Best draft picks in Cleveland Guardians history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Cleveland Guardians history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Drew Pomeranz
- Draft: 5th overall pick in 2010
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 289
- Career stats: 48 wins, 3.91 earned run average, 1.35 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 12.4

#24. Ray Fosse
- Draft: 7th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 924
- Career stats: 61 home runs, .256 batting average, .673 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 12.8

#23. Joey Wendle
- Draft: 203rd overall pick in 2012
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 667
- Career stats: 32 home runs, .262 batting average, .695 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 13.3

#22. Chris Archer
- Draft: 161st overall pick in 2006
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 243
- Career stats: 63 wins, 3.93 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 13.5

#21. Larry Andersen
- Draft: 157th overall pick in 1971
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 699
- Career stats: 40 wins, 3.15 earned run average, 1.25 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 13.9

#20. Ron Hassey
- Draft: 422nd overall pick in 1976
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,192
- Career stats: 71 home runs, .266 batting average, .722 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 14.7

#19. David Bell
- Draft: 190th overall pick in 1990
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,403
- Career stats: 123 home runs, .257 batting average, .716 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 15.2

#18. Paul Byrd
- Draft: 112th overall pick in 1991
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 345
- Career stats: 109 wins, 4.41 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 16.2

#17. Kelly Gruber
- Draft: 10th overall pick in 1980
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 939
- Career stats: 117 home runs, .259 batting average, .739 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 16.4

#16. Sean Casey
- Draft: 53rd overall pick in 1995
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,405
- Career stats: 130 home runs, .302 batting average, .814 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 16.5

#15. Shane Bieber
- Draft: 122nd overall pick in 2016
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 136
- Career stats: 62 wins, 3.22 earned run average, 1.12 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.7

#14. Richie Sexson
- Draft: 671st overall pick in 1993
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,367
- Career stats: 306 home runs, .261 batting average, .851 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.0

#13. Jeremy Guthrie
- Draft: 22nd overall pick in 2002
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 306
- Career stats: 91 wins, 4.42 earned run average, 1.34 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 18.4

#12. Jason Kipnis
- Draft: 63rd overall pick in 2009
- Position: Centerfielder
- Games played: 1,165
- Career stats: 126 home runs, .260 batting average, .750 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.3

#11. Charles Nagy
- Draft: 17th overall pick in 1988
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 318
- Career stats: 129 wins, 4.51 earned run average, 1.42 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 24.8

#10. Von Hayes
- Draft: 163rd overall pick in 1979
- Position: Infielder
- Games played: 1,495
- Career stats: 143 home runs, .267 batting average, .770 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 29.9

#9. Greg Swindell
- Draft: 2nd overall pick in 1986
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 664
- Career stats: 123 wins, 3.86 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 30.5

#8. Albert Belle
- Draft: 47th overall pick in 1987
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,539
- Career stats: 381 home runs, .295 batting average, .933 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 40.1

#7. Francisco Lindor
- Draft: 8th overall pick in 2011
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,284
- Career stats: 224 home runs, .272 batting average, .809 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 44.0

#6. Brian Giles
- Draft: 437th overall pick in 1989
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,847
- Career stats: 287 home runs, .291 batting average, .902 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 51.1

#5. Dennis Eckersley
- Draft: 50th overall pick in 1972
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 1,071
- Career stats: 197 wins, 3.5 earned run average, 1.16 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 62.1

#4. CC Sabathia
- Draft: 20th overall pick in 1998
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 561
- Career stats: 251 wins, 3.74 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 62.3

#3. Buddy Bell
- Draft: 375th overall pick in 1969
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 2,405
- Career stats: 201 home runs, .280 batting average, .747 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 66.4

#2. Manny Ramirez
- Draft: 13th overall pick in 1991
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 2,302
- Career stats: 555 home runs, .312 batting average, .996 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 69.3

#1. Jim Thome
- Draft: 333rd overall pick in 1989
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,543
- Career stats: 612 home runs, .276 batting average, .956 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 73.1

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.