MLB Redraft: College Stars Shine

0:00It's April 24th. I'm Corey with The Story. This is California News Today, driven by AI. With the NFL draft buzzing right now, it's a perfect time to rewind to baseball's 2016 MLB draft class almost 10 years in. None of those original 23 first round picks have hit an all-star game yet, so experts cooked up a redraft base purely on pro-production, like wins above replacement. Back then, teams grab 13 high schoolers in round 1, but this redo only takes 6 preps total, just 2 in the top 10. Shifting to college arms and bats paid off big, Philly's snack catcher will Smith from Louisville, 2nd in class, WAR at 23.3, 3 time all-star and world series champ. Reds grab Ace Corbin Burns from St. Mary's, the top pitcher here with the Sai Young and 4 all-star nods. Braves get short-stop boba shed, a hitting machine who led the league and hits twice. Fans love debating these what-ifs, especially since most standouts were mid-round steals,

1:03not the hyped high school stars. Peter Lonzo tops WAR at 23.8 for the Rockies, while Bryan Reynolds delivers steady outfield value for the Brewers. It shows how draft a glamour often fades against real major league results. Digging deeper, pitchers like Shane Bieber, Zach Galen and Cole Reagan's crack the top dozen despite later selections, with Bieber's Sai Young peak, and Reagan's leading in strikeouts per 9. Reliever David Bednar even sneaks in at 13 with his save-leading seasons. Injuries hit some hard, like Tony Gonslin, but the class has 14 all-stars overall. This redraft flips the script on that bust heavy first round, proving patience with college talent and pure output beat's position, scouting every time. Baseball's draft lottery keeps evolving, dropping Jim's team still chase today.