MLB Auction Draft Grades
Note: These are not power rankings. These are grades for how each team executed their draft depending on budget, trades, roster management, and who they got with their first Snake Pick.
The Pullies: A+
Shohei Ohtani ($50)
Corbin Burnes ($22)
Francisco Lindor (Round 1)
Byron Buxton ($9)
Alek Manoah ($9) – #HUNK
Whit Merrifield ($4)
Kris Bryant ($6)
Notes: How anyone went for less than $10 in this draft is beyond wild. The Pullies got 4 of those guys, including the lowest-cost player in the draft in Whit Merrifield at $4. They had a perfect $0 remaining in the draft, didn’t get to choose their draft position, and still ended up with freaking Francisco Lindor in the snake, one of the biggest steals of the entire draft so far. This is an absolute coup of a draft for The Pullies. We haven’t even mentioned it yet… they got Ohtani for only $50. That’s two players in one, and it’s enough of a bargain for them to have been able to build the rest of their roster. They also got the #1 dynasty starting pitcher in Burnes.
The BamO’s: A-
Pete Alonso (Round 1)
Logan Webb ($13)
Starling Marte ($8)
Will Smith ($11)
Cody Bellinger ($5)
Josh Hader ($8)
Notes: This was just excellent strategy by The BamO’s, who came into the draft with the LEAST amount of budget and came out of it with the MOST amount of players. He targeted positions of scarcity (C and RP) and found perfect players for him to actually be able to set his lineup each and every week.
He got really cheap players on the board (Bellinger and Marte) and is well on his way towards constructing a really complete roster, even though he has no stars. But in baseball, players can rise up the rankings really quick. The BamO’s just need a few of these players to hit big, and they’ll walk away extremely happy.
Sporty Strauss: A-
Mike Trout ($22)
Mookie Betts ($23)
Brandon Woodruff ($20)
Manny Machado ($15)
Alex Bregman ($14)
Tim Anderson (Round 1)
Notes: On the surface, this looks like a win-now team. While it certainly is, it’s not ONLY a win-now team. This is a team built for multiple years with bats that are in their prime. Trout and Betts is one helluva 1-2 punch, and they are protected in the line by Manny Machado and Alex Bregman. If this were a real MLB lineup, we might knock them for being low on left-handed batters to fight the splits, but that’s not a worry for Sporty Strauss. He continued taking value in Tim Anderson in the snake, and Brandon Woodruff gives him an ace that allows flexibility for his starting staff throughout this draft.
Wait ‘Til Next Year: A-
Juan Soto ($45)
Wander Franco ($38)
Bryce Harper ($22)
Gerrit Cole ($25)
Jacob DeGrom (Round 1)
Shane Baz (Prospect Rd 1)
Notes: Wait ‘Til Next Year was prepared for the top players to go for a lot, and he spent. He got two top-6 players (and one of them was his top-rated player on the board). He got the best Hunk in MLB in Franco, and then he grabbed some vets – the best pitcher in the game (two best pitchers if DeGrom comes back) and Bryce Harper. The icing on the cake was getting Shane Baz in the prospect draft, a Starting Pitcher who should be in the Rays’ rotation to start the season.
Las Cabras: B+
Fernando Tatis Jr. ($41)
Cedric Mullins ($12)
Freddy Peralta ($13)
Aaron Nola ($16)
Jack Flaherty (Round 1)
Alex Kiriloff ($7) – #HUNK
Ketel Marte ($6)
Notes: This draft started out as a home run and ended with a bases-clearing-triple. It was still an awesome draft, but the sky looked like the limit after Las Cabras had Tatis, Mullins, Marte and Kirilloff for $66 total. But then they started getting a little bit pitcher-happy. Aaron Nola is one of the best value pitchers on the board, and they spend above list price on him. Freddy Peralta went for about list price. And then they might have reached for Jack Flaherty in the snake because they wanted young arms. This is going to be one of the better starting staffs in the game, but one can’t help but wonder if there was a better way to maximize their remaining budget and choose a Snake Pick that might have yielded better results.
For the second time in two straight drafts, Las Cabras chose the second pick hoping their guy would be there (Giolito in this case), and they come up short.
Cooper Troopers: B
Jose Ramirez ($23)
Walker Buehler ($26)
Julio Rodriguez ($17) – #HUNK or Prospect
Corey Seager ($22)
Zack Wheeler (Round 1)
Brandon Lowe ($10)
Notes: The Cooper Troopers are crushing it so far! The only real knock on this draft was a slight overpay on Seager that he didn’t have to do. He could have gone $1 lighter on him, still got him and ended up with a better Snake selection. But that’s quibbling. He’s executing a really interesting of drafting some vets, some middle-aged vets and then getting Julio Rodriguez for a legit awesome deal at $17. He can compete now while maybe collecting some stars for the future.
Win’s Up Doc: B-
Kyle Tucker ($25)
Freddie Freeman ($21)
Xander Bogaerts ($20)
Jarred Kelenic ($18)
Carlos Correa (Round 1)
Jose Altuve ($9)
Notes: A solid, if unspectacular draft. There’s a lot of players in the top half-or-so of the auction here in a very hitter-focused approach. It’s going to force him to reach for pitchers later on, but this lineup is unbelievable. He has a #Hunk, so there is flexibility there for Oat to continue developing a roster that is a little bit more win-now than build for next year.
MN Moose Knuckles: C-
Trae Turner ($28)
Shane Bieber ($19)
Lucas Giolito (Round 1)
Marcus Siemien ($9)
Jose Berrios ($10)
Willy Adames ($4)
Notes: There’s some good things and bad things with this draft. The good: getting a player for $4 is always a good idea, even if he was ranked very low on the auction sheet. There’s great value in Marcus Semien and Jose Berrios as well. Plus, he got a top player in Trae Turner. In general, he solidified his middle infield with multiple players with versatility. If he can help it, it’d be a good idea to wait a long time until he drafts another middle infield player. He probably only needs one late backup for the entire draft.
The bad: leaving $17 on the board is BRUTAL. There are so many players he could have fit into that budget. It allowed him the first overall snake pick, and he took a coveted player: Lucas Giolito. But there still were better players that he passed up on the board. Even if Hall had gotten one more player in the $7-$8 range, this draft looks so much better, but his pitching should lead to a competitive roster this season.
Ornery Otters: C-
Ronald Acuna ($40)
Rafael Devers ($28)
Luis Robert ($24)
Trevor Story ($11)
Max Friend (Round 1)
Notes: We’re simply unconvinced that the strategy the Ornery Otters employed of getting 3 top young bats is the best route in MLB. Acuna was a great pick for his value, and he never wen't over budget on anyone. This team, more than any other team in the League of Leagues, has a little bit more of a wait-and-see feel to how Korey fills out the rest of his keepers and his roster.
$traight Cash Homie: D+
Vladimir Guerrero Jr ($48)
Yordan Alvarez ($21)
Spencer Torkelson ($14)
Austin Riley ($15)
Aaron Judge (Round 1)
Trevor Rogers ($13)
Notes: $traight Cash Homie came into this draft with the second most MLB draft capital. He traded a 2nd rounder for $7 MLB, but didn’t use that money, which was an error. Then he spent too much on Vlad Guerror compared to the other players. Torkelson was a good value at $14, but that was made a little bit less valuable with Julio going for $17. Then he overspent on Trevor Rogers as a #HUNK. He semi-redeemed this draft by taking some big bats in Alvarez, Riley and Judge that are all ranked in the middle, and that should give him a competitive roster this season. But $traight Cash Homie just left meat on the bone.
DTC Porkchop Express: D-
Ozzie Albies ($27)
Bobby Witt Jr ($23)
Julio Urias ($20)
Matt Olson ($21)
Jonathan India (Round 1)
Notes: Yikes! He traded for $6 MLB and never even used it. Then he used a premiere Snake Selection pick and reached for Jonathan India who was only ranked highly because he plays a position of scarcity that DTC already drafted and because of his #HUNK status. The other players on the board at 3rd overall in the snake were real difference-makers. He didn’t overspend on Bobby Witt Jr., but Julio Rodriguez wen’t for $6 cheaper later in the draft. Until he jumps up to the majors, this is easily the worst team in League of Leagues MLB. But maybe that’s the point of this draft.
Shepherd Goods Choppers: F
Bo Bichette ($36)
Sandy Alcantara ($20)
Eloy Jimenez ($18)
Teoscar Hernandez (Round 1)
Luis Castillo ($11)
Adley Rutschman (Prospect Round 1)
Notes: This was not a good draft. Not only did Dye set fire to $2 MLB Budget by trading away Mike Trout, but he traded a 3rd round pick for $3 MLB that he never used. Then he spent over budget on every single player that he drafted, which is a first in League of Leagues draft history. The players themselves aren’t bad, but he’s reaching for each of them, and all of them need to be great to return value. He did go young, however, and he’s trying to set up a window for a few years from now.
But in the end, this draft lives or dies with Adley Rutschman’s pro career. The Choppers bet big on him.