We are now 2+ seasons since players were drafted in the 2021 Amateur Draft. This draft was, to me, unique because, while most teams drafted some level of balance between positions players and pitchers, three teams, the Guardians, the Angels and the Dodgers drafted pitchers almost exclusively.
The Dodgers, with 20 picks, drafted 18 pitchers (17 college and 1 HS, signing 16) and 2 position players (neither signed)
The Angels, with 20 picks, drafted 20 college pitchers (signing 19)
The Guardians, with 21 picks, drafted 19 pitchers (18 college and 1 HS, signing all 19) and 2 position players (signing both).
Obviously, to these teams, this was a very pitcher-heavy draft. I can't say that I have studied position player/pitcher balance in drafts but no CLEVELAND draft that I remember was even skewed to the level that I would notice it.
But strategy is only half the story. It is the success of those drafts at identifying viable major leaguers that is the other half.
While it is way too early to tell whether a draft has been successful, trends can be gleaned, focusing just on the pitchers drafted. So let's dig in.
CLEVELAND (drafted in the 24th slot)
Pitchers already in majors: 2
Prospects in current MLB Pipeline team top 30: 2
Pitchers reaching AAA: 0
Pitchers reaching AA: 8
Pitchers reaching A+: 7
Pitchers reaching A: 1
Pitchers still in ACL: 1 (lone HS pitcher drafted)
SUMMARY:
As Cleveland doesn't normally assign their players to teams in their draft year, most of these guys have pitched only 2 years. The fact that they are all still in the system and that all of them are still advancing at a fast pace is a huge thing that you don't often see. The college pitchers from 2o21 will not be subject to the Rule 5 draft until after the 2024 season. If you figure that these guys will all move up at least one level at some point during the 2024 season (and a few two levels), it would mean that 8 or more of these guys would get significant AAA experience and 7 or more would get significant AA experience. This is a great situation for the Guardians as they would have a really good indication of which pitchers are talented enough and project well enough to the majors to be protected from the Rule 5 draft.
Both the Dodgers and the Angels have had some success with their strategies, as well. Here are the breakdowns of their pitcher draftees in 2021 and where they are now.
LA DODGERS (drafted 30th)
Pitchers already in majors: 1
Prospects in current MLB Pipeline team top 30: 5
Pitchers reaching AAA: 0
Pitchers reaching AA: 7
Pitchers reaching A+: 5
Pitchers reaching A: 2
Pitchers still in ACL: 0
LA ANGELS (drafted 9th)
Pitchers already in majors: 2
Prospects in current MLB Pipeline team top 30: 1
Pitchers reaching AAA: 4
Pitchers reaching AA: 6
Pitchers reaching A+: 5
Pitchers reaching A: 1
Pitchers still in ACL: 1 (no longer pitching, switched to hitting)
OVERALL SUMMARY
All 3 organizations who drafted almost all pitchers in 2021 have had some success. It appears that all of the signed players are still in professional baseball with the Dodgers and Angels having traded 2 players each during at the trade deadline to obtain veterans. All 3 teams have players poised to be at the major league level. It is impossible, right now, to tell who had the best draft but it is obvious from the numbers above that the strategies employed by these 3 teams in this draft have led to some success.
It will be interesting to see, going forward how many major league pitchers the Guardians pitcher development gurus can develop out of this group. So far all of the Guradians' draftees appear to be on the steep part of their development curve and all have shown that they are true prospects and not just organizational players.
As I have said in previous posts, with a little luck, the 2021 draft could become the best draft in Cleveland history, challenged only by the 2016 draft. Time will tell but I think, at this point, we can all agree that the strategy was successful and the success is already starting to show.
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