the Phillies, the last six years have been all about rebuilding. But how much quicker would the rebuild had gone if the team had always made the perfect pick?
The draft is different for every team and it’s fan base. For some clubs, it is the highlight of the year as they have a chance to get set for the future. For the successful teams, they are just trying to steal a gem at the end of a round.
For the past couple years the Phillies have been on the rebuild side. As the recent downfall of Mark Appel shows, nothing is guaranteed in baseball. So what if the Phillies had made the perfect first round pick in each of the drafts this decade? We will be reevaluating every first round pick since 2010, who the Phillies took, and who they should have picked.
Players will only be eligible if they were taken in the first round or supplemental/compensatory first round also. The difference between 23rd and the 24th pick is a very small one based on team needs and small little decisions. We will only be looking at if the franchise made one little change in opinion, not using hindsight to take the 10th round star with the third overall pick.
2010 Phillies selection: Jesse Biddle LHP 27th overall pick
In 2010, the Phillies were coming off a second straight World Series appearance. With a pick so late in draft there are not a lot of options. Yet it seemed like the Phillies had gotten a great pitcher in Jesse Biddle.
Biddle became the 53rd ranked prospect in baseball according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. He had low A success but never lived up to any hype as he worked his way up the minors. He still has yet to make the majors and has only nine games in Triple A. Biddle would later be traded in 2015.
While Biddle was indeed a letdown for the Phillies the five picks behind him haven’t had much success either. Only Zach Lee and Cam Bedrosian have reached the majors. Bedrosian has had much more success as a pro compared to Lee. In four years he has pitched a total of 144 games, all out of the bullpen. His career year was in 2016 as he went 2-0 in 45 games. In 40.1 innings Bedrosian had a amazing 1.12 ERA. While he has been far from a MLB star he is the obvious choice for who the Phillies should have selected in 2010.
Phillies new selection: Cam Bedrosian RHP (originally 29th by Los Angeles Angels)
2011 Phillies selection: Larry Greene OF 39th overall (6th compensation pick)
The early decade Phillies had a lot of MLB success. Their first round picks, not so much. Greene is the second straight first round pick to not reach the show. The highest level he reached was A ball, which he struggled in batting .203 while striking out in 37% of at bats.
The supplemental round (27 total picks) has two All-Stars so far in Michael Fulmer and Jackie Bradley Jr. It also featured Rockies star shortstop Trevor Story. So out of those three who would have fit best for the Phillies?
It is a tough call between who is better: Odubel Herrera or Jackie Bradley Jr. Neither would be a massive upgrade compared to the other making selecting him pointless. Story definitely would’ve been an offensive upgrade to Freddy Galvis since his debut in 2016. While Galvis is significantly better defensively, Story must now be compared to J.P Crawford. While Story will likely be a better power hitter, specifically due to the advantage of Coors Field, Crawford has potential to be a better defender and average hitter compared to story.
Drafting Fulmer would have given the team an ace that they are in desperate need of.
Phillies new selection: Michael Fulmer RHP (originally 44th overall by New York Mets)
2012 Phillies selection: Shane Watson RHP 40th overall (9th compensation)
Well, another pick who did not make the pros. Watson is still in the minors, reaching Double-A last year. He is only 23 and has time to make the pros, but there are plenty of upgrades from his draft.
Watson was the pick right after Joey Gallo and right before Lance McCullers Jr. No other pick has had nearly as much success as World Series Champion and All-Star McCullers making this a very easy decision to continue improving the rotation.
Phillies new selection: Lance McCullers Jr. RHP (originally 41st overall by Houston Astros)
2013 Phillies selection: J.P. Crawford SS 16th overall
Finally, a successful pick. Crawford has been more than successful as he awaits his first year as the everyday shortstop for the Phillies. While his first run at the pros didn’t go great (.214 AVG 0 HR) it was merely a September call up and he will definitely have success in his new role. He will give Phillies plenty to cheer about for many years to come.
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With that being said, while I think Crawford will have a ton of MLB success and will be a star on a contending team. There is only one player I would take in picks 17-33 over Crawford. That man’s name is Aaron Judge. The Phillies could have had the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year, MVP runner up, All Star, 52 home run hitting star. Sorry J.P. but I’m making a business decision here.
Phillies new selection: Aaron Judge RF (originally 32nd overall by New York Yankees)
2014 Phillies selection: Aaron Nola RHP 7th overall
This is a tough round. Aaron Nola has had his ups and downs so far. He has shown some ace potential. There are only three possible players to take over Nola: outfielder Michael Conforto, shortstop Trea Turner, and pitching prospect Michael Kopech.
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Kopech throws hard. He has a ton of potential but so far he’s mainly an Instagram star for his velocity. He has a large upside, but I would not take him over the established Aaron Nola. Conforto has been plagued with injuries. He was an All Star this year with an strong year, .279 AVG 27 HR and 68 RBI. Yet he only played 109 games in back to back seasons. Yes Nola had a season ending surgery too but Conforto’s too much of a risk to exchange Nola for based off one season.
Turner’s a tough one. He was phenomenal in 2016 (.342 AVG 13 HR 33 SB).
He was off to a great start in 2017 before a injury sidelined him for a majority of the season. He was on a record pace; in just over half of the season Turner has 46 stolen bases. He has established himself as a fast, high average hitter who plays solid defense. However, in this fantasy I’m saying the Phillies don’t trade Galvis due to Crawford not being in the system. Therefore I’ll take the extra arm over a slight upgrade at short.
Phillies new pick: Aaron Nola RHP (originally 7th overall by Philadelphia Phillies)