2014 MLB Draft Grades: Best and Worst Picks from Day 1

While every franchise was hoping to gain impact players on the first day of the MLB draft, some did a better job than others. 

The Houston Astros started things off by taking high-upside left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken out of Cathedral Catholic High School in California. Tyler Kolek and Carlos Rodon became the next two picks, each of them being relatively obvious selections based on the talent available.

However, things got interesting after this top tier was off the board. The first couple of rounds featured plenty of surprises that will help or haunt organizations for years.

Although it will take a few years to truly grasp who did a good job on draft day, here is a look at the best and worst picks when it comes to obtaining early value at necessary spots.

	Round 1
	Compensation Round A
	Competitive Balance Round A
	Round 2
	Competitive Balance Round B
Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1.	Houston Astros	Brady Aiken	LHP	Cathedral Catholic HS
2.	Miami Marlins	Tyler Kolek	RHP	Shepherd HS
3.	Chicago White Sox	Carlos Rodon	LHP	N.C. State
4.	Chicago Cubs	Kyle Schwarber	C	Indiana
5.	Minnesota Twins	Nick Gordon	SS	Olympia HS
6.	Seattle Mariners	Alex Jackson	C/OF	Rancho Bernardo HS
7.	Philadelphia Phillies	Aaron Nola	RHP	LSU
8.	Colorado Rockies	Kyle Freeland	LHP	Evansville
9.	Toronto Blue Jays	Jeff Hoffman	RHP	East Carolina
10.	New York Mets	Michael Conforto	OF	Oregon State
11.	Toronto Blue Jays	Max Pentecost	C	Kennesaw State
12.	Milwaukee Brewers	Kodi Medeiros	LHP	Waiakea HS
13.	San Diego Padres	Trea Turner	SS	N.C. State
14.	San Francisco Giants	Tyler Beede	RHP	Vanderbilt
15.	Los Angeles Angels	Sean Newcomb	LHP	Hartford
16.	Arizona Diamondbacks	Touki Toussaint	RHP	Coral Springs Christian Academy
17.	Kansas City Royals	Brandon Finnegan	LHP	TCU
18.	Washington Nationals	Erick Fedde	RHP	UNLV
19.	Cincinnati Reds	Nick Howard	RHP	Virginia
20.	Tampa Bay Rays	Casey Gillaspie	1B	Wichita State
21.	Cleveland Indians	Bradley Zimmer	OF	San Francisco
22.	Los Angeles Dodgers	Grant Holmes	RHP	Conway HS
23.	Detroit Tigers	Derek Hill	OF	Elk Grove HS
24.	Pittsburgh Pirates	Cole Tucker	SS	Mountain Pointe HS
25.	Oakland Athletics	Matt Chapman	3B	Cal State Fullerton
26.	Boston Red Sox	Michael Chavis	SS	Sprayberry HS
27.	St. Louis Cardinals	Luke Weaver	RHP	Florida State
Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
28	Kansas City Royals	Foster Griffin	LHP	The First Academy
29	Cincinnati Reds	Alex Blandino	SS	Stanford
30	Texas Rangers	Luis Ortiz	RHP	Sanger HS
31	Cleveland Indians	Justus Sheffield	LHP	Tullahoma HS
32	Atlanta Braves	Braxton Davidson	OF	T.C. Roberson HS
33	Boston Red Sox	Michael Kopech	RHP	Pleasant HS
34	St. Louis Cardinals	Jack Flaherty	RHP	Harvard-Westlake HS
Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
35.	Colorado Rockies	Forrest Wall	2B	Orangewood Christian HS
36.	Miami Marlins	Blake Anderson	C	West Lauderdale HS
37.	Houston Astros	Derek Fisher	OF	Virginia
38.	Cleveland Indians	Mike Papi	OF	Virginia
39.	Pittsburgh Pirates	Connor Joe	OF	San Diego
40.	Kansas City Royals	Chase Vallot	C	St. Thomas More HS
41	Milwaukee Brewers	Jacob Gatewood	SS	Clovis HS
Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
42.	Houston Astros	A.J. Reed	1B	Kentucky
43.	Miami Marlins	Justin Twine	SS	Falls City HS
44.	Chicago White Sox	Spencer Adams	RHP	White County HS
45.	Chicago Cubs	Jake Stinnett	RHP	Maryland
46.	Minnesota Twins	Nick Burdi	RHP	Louisville
47.	Philadelphia Phillies	Matt Imhof	LHP	Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
48.	Colorado Rockies	Ryan Castellani	RHP	Brophy Jesuit Prep School
49.	Toronto Blue Jays	Sean Reid-Foley	RHP	Sandalwood HS
50.	Milwaukee Brewers	Monte Harrison	OF	Lee's Summit West HS
51.	San Diego Padres	Michael Gettys	OF	Gainesville HS
52.	San Francisco Giants	Aramis Garcia	C	Florida International
53.	Los Angeles Angels	Joe Gatto	RHP	St. Augustine Prep
54.	Arizona Diamondbacks	Cody Reed	LHP	Ardmore HS
55.	New York Yankees	Jacob Lindgren	LHP	Mississippi State
56.	Kansas City Royals	Scott Blewett	RHP	Baker HS
57.	Washington Nationals	Andrew Suarez	LHP	Miami
58.	Cincinnati Reds	Taylor Sparks	3B	UC Irvine
59.	Texas Rangers	Tiquan Forbes	SS	Columbia HS
60.	Tampa Bay Rays	Cameron Varga	RHP	Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy
61.	Cleveland Indians	Grant Hockin	RHP	Damien HS
62.	Los Angeles Dodgers	Alex Verdugo	OF	Sahuaruo HS
63.	Detroit Tigers	Spencer Turnbull	RHP	Alabama
64.	Pittsburgh Pirates	Mitch Keller	RHP	Xavier HS
65.	Oakland Athletics	Daniel Gossett	RHP	Clemson
66.	Atlanta Braves	Garrett Fulenchek	RHP	Howe HS
67.	Boston Red Sox	Sam Travis	1B	Indiana
68.	St. Louis Cardinals	Ronnie Williams	RHP	American Senior HS
Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
69.	Arizona Diamondbacks	Marcus Wilson	OF	Junipero Serra HS
70.	Arizona Diamondbacks	Isan Diaz	SS	Springfield Central HS
71.	St. Louis Cardinals	Andrew Morales	RHP	UC Irvine
72.	Tampa Bay Rays	Brent Honeywell	RHP	Walters State CC
73.	Pittsburgh Pirates	Trey Supak	RHP	La Grange HS
74.	Seattle Mariners	Gareth Morgan	OF	Blyth Academy

Worst Picks

No. 4 Chicago Cubs: Kyle Schwarber

When selecting in the first five picks, you have to make sure you get someone who can potentially be a star in the majors. While Kyle Schwarber is a solid hitter, it is hard to imagine him reaching this ability.

The Indiana catcher has solid power from the left side of the plate and projects as a good hitter for average. The problem is that he is unlikely to remain behind the plate and will instead play either first base or corner outfield.

If this is the case, this significantly lowers his value at the major league level.

Both Chris Crawford of MLB Draft Insider and Michael Baumann of Grantland believed this pick was a big reach:

On the other hand, Cubs scouting director Jason McLeod was excited he fell to No. 4, via Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago:

Schwarber could be a quick riser through the system, but Chicago would have been better off taking someone with more upside.

No. 24 Pittsburgh Pirates: Cole Tucker 

Every team obviously has its own thought process in scouting, but it is nice to have some sort of consensus about a prospect. The Pirates did not think this is important.

Pittsburgh selected Cole Tucker, a high school shortstop out of Arizona, with the No. 24 pick in the first round. Both Aaron Fitt of Baseball America and Tim McMaster of MLB Network were surprised by the selection based on their companies' prospect lists:

While this appears to be a big reach for the Pirates, Tucker still has shown plenty of ability in the field with the range to stick at shortstop. Add this to his above-average speed, and chances are that he will find success as a professional.

Still, the questions about his ability to hit are what makes this a strange pick for the Pirates.

No. 36 Miami Marlins: Blake Anderson

The Competitive Balance Round is a time to take some risks, but the Miami Marlins went way off the board to select high school catcher Blake Anderson.

J.J. Cooper of Baseball America points out that this is much earlier than most teams projected him to be taken:

Prep Baseball's Nathan Rode did not see anyone picking him this high:

The good news is that Anderson has a lot of raw power that could allow him to be a quality slugger at the next level. If he can remain at catcher, he could be a rare commodity that would be extremely valuable for any team.

Unfortunately, this is asking pretty much everything to go right in his development. Anderson is still a long way away from the majors and could end up struggling early in his minor league career.

This was likely a pick to save money, but it will end up being a mistake for the Marlins.

Best Picks

No. 10 New York Mets: Michael Conforto

Unlike the NFL or MLB draft, teams do not often make selections based on the current roster situation. However, it is clear that the New York Mets needed impact bats out of the outfield, and they need them in a hurry.

Michael Conforto becomes the perfect selection as someone who can come in early and move quickly towards the major leagues.

The Oregon State outfielder has been one of the top hitters in the nation over the past few years and continued to improve his approach at the plate. As Anthony DiComo of MLB.com notes, his patience fits what the team is looking for in a prospect:

Jim Bowden of ESPN is impressed by Conforto's all-around game as well:

New York needed someone to contribute in a hurry, and the squad brought in one of the top college bats in the draft at No. 10. This could be called a successful day for a team that needs it.

No. 21 Cleveland Indians: Bradley Zimmer

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

There were differing opinions on Bradley Zimmer coming into the draft, but it seems like the Cleveland Indians got a steal at No. 21.

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo listed him as the third-best hitter and No. 10 prospect overall in the class due to his all-around ability:

"

Zimmer has a nice package of tools, with his bat standing out the most. He has a sweet left-handed stroke, and he manages the strike zone and recognizes pitches well. His body has enough strength and leverage to possibly produce plus power if he were to add some loft to his swing, though he's content to spray line drives all over the field for now. 

"

Meanwhile, John Hart of MLB Network also thinks highly of the player's upside, via T.J. Zuppe of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland:

The Indians got the best of both worlds with a college hitter with five-tool potential, giving the squad a player with both a high floor and a high ceiling. Grabbing him this late in the first round makes him a virtual steal for the organization.

No. 41 Milwaukee Brewers: Jacob Gatewood

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Jacob Gatewood was in attendance at the draft and expected to be taken relatively early, but he was forced to wait a few hours before he finally heard his name called.

While this was bad news for Gatewood, this could end up being a great day for the Brewers. Aaron Fitt of Baseball America called this the steal of the draft:

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick points out what makes him such a valuable pick:

Gatewood is one of the strongest players in the entire class and could develop into someone who can slug over 30 home runs a year in the majors. While he might need to adjust his approach at the plate, he will have plenty of time to develop his game to fit his talent.

There is a question whether the player will stick at shortstop, but his arm strength and bat will allow him to succeed at third base if he ends up going in that direction. Gatewood has tons of upside and is one of the best picks in the entire class.

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