We're all set for the third and final day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, in which Rounds 11-40 will take place. It's no secret that most of these guys aren't going to have a major impact in the majors. In fact, most won't even get a cup of coffee. Still, some bargain picks can be found.
As proof, let's comb through the currently-active major-leaguers and find the best player taken post-10th round by each of the 30 teams. This is a subjective exercise, of course, but we'll mention some major competition where there was some.
The major rule here is the team has to have signed the player. You'll find fun cases where a player was drafted and didn't sign only to later be drafted higher. Like how about this one? The Angels took Buster Posey in the 50th round as a pitcher out of high school. We aren't counting that, because he didn't sign. Got it? Good!
And we're off.
Angels: Mike Napoli, 17th round, 2000
Mark Trumbo was an 18th-rounder and could be the pick here, but I like Napoli's body of work to this point better.
Astros: J.D. Martinez, 20th round, 2009
He didn't break out until joining Detroit, but this is a pretty great 20th-rounder.
Athletics: A.J. Griffin, 13th round, 2010
There were some fun ones in here, particularly Tim Hudson being loved by the front office in the '90s. He was taken out of high school in the 35th round, but instead opted to go to Auburn. Out of Auburn, the A's got him in the sixth. That's still a bargain but doesn't qualify by my rules as outlined in the intro. So Griffin is the pick.
Blue Jays: Drew Hutchison, 15th round, 2009
They grabbed Kris Bryant in the 18th round in 2010, but he elected to attend college instead of sign. Hutchison looks like a promising young pitcher, so the 15th-round selection is a very good one, obviously.
Braves: Adam LaRoche, 29th round, 2000
A fun note is that they picked Craig Kimbrel in the 33rd round in 2007 but failed to sign him, only to grab him in the third round the following year. They obviously loved him, and with good reason. Since Kimbrel is ineligible to be picked, though, LaRoche gets the nod.
On LaRoche, it must be noted that very few 29th-rounders ever make it to the majors, and he's made over $71 million while hitting 250 home runs in a career spanning more than 12 years.
Brewers: Lorenzo Cain, 17th round, 2004
Cain was shipped to the Royals as part of the package for Zack Greinke, a trade that helped push the Brewers into the playoffs in 2011, and Cain has since helped the Royals make a World Series run, so he's been very valuable to two teams after being selected with just a 17th-round pick.
Cardinals: Albert Pujols, 13th round, 1999
Yes, the 1999 draft saw 12 rounds and 401 picks before a future Hall of Famer was chosen. He's an easy pick here, but good lord, the Cardinals get value. Check out some of these picks with the round in parentheses: Matt Carpenter (13), Trevor Rosenthal (21), Matt Adams (23), Kevin Siegrist (41), Luke Gregerson (28), Jaime Garcia (22), Jason Motte (19). Impressive work by the front offices for these gems, though none hold a candle to the Pujols heist. Let's not fawn too much over the Cardinals for this pick, though. They took 15 players before Pujols in that draft, including 10 who never made the majors.
Cubs: Kyle Lohse, 29th round, 1996
Not a ton to choose from here, at least in terms of the guys who signed. Among those who didn't sign we find Sonny Gray and Tim Lincecum. It goes without saying that Lohse's career from Round 29 is remarkable.
Devil Rays/Rays: James Shields, 16th round, 2000
We'll see Stephen Vogt (12), Kevin Kiermaier (31) and Jonny Gomes (18) on the list, but this isn't particularly close. Shields, a 16th-rounder out of high school, was a major part of turning two former laughingstock franchises into World Series teams.
Diamondbacks: Dan Uggla, 11th round, 2001
There's a stigma attached to Uggla's name these days, but let's keep in mind what he once was. He hit at least 30 home runs in five straight seasons and has 234 career homers. That's big-time power from a second baseman. He's a three-time All-Star. That's great for an 11th-rounder. Adam Eaton (18) and Mark Reynolds (16) were also nice finds.
Dodgers: Russell Martin, 17th round, 2002
That's quite a career for a 17th-rounder out of Chipola College, eh? A few years down the road, this selection might be Joc Pederson, the Rookie of the Year frontrunner who was taken in the 11th round in 2010, but Martin's 10-year track record takes it this time around.
Giants: Sergio Romo, 28th round, 2005
Obvious statement coming: Getting an All-Star closer who will eventually record the final out of a World Series in the 28th round is a steal.
Indians: Cody Allen, 23rd round, 2011
The Tribe actually drafted Allen in the 16th round in 2010, but he didn't sign and then saw his stock fall before the next draft. He's done quite well for himself in the pros, though.
Mariners: Michael Saunders, 11th round, 2004
The British Columbia native stayed close to home after being taken in the 11th round of the 2004 draft, as Safeco Field is just 77 miles from his high-school park in Victoria as the crow flies. In 2012, Saunders had 31 doubles, 19 homers and 21 steals.
Marlins: Tom Koehler, 18th round, 2008
Since the beginning of last season, Koehler is 14-13 with a 3.79 ERA. We have to keep in mind that most 18th-rounders never make The Show. This is a great pick.
Mets: Daniel Murphy, 13th round, 2006
The versatile Murphy has carved out a rather nice career for himself. He was even an All-Star last season.
Nationals/Expos: John Lannan, 11th round, 2005
In eight years at the highest level, Lannan has a 4.18 ERA in 862 innings after being selected in the first draft following the Expos' move to D.C.
Orioles: David Hernandez, 16th round, 2005
Before Tommy John surgery derailed him, Hernandez was making himself into one of baseball's better setup men for Arizona. In 2012, he had a 2.50 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 98 strikeouts in 68 1/3 relief innings.
Padres: Jake Peavy, 15th round, 1999
There were a pair of real nice starting pitcher finds here, as Mat Latos was taken in the 11th round in 2006. Given career pedigree and going four rounds later, though, Peavy is tops here.
Phillies: Jarred Cosart, 38th round, 2008
Drafting a pitcher in the 38th round out of high school and seeing him debut in the majors five years later is remarkable. Cosart then went 13-11 last season for the Astros and Marlins.
Pirates: Jose Bautista, 20th round, 2000
He's a five-time All-Star, two-time home run champ and has been in the top six of MVP voting three times. That's hella value out of a 20th-rounder. Too bad the Pirates never saw any of it, as Bautista didn't hit his stride until September of 2009 for the Blue Jays. All Toronto had to give for him was Robinzon Diaz.
Rangers: Derek Holland, 25th round, 2006
There was decent competition here among pitchers, as Scott Feldman was a 30th-rounder, Jesse Chavez was a 42nd-rounder and Tanner Roark went in the 25th. I'm picking Holland based upon being an integral part of a World Series rotation. Roark could surpass him pretty soon, though, if Holland can't get and stay healthy.
Red Sox: Josh Reddick, 17th round, 2006
Very good find here, as Reddick, who has come into his own as a member of the A's, has developed into a guy who good power and is one of the best defensive outfielders around.
Reds: Chris Denorfia, 19th round, 2002
Just to reiterate, some of these names don't seem too sexy, but most of these picks never even make it to the majors. Denorfia carried into Tuesday night a career .274/.333/.395 line in more than 2,000 plate appearances. Ask any team if they'd be pleased with that from a 19th-rounder and you get a resounding yes.
Rockies: Dexter Fowler, 14th round, 2004
He's now an everyday starter at a premium defensive position for the seventh straight season. He's inconsistent, but we've seen flashes of All-Star upside, such as in 2012.
Royals: Jarrod Dyson, 50th round, 2006
Yes, in 2006 the Royals found value with the 1,475th pick of the draft. Astounding. The league eventually cut the draft down to 40 rounds, but back then it went 50 and that's when the Royals landed Dyson.
Tigers: Jason Frasor, 33rd round, 1999
This pick could well be Devon Travis down the line (he was a 13th-rounder in 2012), but for now it's the career reliever Frasor. He's made a very good career of it, too, having appeared in 667 career games and sporting a 3.51 ERA (125 ERA+).
Twins: Danny Valencia, 19th round, 2006
Valencia played for five different teams from 2012-14, but he finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2010 after hitting .311/.351/.448 with the Twins.
White Sox: Mark Buehrle, 38th round, 1998
The Sox actually had a host of good finds, such as Hector Santiago (30th), Chris Carter (15th) and Brandon McCarthy (17th), but this wasn't a tough selection. Buehrle was the workhorse of the rotation for 11 years, winning 161 regular-season games and contributing to a World Series-winning rotation in 2005. Excellent pick, to say the least.
Yankees: David Robertson, 17th round, 2006
Robertson went to the University of Alabama but still wasn't highly-coveted coming out, as the Yankees were able to grab him in the 17th. Coincidentally, it was the pick immediately after the Red Sox selection above of Reddick. Also in that relatively-stacked 17th round were Tony Watson and Chris Heisey.
