2015 MLB Draft Grades: Scores for Overall Results, Trades and Team Decisions

With the 40-round 2015 MLB draft finally in the books, baseball's franchises and their fans now have an opportunity to sit back and envision what the future could possibly hold.

Perhaps no draft in professional sports is a bigger crapshoot than Major League Baseball's version, but there are certain players who stand out as potential studs even if there are far fewer guarantees when compared to the NFL, NBA and NHL.

While the history of the MLB draft suggests that teams can unearth diamonds in the rough even in the extremely late rounds, there is no question that the organizations picking earliest have a distinct advantage in terms of landing the cream of the crop.

Now that the 2015 draft is in the books, here is a full rundown of grades for every team and a closer look at the franchises that fared better than the rest.

MLB Draft Grades

Team	Notable Selections (Pick No.)	Overall Grade
Arizona Diamondbacks	Dansby Swanson (1)	A-
Houston Astros	Alex Bregman (2), Kyle Tucker (5), Daz Cameron (37)	A
Colorado Rockies	Brendan Rodgers (3), Mike Nikorak (27), Tyler Nevin (38)	A
Texas Rangers	Dillon Tate (4), Michael Matuella (78)	A
Minnesota Twins	Tyler Jay (6)	B
Boston Red Sox	Andrew Benentendi (7), Tate Matheny (111)	B+
Chicago White Sox	Carson Fulmer (8)	B+
Chicago Cubs	Ian Happ (9)	B-
Philadelphia Phillies	Cornelius Randolph (10)	B
Cincinnati Reds	Tyler Stephenson (11)	B-
Miami Marlins	Josh Naylor (12)	C+
Tampa Bay Rays	Garrett Whitley (13)	B
Atlanta Braves	Kolby Allard (14), Mike Soroka (28), Austin Riley (41)	B+
Milwaukee Brewers	Trenton Clark (15), Nathan Kirby (40)	B+
New York Yankees	James Kaprielian (16), Kyle Holder (30)	B+
Cleveland Indians	Brady Aiken (17), Triston McKenzie (42)	A-
Seattle Mariners	Nick Neidert (60)	B-
San Francisco Giants	Phil Bickford (18), Chris Shaw (31)	B+
Pittsburgh Pirates	Kevin Newman (19), Ke'Bryan Hayes (32)	B
Oakland Athletics	Richie Martin (20)	C+
Kansas City Royals	Ashe Russell (21), Nolan Watson (33)	B-
Detroit Tigers	Beau Burrows (22), Christin Stewart (34)	B
St. Louis Cardinals	Nick Plummer (23), Jake Woodford (39)	B
Baltimore Orioles	D.J. Stewart (25), Ryan Mountcastle (36)	B+
Los Angeles Dodgers	Walker Buehler (24), Kyle Funkhouser (35)	A-
Washington Nationals	Andrew Stevenson (58), Mariano Rivera III (134)	B-
Los Angeles Angels	Taylor Ward (26)	B-
San Diego Padres	Austin Smith (51), Jacob Nix (86)	B-
New York Mets	Desmond Lindsay (53)	C
Toronto Blue Jays	Jon Harris (29)	C+

Breaking Down Top-Performing Teams

Houston Astros

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

No team in baseball has stockpiled more young talent in recent years than the Houston Astros. That fact is already paying dividends, as they lead the AL West with a 34-27 record, but they continued to build for the future with three high picks in this year's draft.

It started at No. 2 with LSU shortstop Alex Bregman, who came off the board after the Arizona Diamondbacks went with Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson at No. 1. Bregman, who was a Golden Spikes Award finalist, can do it all—he is hitting .312 with nine home runs, 49 RBI and 37 stolen bases with the Tigers this season.

According to Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com, the 21-year-old middle infielder was undoubtedly an elite talent in the draft:

The Astros were given the No. 2 pick as compensation for failing to sign No. 1 overall selection Brady Aiken last year. That meant they still had their own pick at No. 5, and they cashed in once again by taking high school outfielder Kyle Tucker.

While Tucker is obviously more of a project than Bregman, his physical tools are undeniable, and his upside measures up to anyone else in the class.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, one scout he spoke with marveled at Tucker's smoothness at the plate:

The Astros could have stopped there and confidently called their draft a great one, but they scored another major coup when they secured outfielder Daz Cameron at No. 37 overall.

While Cameron was heralded by most as a top-five or top-10 talent, he fell significantly in the draft because of concerns about his signability as a Scott Boras client.

Cameron's father, former big leaguer Mike Cameron, acknowledged that his son was somewhat frustrated by his fall down the draft boards, but he is excited about the fit in Houston, according to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle:

"

He's definitely excited about it—the opportunity to play and just the situation. They've got a very young team. They move kids pretty rapidly if you go out and dominate, show that you're capable, and all the skill sets are there. He got a chance to play in Houston [at Minute Maid Park] with Team USA. It just kind of works out good, man, for some strange reason.

"

It remains to be seen if the Astros will be able to sign Cameron, especially after what happened with Aiken last year, but they should be able to get something done if they want him badly enough.

Houston already has a number of young players who are ready to blossom into stars, and by the time they reach that point, the likes of Bregman, Tucker and Cameron will be on the verge of making it to the majors as well.

Colorado Rockies

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

The Astros may have nabbed the most impressive and talented trio of the entire draft, but the Colorado Rockies weren't far behind—they selected three potential stars of their own within the first 38 picks of the draft.

After watching a pair of shortstops go off the board ahead of them in Swanson and Bregman, the Rockies decided to also go to that well by taking high school shortstop Brendan Rodgers. While it may take Rodgers longer to make the big leagues and provide an impact than the two players who went ahead of him, he could easily turn out to be better than both.

Rodgers is arguably the best pure talent in the draft, and that was apparent when he worked out for the Rockies prior to their decision to select him, according to Joe Lemire of USA Today:

"

Rodgers hit 19 of 35 balls for HRs in rainy BP for Rockies scout, many lost in pond. Scout bought bag of replacements http://t.co/Mn3RY90mrt

— Joe Lemire (@LemireJoe) June 9, 2015"

On the heels of getting their man at No. 3, Colorado continued on the high school route by landing pitcher Mike Nikorak at No. 27. Nikorak was among the best players available when the Rockies selected him, and few would have batted an eyelash had someone taken him within the top 15.

It isn't easy to project how high school hurlers will translate to the next level, but according to the Rockies official Twitter account, Nikorak has some similarities to Oakland Athletics ace Sonny Gray:

Colorado rounded out its young triumvirate when it drafted high school third baseman Tyler Nevin at pick No. 38. He is the son of former No. 1 overall selection Phil Nevin.

While Nevin was set to attend UCLA, he has given the indication that he intends to skip college and agree to a deal with the Rockies, according to Michael Bower of PomeradoNews.com:

There is no doubt that Colorado has a long wait with regard to its top three picks since they are all making the difficult jump from high school, but the Rockies are banking on the notion that it will be well worth it a few years down the line.

That might mean a continued run of mediocrity in the meantime, but Rockies fans will eventually be rewarded if the scouting staff got it right.

Texas Rangers

Pitching has long been the Texas Rangers' Achilles' heel, and while much of that has to do with the fact that the ball flies out of Globe Life Park in Arlington, it has also has to do with the Rangers not having a ton of talent on the mound.

That seems to be changing in the wake of the 2015 MLB draft, as Texas landed a pair of potential aces in Dillon Tate and Michael Matuella.

The Rangers started off with Tate out of California Santa Barbara with the No. 4 selection. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the bespectacled righty has dominant stuff and elite velocity already:

He has proved to be nearly unhittable at times, and it is extremely difficult for batters to square up his pitches. That is evidenced by the fact that he hardly ever gives up the long ball, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News:

While Tate could be a spectacular pitcher, the Rangers may have managed to get an even better one at No. 78. That is where Texas took Michael Matuella out of Duke. While Matuella was virtually guaranteed to be a first-round pick previously, he fell after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The Rangers took a chance by drafting a pitcher who already has significant arm troubles, but his talent level was simply too good to pass up at that juncture.

According to Jared Sandler of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, Rangers scouting director Kip Fagg was absolutely ecstatic to come away with a potentially elite player so deep into the draft:

It is entirely possible that Texas' draft class could end up being a bust if Matuella never regains the form he once had, but at least the Rangers and their fans can feel good about rolling the dice and gambling on top-flight ability.

Even if it doesn't ultimately work out, it is tough not to love what Texas was able to do in the 2015 MLB draft.

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