Now that the 2013 MLB draft is in the books, we can finally figure out which teams made the most improvements to their organization in the long haul, and which teams failed to do so.
While the biggest picks came off the board on Thursday, the 40-round spectacle carried on until late Saturday when the 40th and final round was completed.
It takes a ton of research and knowledge to properly execute such a long draft, and some general managers deserve credit for adding the proper pieces and making the right selections in an action-packed draft.
Players drafted this weekend have no guarantee of making it to the MLB level, as they'll have to work their way up their respective farm systems before the possibility of being called up to the majors. According to Matt Eddy of Baseball America, less than 40 percent of the top 100 picks make it to the big leagues.
That only complicates the draft process for front-office decision-makers who are faced with 40 long rounds of picks, most of which won't even make it in the major league clubhouse.
This makes the draft even more crucial, as it can either be a big-time boost for your organization's future or a big swing-and-miss. And while it's too early to tell as of now, there's still enough to judge from to get a solid grasp of how each team did.
Let's take a look at grades for each team's decisions in the 2013 MLB draft.
| Team | Best Pick | Worst Pick | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | Mark Appel (P, Stanford) | James Ramsay (OF, USF) |
A- |
| Chicago Cubs | Kris Bryant (3B, San Diego) |
Charcer Burks (OF, HS) |
B |
| Colorado Rockies | Jonathan Gray (P, Oklahoma) | Konner Wade (P, Arizona) | A- |
| Minnesota Twins | Stuart Turner (C, Ole Miss) | Aaron Slegers (P, Indiana) | B- |
| Cleveland Indians | Clint Frazier (OF, HS) | Kyle Crockett (P, Virginia) | C+ |
| Miami Marlins | Colin Moran (3B, North Carolina) | Ben Deluzio (SS, HS) | B+ |
| Boston Red Sox | Jon Denney (C, HS) | Mike Adams (P, Univ. of Tampa) | A- |
| Kansas City Royals | Sean Manaea (P, Indiana State) | Hunter Dozier (SS, Stephen F. Austin) | B |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Austin Meadows (OF, HS) | Cody Dickson (P, Sam Houston State) | B+ |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Clinton Hollon (P, HS) | Patrick Murphy (P, HS) |
C+ |
| New York Mets | Dominic Smith (1B, HS) | Jared King (OF, Kansas State) | B+ |
| Seattle Mariners | D.J. Peterson (3B, New Mexico) | Ryan Horstman (P, St. John's) | B |
| San Diego Padres | Hunter Renfroe (OF, Miss. State) |
Jake Bauers (1B, HS) | B |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Braden Shipley (P, Nevada) | Justin Williams (OF, HS) | C+ |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Andrew Knapp (C, California) | Trey Williams (3B College of Canyons) | B |
| Chicago White Sox | Tim Anderson (SS, East Central CC) | Thaddius Lowry (P, HS) | B+ |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Tom Windle (P, Minnesota) | Jacob Rhame (P, Grayson County College) | B |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Marco Gonzales (P, Gonzaga) | Mike Mayers (P, Mississippi) | B+ |
| Detroit Tigers | Jonathon Crawford (P, Florida) | Kevin Ziomek (P, Vanderbilt) | C+ |
| Baltimore Orioles | Hunter Harvey (P, HS) | Jonah Heim (C, HS) | B+ |
| Oakland Athletics | Dillon Overton (P, Oklahoma) | Dylan Covey (P, San Diego) | B |
| San Francisco Giants | Brian Ragira (1B, Stanford) | Christian Arroyo (SS, HS) |
C |
| New York Yankees | Aaron Judge (OF, Fresno State) | Michael O'Neill (OF, Michigan) | A- |
| Cincinnati Reds | Phillip Ervin (OF, Samford) | Ben Lively (P, Central Florida) | B |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Ryne Stanek (P, Arkansas) | Kean Wong (2B, HS) | A |
| Texas Rangers | Alex Gonzalez (P, Oral Roberts) | Akeem Bostick (P, HS) | |
| Atlanta Braves | Jason Hursh (P, Oklahoma State) | Tanner Murphy (C, HS) | B- |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Devin Williams (P, HS) | Taylor Williams (P, Kent State) | A- |
| Los Angeles Angels | Kenyan Middleton (P, Pierce College) | Hunter Green (P, HS) | C+ |
| Washington Nationals | Jake Johansen (P, Dallas Baptist) | Drew Ward (3B, HS) | C+ |
For any individual team's picks, click on the respective team's grade or check out MLB.com.
Notable Draft Performances
Boston Red Sox: A-
While the Red Sox might be overachieving and contending in 2013, they made it clear in the draft that they're looking forward.
With seven of their first 10 picks being pitchers, the Sox are making sure they boost the potential in their farm system, and it all begins with Trey Ball, a high school left-hander who was picked seventh overall.
Ball will be a long-term project for Boston, but if low signability doesn't cause any problems, he'll become a fine prospect in the organization and one who will reach the majors in just a few seasons.
It continued its successful draft in Day 2 with the selection of Jon Denney. This catcher is also straight out of high school, but is arguably the best high school slugger in the class with the type of potential that will immediately respond to a MLB structure.
The Sox answered many questions about their future roster in this draft and made some safe selections with high-potential stars.
Miami Marlins: B+
Sitting at pick No. 6 in the first round on Thursday, it was no guarantee that the Marlins could make a safe pick that would pay off sooner rather than later. But they still managed to.
Luckily for Miami, North Carolina third baseman Colin Moran fell in its lap. Quite possibly the most polished hitter in the class, Moran comes in with a heap of experience in playing with the Tar Heels. He's had one of the hottest bats in college baseball over the last two years and is just about as safe as you can get.
This pick works perfectly for the poor-hitting Marlins, too. Ever since its overhaul, Miami has been hapless offensively with a constant battle to score runs, and the acquisition of Moran will allow for it to get some quick help in that department.
The Marlins had two other picks in the first 44 of the draft, and they added two pitching prospects in the process. It has a bit to do with their talent right now, but it looks like the 2013 draft will pay off for the Marlins quicker than it will for most teams.
San Francisco Giants: C
In a first round that wasn't filled with too many surprise picks, the Giants made perhaps the most head-scratching move in selecting high school shortstop Christian Arroyo.
Arroyo was picked 25th overall and wasn't even in MLB.com's rankings, which says all you need to know about how much of a shocker this pick was.
With only one more pick in the top 100, it was tough for the defending World Series champions to make up for a dud of a first-round pick.
The MLB is unpredictable, thus Arroyo could turn out to be a great prospect and develop into a solid major league player. But the Giants could've received much better value if they had looked at some of the pitchers available here.
Los Angeles Angels: C+
It hasn't been a season to remember for the star-studded Angels thus far in 2013, which is all the more reason to regain some fan hype with a solid draft. If the current players aren't getting it done, the first thing fans look to is their prospect base.
Instead, they went with high school pitcher Hunter Green with the 59th pick to kick things off poorly. Green's signability is a concern, and although he has loads of potential, it's hard to see that far down the road for a player who may not even sign.
Green isn't a bad pick in the second round by any means. It's more of the fact that their best pick to work with was No. 59. The commitment to the draft and filling their prospect base isn't there, so why should we think Green will succeed?
The Angels must put a bigger focus on the draft in future years and add to their farm system, or they'll be in short supply after players like Albert Pujols leave L.A.
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