MLB Draft 2014: Teams That Walked Away with Best Prospect Hauls

The MLB draft has no time for instant gratification.

Projecting how the careers of recently drafted prospects will unfold is always a risky proposition. So many things can go right or wrong in a player's career.

When it comes to baseball, that unpredictability is even more pronounced. Even the best players are years away from becoming consistent contributors to their major league teams.

And that's only if their development goes according to plan.

The three teams below look to be the early winners of the 2014 draft, but a lot can change in two or three years.

Chicago Cubs

Why would anybody doubt Theo Epstein on draft night?

The Chicago Cubs caused the first shock of the opening round when they selected Kyle Schwarber fourth overall.

You could see the justification for taking the Indiana star ahead of other more highly regarded prospects such as Nick Gordon, Aaron Nola and Alex Jackson.

Schwarber is a power hitter, and teams can never have too many of those. More importantly, Chicago saved itself a lot of slot money that can be used on later picks, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times:

Second-rounder Jake Stinnett is also a solid value pick who will likely come under slot.

Some fans may have wanted the Cubs to add a pitcher in the first round, but that may not be a problem if the team can sign prep pitchers Carson Sands, Justin Steele and Dylan Cease.

The money Chicago saved with Schwarber and Stinnett will come in handy with that trio. Sands, Steele and Cease all offer loads of potential and could be the arms that the system needs.

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians couldn't have done any better than Bradley Zimmer at No. 21.

As you can see from the evaluation by MLB Network's John Hart (via 92.3 The Fan's T.J. Zuppe), Zimmer can do a little bit of everything:

The San Francisco Dons star should remind those in Cleveland a little bit of Grady Sizemore, at least in his prime. Both are left-handed batters who possess some power with plus speed and defending.

At the very least, the fans should be able to get behind a player who's visibly excited to be playing in Cleveland:

The Tribe took Justus Sheffield with their second pick. The left-hander offers a lot of potential for a minor league system that could use more high-ceiling starters.

MLB.com's Jim Callis reported that the Indians came to terms with Sheffield:

However, the pitcher's dad refuted the report.

"Nobody has signed anything as far as I know," Travis Sheffield said, per The Tennessean's Chip Cirillo.

If Cleveland can get the Vanderbilt commit to sign, it will put the finishing touch on what was a great first round.

Prep star Bobby Bradley also gives the Indians a power-hitting first baseman who is largely absent in Cleveland's system, unless Jesus Aguilar makes major leaps in his development.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays had one of the best drafts by virtue of their first day alone.

Jeff Hoffman had a case to be the best collegiate pitcher in the draft, but his Tommy John surgery made him a bit too risky for some teams.

As a result, Hoffman fell to the Blue Jays at No 9. SweetSpot's David Schoenfield astutely pointed out that every player before him was far from a 100 percent sure thing to succeed, so is Hoffman really that big of a risk?

The recovery rate from Tommy John surgery is so high that Hoffman should be back to his best next year. He has the stuff to become an ace of the staff.

Two picks later, Toronto selected Max Pentecost, who will likely come in a little under slot. He was the second-best catcher in the draft and offers some above-average pop at the plate.

The Blue Jays addressed an area of need and possibly saved some money in the process. That will come in handy when they enter negotiations with second-rounder Sean Reid-Foley, per Justin Barney of The Florida Times-Union:

Reid-Foley boasts an impressive fastball and an even better slider. Put that together with his control, and you've got somebody who could grow into a strong No. 2 starter in the majors.

With Hoffman and Reid-Foley, Toronto cleaned up at pitcher.