BA Dream Draft: 360 MLB Prospects Ranked By Future Value

It’s been well over a decade since Baseball America’s staff has participated in a Dream Draft.

The idea is simple: We assembled 12 members of our staff to participate in a fantasy-style snake draft for prospect-eligible players only. The goal was to build the best 30-player team (with a minimum of nine pitchers) according to accumulated WAR totals when we revisit the draft in 10 years.

We chose WAR due to the all-encompassing nature of the metric, it allows us to quantify contributions on both sides of the ball and separate this league’s intended purpose from a standard fantasy league.

The draft order was as follows:

Dylan White
Jesús Cano
Jacob Rudner
Peter Flaherty
Mark Chiarelli
Matt Eddy
Geoff Pontes
Josh Norris
J.J. Cooper
Carlos Collazo
Daniel Malone
Matt Pajak

In total, 360 prospects were drafted across the 12 teams. You can find the complete round-by-round draft results via Fantrax here.

And below, you can find all 12 rosters as well as brief manager surveys reviewing draft strategy, favorite selections, picks we’d like back and favorite opposing teams. Notable highlights include:

Most Votes For Favorite Draft	Most Votes For Draft Pick Theft	Most Votes For Favorite Late Round Pick
4 — Geoff Pontes	3 — Peter Flaherty (Bubba Chandler, Thomas White x2)	4 — Mark Chiarelli (Cobb Hightower, Wolfran Castillo, Jake Bloss, Franyerber Montilla)
3 — Matt Pajak	3 — Matt Pajak (Cam Smith, Jesus Made x2)	2 — J.J. Cooper (David Sandlin, Alex Clemmey)
2.5 — Mark Chiarelli	3 — Geoff Pontes (Nick Frasso, Sebastian Walcott, Ryan Forcucci)	3 — Matt Pajak (Brody Brecht, Joseph Sullivan, Tyson Lewis)
1.5 — Carlos Collazo	2 — Mark Chiarelli (Cobb Hightower, Jett Williams)	2 — Carlos Collazo (Termarr Johnson, Levi Sterling)
1 — Daniel Malone	2 — Jacob Rudner (Kumar Rocker, Christian Moore)	2 — Geoff Pontes (Elian Peña x2)
	1 — Matt Eddy (Jacob Misiorowski)	1 — Matt Eddy (Kellon Lindsey)
	1 — Jesús Cano (Thayon Liranzo, Colson Montgomery)	1 — Peter Flaherty (Nathan Church)
	1 — Carlos Collazo (Chase Petty)
	1 — J.J. Cooper (Dylan Crews)
	1 — Daniel Malone (Leodalis De Vries)

Dylan White

Player	Overall Pick
Roki Sasaki	1
Jacob Wilson	24
Matt Shaw	25
Zebby Matthews	48
Braden Montgomery	49
Cade Horton	72
Alex Freeland	73
Cam Collier	96
Jonny Farmelo	97
Edgar Quero	120
Trey Yesavage	121
Adael Amador	144
Logan Henderson	145
Cade Cavalli	168
Justin Wrobleski	169
Jhostynxon Garcia	192
Alejandro Osuna	193
Hao-Yu Lee	216
Caleb Durbin	217
Jimmy Crooks	240
Mike Boeve	241
Drew Gilbert	264
Jack Leiter	265
Brant Hurter	288
Braylon Payne	289
Max Acosta	312
K.C. Hunt	313
Jonathon Long	336
Sam Antonacci	337
Jedixson Paez	360

Describe your draft in one sentence: Proximity.

Favorite pick: Jacob Wilson, round two. I have Wilson as a 3-4 WAR player in 2025 (at age 23) which should be a top-five cumulative WAR over the next four years, and I got him at pick 24. Went downhill from there.

Pick you’d like back: I didn’t love Justin Wrobleski in the 15th.

Pick someone stole from you: I wanted Kumar Rocker in the fourth, and Jacob grabbed him two picks before me.

Favorite draft (not your own): Every time I was torn between players, Geoff nearly always picked the one I didn’t take before my next set of picks. J.J. did that quite a bit for me, too.

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): J.J. with David Sandlin in the 17th.

Jesús Cano

Player	Overall Pick
Roman Anthony	2
Rhett Lowder	23
Nick Kurtz	26
Josue De Paula	47
Travis Sykora	50
Colson Montgomery	71
Thayron Liranzo	74
Lazaro Montes	95
James Triantos	98
Zach Dezenzo	119
Seaver King	122
George Klassen	143
Tommy White	146
Ryan Waldschmidt	167
Malcolm Moore	170
Nacho Alvarez	191
Henry Bolte	194
Trey Sweeney	215
Kaelen Culpepper	218
Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang	239
Yu-Min Lin	242
Blake Burke	263
Caleb Lomavita	266
Tyler Locklear	287
David McCabe	290
Bradgley Rodriguez	311
Anthony Solometo	314
Gage Jump	335
Mason Adams	338
Kendall George	359

Describe your draft in one sentence: Very position-heavy at the beginning of the draft compiled with all-around great hitters, while the pitching side is relying on guys with high upside.

Favorite pick: Colson Montgomery (sixth round). It helped that I regretted not getting him the fifth, but things worked out well.

Pick you’d like back: Zach Dezenzo (10th round)

Pick someone stole from you: Christian Moore (Jacob Rudner).

Favorite draft (not your own): Mark Chiarelli

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): Alex Clemmey (J.J. Cooper)

Jacob Rudner

Player	Overall Pick
Kristian Campbell	3
Coby Mayo	22
Travis Bazzana	27
Kumar Rocker	46
Christian Moore	51
Bryce Rainer	70
Blake Mitchell	75
Tink Hence	94
Heston Kjerstad	99
Theo Gillen	118
Alfredo Duno	123
Sal Stewart	142
Eric Bitonti	147
James Tibbs	166
Kash Mayfield	171
Deyvison De Los Santos	190
Max Muncy	195
Vance Honeycutt	214
Reggie Crawford	219
Rafe Schlesinger	238
Josue Briceno	243
Hurston Waldrep	262
Jonathan Santucci	267
Ben Hess	286
Bryce Cunningham	291
Ricardo Cabrera	310
Herick Hernandez	315
Dakota Jordan	334
Bo Davidson	339
Luis Gastelum	358

Describe your draft in one sentence: I prioritized power and athleticism at the plate and stuff on the mound even if some pitchers haven’t quite backed it up with production yet as projection mattered much more to me.

Favorite pick: Kumar Rocker, fourth round.

Pick you’d like back: Christian Moore, fifth round.

Pick someone stole from you: Matt Eddy snagged Jacob Misiorowski in the sixth round three picks before mine. Jesús took Thayron Liranzo a pick before mine in the seventh round. The most wild steal, however, belongs to Geoff who stole my intended 30th-round pick, Nick Frasso.

Favorite draft (not your own): Matt Pajak

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): Brody Brecht, 15th round, Team Pajak.

Peter Flaherty

Player	Overall Pick
Bubba Chandler	4
Kevin McGonigle	21
Thomas White	28
Cole Young	45
Tre’ Morgan	52
Cole Carrigg	69
Thomas Harrington	76
Justin Crawford	93
Harry Ford	100
Chase Meidroth	117
Chandler Simpson	124
Josh Kasevich	141
Jaden Hamm	148
Logan Evans	165
Adrian Del Castillo	172
Brett Wichrowski	189
Carson Benge	196
Brandyn Garcia	213
C.J. Kayfus	220
Nate Knowles	237
Jonah Tong	244
Dylan Dreiling	261
Nathan Church	268
Matt Wilkinson	285
Sean Barnett	292
Khal Stephen	309
Austin Overn	316
Hunter Cranton	333
Rodney Green	340
Joe Whitman	357

Describe your draft in one sentence: I tried my best to draft position players with an advanced hit tool and arms who have an enticing blend of strikes and pure stuff.

Favorite pick: Cole Carrigg, third round. I’ve been a fan of Carrigg since his days on the Cape League, and he has a mighty intriguing toolset. In 151 games across two levels this year, he posted a .283/.360/.491 line with 47 extra-base hits and 51 stolen bases. His skill set enables him to affect the game in a myriad of ways.

Pick you’d like back: Sean Barnett, 25th round. This isn’t to say I’m not a fan of Barnett’s upside on the mound, as I actually think his ceiling is quite high if it all clicks, but I could have most likely waited until my last pick of the draft to take a flier on him.

Pick someone stole from you: Mark nabbed Cobb Hightower in the 14th round when he was going to be my next pick.

Favorite draft (not your own): I’m a particular fan of sir Geoff Pontes’ draft. I feel as if he was able to find a ton of value in the second half of the draft.

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): Mark’s Cobb Hightower pick in the 14th round.

Mark Chiarelli

Player	Overall Pick
Walker Jenkins	5
Colt Emerson	20
Max Clark	29
Zyhir Hope	44
Charlie Condon	53
Felnin Celesten	68
Jett Williams	77
Ryan Sloan	92
Luis Perales	101
Santiago Suarez	116
Cooper Ingle	125
Emil Morales	140
Jack Perkins	149
Cobb Hightower	164
Thomas Saggese	173
Bishop Letson	188
Nick Yorke	197
J.R. Ritchie	212
Yolfran Castillo	221
Jefferson Rojas	236
Miguel Bleis	245
Gino Groover	260
Nelson Rada	269
Zander Mueth	284
Franyerber Montilla	293
Jake Bloss	308
Jhonny Severino	317
Tekoah Roby	332
Jean Cabrera	341
Conrad Cason	356

Describe your draft in one sentence: Landed well-rounded hitters at the top and more than a smattering of far-away lottery tickets, but I wonder whether I’ll regret waiting that long on pitching.

Favorite pick: Zyhir Hope, fourth round.

Pick you’d like back: Charlie Condon, fifth round.

Pick someone stole from you: Peter twice nabbed pitchers (Bubba Chandler, Thomas White) one spot in front of me that I had high on my wish list.

Favorite draft (not your own): Matt Pajak

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): Termarr Johnson, 17-10 (Carlos).

Matt Eddy

Player	Overall Pick
Jackson Jobe	6
Jordan Lawlar	19
Dalton Rushing	30
Konnor Griffin	43
Cooper Pratt	54
Jacob Misiorowski	67
Jeferson Quero	78
Jesus Baez	91
Edwin Arroyo	102
Aidan Smith	115
Nolan McLean	126
Ronny Mauricio	139
Kellon Lindsey	150
Ryan Clifford	163
PJ Morlando	174
Luisangel Acuna	187
Luke Dickerson	198
Yoniel Curet	211
Yilber Diaz	222
Caleb Bonemer	235
Sean Burke	246
Joe Mack	259
Christian Scott	270
Connelly Early	283
Michael McGreevy	294
Chase Harlan	307
Nick Morabito	318
Echedry Vargas	331
Gabriel Rincones Jr.	342
Anderson Brito	355

Describe your draft in one sentence: I aimed for players with at least one carrying tool or the clarity of MLB proximity. With few exceptions, position players had to demonstrate a clear ability to capably play a high-value position in MLB.

Favorite pick: Jordan Lawlar at pick 19 seemed like great value for a player who can do a bit of everything and has shown adaptability in pro ball by improving his glove.

Pick you’d like back: I think others did a better job managing end-game pitchers than I did. It wouldn’t take much to convince me that there were better values than Sean Burke (21st round), Christian Scott (23rd), Connelly Early (24th) or Michael McGreevy (25th).

Pick someone stole from you: I was lining up Colson Montgomery (Jesus) or Jett Williams (Mark) in the seventh round as bounce back candidates, but neither fell.

Favorite draft (not your own): Mark and Carlos probably took the highest quantity of players I was also looking to draft.

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): I liked Geoff’s selection of Elian Peña in the 15th round. If he hits, that’s a steal. If he doesn’t hit, punting that pick is no big deal.

Geoff Pontes

Player	Overall Pick
Sebastian Walcott	7
Emmanuel Rodriguez	18
Jasson Dominguez	31
Chase DeLauter	42
Kyle Teel	55
Ricky Tiedemann	66
Brandon Sproat	79
Kevin Alcantara	90
Arjun Nimmala	103
Spencer Jones	114
Orelvis Martinez	127
Yanquiel Fernandez	138
Jacob Melton	151
Brady House	162
Elian Pena	175
Brailyn Antunez	186
Jace Jung	199
Ryan Forcucci	210
Braylon Doughty	223
Jurrangelo Cijntje	234
Winston Santos	247
Jairo Iriarte	258
Nestor German	271
Braxton Ashcraft	282
Payton Tolle	295
Richard Fitts	306
Jackson Baumeister	319
Zac Veen	330
Dylan Beavers	343
Nick Frasso	354

Describe your draft in one sentence: I targeted good athletes with power and speed, and in a draft where we’re factoring defense and tools over a long period of time, I wanted players who are less likely to atrophy.

Favorite pick: Chase DeLauter in round four. I believe that DeLauter has the ability to make an impact in 2025 for the Guardians, and it’s just a matter of him finding health. It’s a risky pick with a lot of upside.

Pick you’d like back: Dylan Beavers in round 29, there were some players I like better that I left on the board.

Pick someone stole from you: Pajak’s pick of Cam Smith in round four. I thought he’d make it back to me on the turn back into the fourth but he did not. Smith is a massive green-arrow-up prospect heading into 2025.

Favorite draft (not your own): Matt Pajak, he did a great job of balancing tools, skills and athleticism with his hitters and lots of pitchers with big stuff and upside.

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): Joseph Sullivan in round 25, I believe he has serious breakout potential in 2025.

Josh Norris

Player	Overall Pick
Andrew Painter	8
Chase Burns	17
Aidan Miller	32
Eduardo Tait	41
Ethan Salas	56
Demetrio Crisantes	65
Brailer Guerrero	80
Yairo Padilla	89
Eriq Swan	104
Welbyn Francisca	113
Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez	128
Henry Lalane	137
Marco Luciano	152
Emiliano Teodo	161
Mason Barnett	176
Roderick Arias	185
Rayner Arias	200
Edgardo Henriquez	209
Hyun-Seok Jang	224
Joendry Vargas	233
Devin Saltiban	248
Humberto Cruz	257
Andres Valor	272
Ty Johnson	281
Jared Serna	296
Brendan Tunink	305
Yandel Ricardo	320
TJayy Walton	329
Cam Schlittler	344
Craig Yoho	353

Describe your draft in one sentence: I didn’t have much of a strategy per se, although looking back, it’s clear I mixed prospects coming off a down year with high-variable, high-upside guys.

Favorite pick: I thought getting Ethan Salas in the fifth round of an all-prospect draft was pretty sweet. It also gave me a nice back-to-back run of catchers with Eduardo Tait.

Pick you’d like back: Aidan Miller in the third round. Not because I do not like Miller or think I’ll regret selecting him, but there was someone else on the board I absolutely regret not taking.

Pick someone stole from you: That would be Marlins lefty Thomas White, who went to Peter Flaherty in the third round. The young man is going to be a monster.

Favorite draft (not your own): I like Daniel Malone’s draft the best. He nabbed a ton of my favorites, including Noah Schultz, Leodalis De Vries and Jaison Chourio up top, Moises Ballesteros, Franklin Arias and Eduardo Quintero in the middle, and a bunch of my low-level dart throws at the back.

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): Yolfran Castillo in the 19th round by Mark Chiarelli was pretty dastardly. That’s not just because I feel like he could be really good, but because he asked me for my thoughts about the player before making the pick.

J.J. Cooper

Player	Overall Pick
Dylan Crews	9
Samuel Basallo	16
Marcelo Mayer	33
Luke Keaschall	40
Brayden Taylor	57
Michael Arroyo	64
Jackson Ferris	81
Trevor Harrison	88
Xavier Isaac	105
Gary Gill Hill	112
Brody Hopkins	129
Enrique Bradfield Jr.	136
Dillon Dingler	153
Brandon Winokur	160
Chayce McDermott	177
Connor Prielipp	184
David Sandlin	201
Sammy Stafura	208
Alex Clemmey	225
Luis Pena	232
Emilien Pitre	249
Druw Jones	256
Sheng-En Lin	273
Charlee Soto	280
Billy Cook	297
Dominic Keegan	304
Billy Amick	321
Wyatt Sanford	328
Drue Hackenberg	345
Payton Eeles	352

Describe your draft in one sentence: I was going to focus on hitters and pick off pitchers late, but then the pitcher board flipped to better than the hitters’ board, so I switched strategies.

Favorite pick: There’s some bust potential, but getting Brandon Winokur at 160 could really pay off.

Pick you’d like back: Alex Clemmey. It’s not the pick itself that is the problem, but I took too many pitchers in the middle rounds, which left me a little weaker in position players than I would like.

Pick someone stole from you: I was planning to take Chase Petty in the 10th round, but Carlos picked him one spot ahead of me.

Favorite draft (not your own): I love the offensive potential of the top of Geoff’s draft. It’s a power and exit-velocity heavy approach, but he could have a number of 30-homer sluggers in that draft.

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): Mark Chiarelli nabbed Jake Bloss in the 26th round. I had missed him on my board.

Carlos Collazo

Player	Overall Pick
Chase Dollander	10
Carson Williams	15
JJ Wetherholt	34
Angel Genao	39
Drake Baldwin	58
Alejandro Rosario	63
Starlyn Caba	82
George Lombard Jr.	87
AJ Smith-Shawver	106
Chase Petty	111
Ralphy Velazquez	130
Juan Brito	135
Luis Morales	154
Carson Whisenhunt	159
Joey Cantillo	178
Tyler Black	183
Termarr Johnson	202
JD Dix	207
Levi Sterling	226
Owen Murphy	231
Luis Cova	250
Kyle DeBarge	255
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer	274
Dorian Soto	279
Yophery Rodriguez	298
Jared Thomas	303
Andrew Walters	322
Javier Vaz	327
Diego Tornes	346
Daniel Espino	351

Describe your draft in one sentence: I attempted to build out a core of up-the-middle hitters with athleticism and well-rounded games centered on hit tools I had lots of confidence in, while on the pitching side I focused on near-proximity arms with command.

Favorite pick: JJ Wetherholt, third round.

Pick you’d like back: None right now. Likely many in 10 years.

Pick someone stole from you: Dylan Crews (JJ, 9th) going off the board right in front of me in the first was painful. Also, missing each of Sebastian Walcott (Geoff, 7th), Jesus Made (Matt Pajak, 13th) and Leo De Vries (Dan, 14th) hurt. I blame myself for waiting too long on Ryan Sloan (Mark, 8th round), but that one was brutal, as well.

Favorite draft (not your own): Mark Chiarelli.

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): Either Kellon Lindsey (Matt Eddy, 13th) or Tyson Lewis (Matt Pajak, 18th).

Daniel Malone

Player	Overall Pick
Noah Schultz	11
Leodalis De Vries	14
Jaison Chourio	35
Quinn Mathews	38
Jac Caglianone	59
Owen Caissie	62
Moises Ballesteros	83
Franklin Arias	86
Caden Dana	107
Eduardo Quintero	110
Drew Thorpe	131
David Shields	134
Yorger Bautista	155
Cam Caminiti	158
Agustin Ramirez	179
Yoeilin Cespedes	182
Boston Bateman	203
Brice Matthews	206
Andrew Salas	227
Steven Echavarria	230
George Wolkow	251
Ramon Ramirez	254
Angel Cepeda	275
Noble Meyer	278
Jhonny Level	299
Eduardo Beltre	302
Tai Peete	323
David Davalillo	326
Homer Bush Jr.	347
Keeler Morfe	350

Describe your draft in one sentence: Because saying “the most beautiful amalgamation of baseball talent in the history of modern civilization,” would be tacky, I’ll answer with this: I swung for the fences whenever possible early before gobbling up lottery tickets late.

Favorite pick: After feeling a little handcuffed taking a pitcher with my first pick, I felt good about snatching up Leodalis De Vries and Jaison Chourio in the second and third rounds. Two studs!

Pick you’d like back: I’m not sure I have one yet. Ask me again in 2040.

Pick someone stole from you: I was chuffed at the idea of selecting Jesus Made in the second round. And then I heard the notification ping for Matt Pajak’s pick. But again, De Vries is as a fine consolation as any.

Favorite draft (not your own): Carlos was a thorn in my side all draft long, so I’ll go with him. I feel like if we combined teams, his more well-rounded approach would counter the effects of my all-or-nothing strategy to create the most beautiful amalgamation of baseball talent in the history of modern civilization.

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): I was envious of Elian Peña (Geoff, 15th round), Levi Sterling (Carlos, 19th round) and Franyerber Montilla (Mark, 25th round).

Matt Pajak

Player	Overall Pick
Bryce Eldridge	12
Jesus Made	13
Hagen Smith	36
Cam Smith	37
Colby Thomas	60
Jarlin Susana	61
Grant Taylor	84
Slade Caldwell	85
Moises Chace	108
Robert Calaz	109
Carter Jensen	132
Alan Roden	133
River Ryan	156
Tommy Troy	157
Brody Brecht	180
Cole Mathis	181
Griffin Burkholder	204
Tyson Lewis	205
Denzel Clarke	228
Dante Nori	229
Ty Floyd	252
Josh Knoth	253
Carlson Reed	276
Kale Fountain	277
Joseph Sullivan	300
Ethan Pecko	301
Cole Hertzler	324
Teddy McGraw	325
Cole Messina	348
Garrett Martin	349

Describe your draft in one sentence: I set my floor high for tools and stuff and tried to grab as many guys with a track record of performance that fit above that threshold.

Favorite pick: Alan Roden in round 12. I think he’s going to open a lot of eyes in spring training. He’s a versatile player who hits and has higher-end physical tools than I think he gets credit for. I wouldn’t be shocked if he was a solid regular for 10 years.

Pick you’d like back: Not to say I wouldn’t have done Burkholder-Lewis back-to-back in rounds 17 and 18, but to see Sammy Stafura come off the board a few picks later had me kicking myself for letting that one slip through the cracks (nice pick J.J.). I probably could’ve gotten all three with better advance planning, and Brecht in round 15 would’ve been the odd man out.

Pick someone stole from you: Geoff took Ryan Forcucci in round 18, and I had him queued for my next pick in round 19.

Favorite draft (not your own): I think Geoff Pontes, especially early, fit my philosophy well.

Best pick after round 10 (not your own): Pete Flaherty with Nathan Church in Round 23.