Major League Baseball

Statliners Major League Baseball Franchise Draft: Picks 11-15

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With the season winding down in Major League Baseball, and our opinions on breakout players nearly completely formed, we at Statliners thought it might be fun to do a 15-pick franchise draft.

Not only is it a fun exercise, but it allows us–the staff of a new site–to get ourselves out there a bit. You get to know us, while we get to know each other. So, if each of us were given the reigns of a brand new franchise and told we could select one player to build around, here are picks 11 through 15 in the order in which they’d be selected. We hope you enjoyed our franchise draft!

11th pick: New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez

Sep 24, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN New York Yankees designated hitter Gary Sanchez (24) gestures as a ball hit by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (not pictured) lands foul during a 3-0 loss to Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Gary Sanchez has only played in 46 Major League games in his career but he’s already made a significant impact. The Yankees unleashed the Kraken on August 3rd and he’s done nothing but impress since then. In 200 plate appearances, Sanchez has already belted 19 homers and 12 doubles. He is slashing .330/.405/.722, which comes out to a 192 OPS+. And to top it off, he’s looked very good behind the plate. A good defensive catcher who can mash like that at age 23? Sign me up for ten years of that!

Now, you might think that there are better options than Gary Sanchez. You might think that his success this year is mainly a function of small sample size or that pitchers will adjust to him and he’ll regress. You might even think he’s Jesus Montero version 2.0. And you might be right.

But even so, I think we all know where this is really headed: Gary Sanchez is going to be the next Yankee superstar. The kind that the media fawns over and everyone else gets sick of hearing about. And he’s going to give me some great numbers in the mean time!

By Jason Fegadel

12th Pick: Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa

Sep 23, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (1) celebrates with second baseman Jose Altuve (27) after making a defensive play during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

If there is one player in the American League I would build a team around it’s Carlos Correa. He came up last season for the Astros and played a pivotal part in their surprising success hitting .279/.345/.512 with 22 home runs. He turns 22 this week and already has turned into one of the premier players in the American League. He plays a premium position (shortstop) and while he isn’t an elite defender he is definitely serviceable for at the position. But he can hit and he can run at an elite level, and combined with his young age, that makes him a force to be reckoned with in the coming seasons.

By Dylan Mondi

13th Pick: New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard

Sep 13, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) pitches during the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

I have to admit that this is not the player I envisioned myself selecting. I’m pretty risk averse overall, so picking a pitcher with my first pick isn’t something I was planning on. But once I saw that many hitters going early, I knew this team was going to have to get them out somehow, and so when my pick arrived and only one pitcher was off the board, I knew I had to strike. After looking over a few different pitchers, my decision came down to Noah Syndergaard and Jose Fernandez (**editor’s note: Tragically, Fernandez was recently killed in a boating accident).

Looking over their recent success, Syndergaard with a ridiculous 5.1 WAR so far this year backed up by a 2.26 FIP versus Fernandez’s still more than respectable 3.6 WAR with 2.4 FIP, I was already giving Syndergaard some advantage. The tipping point was health, and even with Syndergaard’s recent bone spur issues, he has been still been going out and not only being a great pitcher, but still eating innings, adding to good and increasing innings totals from recent years. Syndergaard is an easy pick in my book.

By Sebastian Speer

14th Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias

Sep 13, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias (7) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

I dislike pitching prospects quite a lot. Yes, I know that this is irrational, to an extent. However, nobody can deny that pitching prospects flame out at a much higher rate than position players. Even the best young pitchers come with command issues, stamina issues, and the dreaded injury issues. Have you seen Edwin Jackson’s pitching line lately? Well, I have, and the fact is that many pitching prospects don’t attain even that level of success.

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Why, then, am I choosing Urias here? Well, part of that is simply that every player I had on my mental list was taken already. The other reason is that Urias will pitch most of next season at the age of 20. Yes, you read that correctly. Julio Urias, he of the 3.25 FIP as a 19/20-year-old rookie, will pitch into August of 2017 before being old enough to legally drink in the United States.

Urias has posted a line of 3.39/3.06/3.73 as a starter for the Dodgers with a 25.2 strikeout rate and an 8.7 walk rate. Those are sparkling numbers that suggest Urias is already the third-best starting pitcher on the Dodgers. He’s a once-in-a-generation type of talent who, so long as he stays healthy, should be a dominant force wreaking havoc on the National League for many years to come. Pitchers are unpredictable, but few are as young and talented as Urias, so he’s my pick.

By David Blumberg

15th Pick: Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo

Sep 20, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (44) hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to believe that Anthony Rizzo is one of the old hands on the current Chicago Cubs. He was one of the few, maybe only, bright spots on the 2012 101-loss team. At 27, he’s still young and is coming into his prime. Though that might be changing if you’ve read Joe Sheehan’s thoughts on the idea of prime ages. Rizzo is patient at the plate, posting a .363 OBP and has power, poised to get a career high this year in homers to go along with his career number that might eclipse 140 in six years.

On top of that, he is third in the majors at his fielding position, first base according to Baseball Reference’s Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Avg. Finally, I had the 15th pick, so as far as a last pick in a draft goes I think Anthony Rizzo makes a pretty strong Mr. Irrelevant.

By Kevin Kaufmann

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