Re-Drafting 2019 MLB Draft With Bobby Witt Jr., Corbin Carroll, Gunnar Henderson, More
The 2019 MLB draft had a consensus No. 1 overall talent in Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman, who hit .411/.575/.751 with 17 home runs during his final collegiate season.
While he made an immediate splash in Baltimore and is a two-time All-Star, he has since been overtaken by the trio of Bobby Witt Jr., Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson as the top performers in a deep draft class.
In this hypothetical 2019 redraft, every MLB team's current roster remains intact, with the only change being a re-do of their 2019 first-round selection.
With that in mind, roster mechanics and organizational fit played a much bigger role here than they would in a traditional mock draft when teams are generally just looking to add the best available talent.
The Baltimore Orioles are on the clock...
1. Baltimore Orioles: SS Bobby Witt Jr.
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Original Pick: C Adley Rutschman
Witt's Original Draft Position: No. 2 overall
There are plenty of draft classes the Orioles would like to re-do, but 2019 is likely not one of them, as they walked away with Adley Rutschman (1-1), Gunnar Henderson (2-42), Kyle Stowers (2-71) and Joey Ortiz (4-108).
That said, given the opportunity to pivot to a bona fide superstar in Bobby Witt Jr. is too good of an opportunity to pass up, even if he represents only a marginal upgrade over Henderson as the starting shortstop.
Rutschman debuted with a 5.4-WAR rookie season in 2022 and looked like a perennial All-Star on the rise, but his WAR has declined in each of the three years since and he has settled in as more of a second-tier backstop.
2. Kansas City Royals: SS Gunnar Henderson
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Original Pick: SS Bobby Witt Jr.
Henderson's Original Draft Position: No. 42 overall
Since the start of the 2022 season, Bobby Witt Jr. leads all shortstops with 25.4 WAR, and during that time he has emerged as the best homegrown player to emerge from the Royals pipeline since George Brett.
Losing him in this redraft is a blow, but luckily an excellent replacement is immediately available, as Gunnar Henderson is not far behind him on that shortstop leaderboard with 21.6 WAR during the same stretch.
In this parallel universe, would Henderson have a long-term deal with the Royals, while Witt is crawling ever closer to free agency without an extension on the books?
3. Chicago White Sox: OF Corbin Carroll
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Original Pick: 1B Andrew Vaughn
Carroll's Original Draft Position: No. 16 overall
Corbin Carroll would be the No. 1 overall pick in a lot of other redraft years, with a pair of 5-WAR seasons, a 30/30 campaign in 2025 and two top-10 finishes in NL MVP voting over the last three years.
In this scenario, he becomes the lineup cornerstone the White Sox were expecting to get with Andrew Vaughn, and he can naturally plug into an outfield spot rather than learning to play out there on the fly like Vaughn did when Josรฉ Abreu was blocking his path.
Due in part to his defensive struggles in the outfield and his limited on-base production, Vaughn ended up logging negative-0.6 WAR over five seasons with the White Sox, though he has enjoyed a renaissance since joining the Brewers.
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4. Miami Marlins: OF Michael Harris II
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Original Pick: OF JJ Bleday
Harris' Original Draft Position: No. 98 overall
The Marlins have spent years searching for consistent production in the outfield since they traded away the high-powered trio of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna.
Despite some ups and downs, Michael Harris II still checks all the boxes to be a superstar-level contributor, and he has piled up 16.1 WAR during his five seasons in the majors. With a .304/.322/.533 line and 145 OPS+ so far this year, the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year has reached a new level at the plate.
JJ Bleday has flashed some playable power, including a 20-homer season with the Athletics in 2024 after he was traded for AJ Puk, but he has fallen well short of living up to his draft position.
5. Detroit Tigers: SS CJ Abrams
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Original Pick: OF Riley Greene
Abrams' Original Draft Position: No. 6 overall
The Tigers signed Javier Bรกez to an ill-fated six-year, $140 million contract prior to the 2022 season. Do they make that same mistake with CJ Abrams rising the ranks in their system?
Abrams checked in as the No. 9 prospect in all of baseball at the start of that same 2022 season, and in the years since he has developed into one of the better power/speed threats in baseball.
There's certainly a case to be made for sticking with the original selection of Riley Greene, but production at the shortstop position has been elusive enough that Abrams fills a more glaring organizational need.
6. San Diego Padres: C Shea Langeliers
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Original Pick: SS CJ Abrams
Langeliers' Original Draft Position: No. 9 overall
The Padres have not had a catcher named to the All-Star team since Benito Santiago in 1992, if that gives any indication of what a revolving door the position has been for decades at this point.
With Shea Langeliers and Adley Rutschman both on the board, they have a golden opportunity to rectify that problem. Following a 31-homer season in 2025, Langeliers has taken his game up another level this year with a .299/.371/.549 line and 13 home runs in 50 games.
Then again, there's a good chance he would have been changing teams in the Juan Soto blockbuster since CJ Abrams was a key piece of the puzzle in that return package.
7. Cincinnati Reds: OF Riley Greene
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Original Pick: LHP Nick Lodolo
Greene's Original Draft Position: No. 5 overall
The Reds have not had a true impact performer in their outfield since Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker were both All-Stars in 2021, so Riley Greene would be a clear upgrade.
Comerica Park has skewed more pitcher friendly in recent years, and he still launched 36 home runs in 2025, with 21 of those long balls coming on the road. That could easily have been a 45-homer campaign playing his home games at Great American Ball Park.
Nick Lodolo was the first pitcher taken in a thin class for arms, and while he has flashed frontline potential when healthy, he has topped 150 innings pitched just once.
8. Texas Rangers: RHP Hunter Brown
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Original Pick: 3B Josh Jung
Brown's Original Draft Position: No. 166 overall
Despite an injury-plagued start to his 2026 campaign, Hunter Brown firmly established himself as the best pitcher in the 2019 draft class last season when he posted a 2.43 ERA and 206 strikeouts in 185.1 innings while finishing third in AL Cy Young voting.
The flip side of that is that he spent the 2023 season taking his lumps with a 5.09 ERA in 155.2 innings, the same year the Rangers were making an unexpected run to a World Series title.
Josh Jung was a key member of that championship team, with a 23-homer, 70-RBI, 2.6-WAR rookie season, but his inconsistent production in the years since makes pivoting to Brown a logical risk/reward move.
9. Atlanta Braves: RHP George Kirby
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Original Pick: C Shea Langeliers
Kirby's Original Draft Position: No. 20 overall
Since the start of the 2022 season, George Kirby is one of only 16 pitchers across all of baseball to log 700 innings of work, posting a 3.58 ERA and 3.26 FIP along the way while earning an All-Star selection.
For a Braves team that has navigated significant injury issues on the mound, his durability and solid No. 2/3 starter production would be a stabilizing presence for the starting staff.
They ultimately traded their original pick Shea Langeliers to the Athletics in the deal to acquire Matt Olson, so Kirby might also have been on the move before he had a chance to establish himself in Atlanta.
10. San Francisco Giants: C Adley Rutschman
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Original Pick: OF Hunter Bishop
Rutschman's Original Draft Position: No. 1 overall
After a 5.4-WAR rookie season and a top-10 finish in AL MVP voting the following year, Adley Rutschman has settled in more as an above-average catcher than a true star the last two seasons.
The Giants appeared to have found their catcher of the future when they chose Joey Bart with the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, but that didn't work out and now they've turned the page on Patrick Bailey, leaving catcher as an organizational question mark.
Hunter Bishop hit .238 with a 29.9 percent strikeout rate over five seasons in the minors, and he elected free agency after topping out at the Triple-A level. He is currently unsigned.
11. Toronto Blue Jays: LHP Nick Lodolo
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Original Pick: RHP Alek Manoah
Lodolo's Original Draft Position: No. 7 overall
Nick Lodolo was talented enough to be drafted in the first round twice, going No. 41 overall to the Pirates out of high school before honoring his commitment to TCU and emerging as the top arm in the 2019 draft class.
After navigating injuries early in his career, he posted a 3.33 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in a career-high 156.2 innings in 2025. The Blue Jays have not had much in the way of an in-house pitching pipeline, but his overall polish coming out of college could have helped change that narrative.
Alek Manoah was one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2022 when he finished third in AL Cy Young voting, but he has a 5.67 ERA over 119 innings in the four years since his peak campaign.
12. New York Mets: 1B Michael Busch
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Original Pick: 3B Brett Baty
Busch's Original Draft Position: No. 31 overall
Michael Busch spent multiple seasons buried in the Dodgers farm system before he was traded to the Cubs, and he turned in a 118 OPS+ and 21 home runs as a rookie in 2024 while taking over as the everyday first baseman for the North Siders. He followed that up with a 147 OPS+ and 34 long balls last season.
The Mets would not have immediately needed him at first base with Pete Alonso around, but he might have helped open the door for an Alonso trade, and at the very least would have saved them from the Jorge Polanco signing.
Despite a solid 2025 campaign, Brett Baty still has a lackluster 87 OPS+ and 2.8 WAR in 351 big league games.
13. Minnesota Twins: 3B Josh Jung
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Original Pick: 3B Keoni Cavaco
Jung's Original Draft Position: No. 8 overall
Expected to be one of the first players from the 2019 draft class to reach the majors, Josh Jung instead battled some injury issues before finally breaking through in 2023 when he started the All-Star Game and was a key bat for the eventual World Series champions.
He posted a 107 OPS+ and averaged just 99 games in the three years that followed, but he has rebounded this season with a .303/.360/.459 line and 143 OPS+ through 49 games. Aside from flashes of Royce Lewis, third base has been a long-standing position of instability for the Twins, so this pick fills a clear need.
Keoni Cavaco hit .212/.267/.335 with a 36.8 percent strikeout rate over five seasons in the minors, and he actually spent 2025 as a pitcher for the indy ball Chicago Dogs of the American Association.
14. Philadelphia Phillies: 2B Bryson Stott
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Original Pick: 2B Bryson Stott
Stott's Original Draft Position: No. 14 overall
Bryson Stott is not a star, but he's a reliable everyday option at second base working on three straight 2-WAR seasons with a 4.3-WAR peak in 2023.
While every pick in front of them has been shuffled, and there are plenty of intriguing names still on the board, this is one spot where the status quo makes a ton of logical sense.
In his four seasons as an everyday player, Stott has averaged 23 doubles, 12 home runs, 25 steals and 2.5 WAR. He also has strong defensive metrics (8 DRS, 31 OAA) at second base despite being a natural shortstop.
15. Los Angeles Angels: RHP Ryan Pepiot
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Original Pick: SS Will Wilson
Pepiot's Original Draft Position: No. 102 overall
Ryan Pepiot was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Tyler Glasnow from the Rays to the Dodgers, and in two seasons since coming to Tampa Bay, he has a 3.75 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 309 strikeouts in 297.2 innings.
Unfortunately, he will spend the 2026 season on the sidelines after undergoing hip surgery following a nagging hip inflammation issue, but he is still only 28 years old and would be a controllable addition to what has been a revolving door in the Angels rotation.
Shortstop Will Wilson was traded to the Giants as a means of unloading Zack Cozart's contract, so he did provide the Angels with some organizational value, though he has yet to make an impact in the majors.
16. Arizona Diamondbacks: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino
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Original Pick: OF Corbin Carroll
Pasquantino's Original Draft Position: No. 319 overall
While he teased his offensive potential in 2022 and 2023, it was not until the 2024 season that Vinnie Pasquantino broke through as an everyday player. That was followed by a 32-homer, 113-RBI campaign last year.
That lines up well with Christian Walker's departure after a solid run as the D-backs first baseman, as he joined the Astros in free agency following the 2024 season and would have cleared a path for Pasquantino.
Losing Corbin Carroll in this redraft is a major blow for the D-backs overall outlook, but they pick again at No. 26, No. 33 and No. 34, so there will be other chances to retool the roster.
17. Washington Nationals: OF Kyle Stowers
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Original Pick: RHP Jackson Rutledge
Stowers' Original Draft Position: No. 71 overall
Kyle Stowers was one of the breakout hitters of the 2025 season, posting a 151 OPS+ with 25 home runs, 73 RBI and 3.6 WAR in 117 games while earning an All-Star selection.
The 28-year-old has not matched that level of production yet this season after nursing a hamstring strain, but that level of peak performance makes him a good target for an up-and-coming Nationals squad. Pairing him with James Wood in the middle of the lineup could make for a dynamic one-two punch.
Right-hander Jackson Rutledge failed to develop as hoped as a future rotation piece, but he did fill a spot in the bullpen last year with a 5.77 ERA in 63 appearances.
18. Pittsburgh Pirates: OF Kerry Carpenter
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Original Pick: RHP Quinn Priester
Carpenter's Original Draft Position: No. 562 overall
Despite a lack of defensive value, Kerry Carpenter has been a steady offensive performer since debuting with the Tigers in 2022, posting a 126 OPS+ while averaging 31 home runs per 162 games.
For a Pirates team that has perennially been one of the worst offensive clubs in baseball, his bat-first profile would be a welcome addition to the middle of the lineup.
Quinn Priester struggled to a 6.46 ERA in 94.2 innings with the Pirates before he was swapped for Nick Yorke. He enjoyed a breakout season in Milwaukee last year, going 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 157.1 innings.
19. St. Louis Cardinals: IF Josh Smith
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Original Pick: LHP Zack Thompson
Smith's Original Draft Position: No. 67 overall
Josh Smith was one of the best utility players in baseball during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, posting a 110 OPS+ while averaging 27 doubles, 12 home runs and 3.2 WAR while winning a Silver Slugger.
He has settled in as the Rangers everyday second baseman this season following the trade of Marcus Semien, and he fits a similar mold to Brendan Donovan who found significant success in a Cardinals uniform before he was traded this past winter.
Southpaw Zack Thompson logged a 4.50 ERA over 118 innings in a swingman role with the Cardinals before suffering a torn lat muscle during 2025 spring training, and he has yet to return to the mound.
20. Seattle Mariners: RHP Ryne Nelson
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Original Pick: RHP George Kirby
Nelson's Original Draft Position: No. 56 overall
The 2019 draft class was thin enough at pitcher that Ryne Nelson trails only Hunter Brown (10.4), George Kirby (8.9), Nick Lodolo (8.5), Alek Manoah (7.2) and Ryan Pepiot (5.8) with his 5.6 career WAR.
The right-hander enjoyed a career year in 2025 when he logged a 3.39 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 132 strikeouts over 154 innings, and he has quietly been the D-backs best homegrown starting pitcher in quite some time.
With George Kirby already taken earlier in this redraft at No. 9 overall to the Atlanta Braves, Nelson can serve as a replacement for him in the Seattle rotation.
21. Atlanta Braves: RHP Matt Brash
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Original Pick: SS Braden Shewmake
Brash's Original Draft Position: No. 113 overall
With a fastball that sits in the upper 90s and an elite slider that is generating a 38.8 percent whiff rate this season, Matt Brash has the stuff to close games, even if he hasn't gotten a chance while sharing a bullpen with Andrรฉs Muรฑoz.
The Braves have assembled one of the best bullpens in baseball this year after pairing incumbent closer Raisel Iglesias with high-profile free agent Robert Suรกrez, and Brash would have given them a similar one-two punch several years earlier.
Braden Shewmake entered the 2026 season with just 31 games played in the majors, though he has carved out a role with the Astros this year, posting a 112 OPS+ over 67 plate appearances while starting games at three different infield spots.
22. Tampa Bay Rays: RHP Graham Ashcraft
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Original Pick: SS Greg Jones
Ashcraft's Original Draft Position: No. 174 overall
The Rays have had a lot of success utilizing pitchers who can fill a variety of roles on the staff, and Graham Ashcraft fits the mold as he started 60 games over his first three years in the majors before settling into a role at the back of the bullpen.
His upper 90s cutter and swing-and-miss slider both play up significantly in shorter bursts, while his sinker was effective enough as a third offering for him to show real potential as a starter. The Rays are the perfect organization to squeeze the most out of that skill set.
Greg Jones has seen action in the majors with the Rockies, White Sox and Brewers over the last three seasons, going a combined 3-for-28 with 15 strikeouts.
23. Colorado Rockies: 1B/OF Spencer Steer
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Original Pick: 1B Michael Toglia
Steer's Original Draft Position: No. 90 overall
The Rockies have used 17 different starting first basemen since the beginning of the 2023 season, which is the same year Spencer Steer earned NL Rookie of the Year votes while posting a 117 OPS+ with 23 home runs and 86 RBI.
Steer has seen regular action in left field during his time with the Reds as a means of getting his bat into the lineup and maximizing the offense, but he is a much better fit defensively at first base. The Rockies would have a clear path for him at his natural position.
Michael Toglia is one of those 17 first basemen the Rockies used in recent years, and he had a 25-homer campaign in 2024. However, a 35 percent strikeout rate and .278 on-base percentage have limited his overall value.
24. Cleveland Guardians: OF Brenton Doyle
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Original Pick: RHP Daniel Espino
Doyle's Original Draft Position: No. 129 overall
Center field has been a glaring issue for the Guardians for several years, to the point that they shifted Gold Glove left fielder Steven Kwan to the position during spring training.
That makes two-time Gold Glove-winning center fielder Brenton Doyle an attractive target, even if he has struggled to a 69 OPS+ in 660 plate appearances since his 23-homer, 30-steal campaign in 2024.
Electric stuff made Daniel Espino one of baseball's top pitching prospects before his career was derailed by injuries, and he is currently working out of the Triple-A bullpen.
25. Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP Louis Varland
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Original Pick: 3B Kody Hoese
Varland's Original Draft Position: No. 449 overall
If there has been a weakness for the Dodgers in recent years, it's the health and consistency of their late-inning relievers, so targeting a bullpen star on the rise in Louis Varland fills a clear need.
Varland flashed high-octane stuff during his time with the Twins, but never quite carved out a regular role. The Blue Jays acquired him at the deadline last year, and he has pitched his way into the closer's role this season by posting a 0.33 ERA and 13.0 K/9 with seven saves in 25 games.
Kody Hoese crushed 23 home runs and posted a 1.265 OPS during his junior season at Tulane, but batted just .255/.323/.395 over six minor league seasons. He is currently a free agent.
26. Arizona Diamondbacks: 3B Brett Baty
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Original Pick: LHP Blake Walston
Baty's Original Draft Position: No. 12 overall
During his time with the Mets, Brett Baty has had to contend with bouncing between the majors and minors, as well as shuffling around the diamond from third base to second base to right field this year.
It stands to reason that the D-backs would have provided a longer runway for him to establish himself as an everyday third baseman. It might have also meant never trading for Eugenio Suรกrez, but with Baty under control through 2029 he fits their timeline better anyway.
Blake Walston has not pitched since the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he has a 4.42 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 18.1 big league innings.
27. Chicago Cubs: 1B Spencer Horwitz
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Original Pick: RHP Ryan Jensen
Horwitz's Original Draft Position: No. 717 overall
With Michael Busch off the board at No. 12 overall in this redraft, the Cubs suddenly have a vacancy to fill at first base, and Spencer Horwitz would be a plug-and-play starter who arrived in the big leagues on a similar timeline.
After posting a 120 OPS+ with 23 home runs in 205 games during the 2024 and 2025 seasons with the Blue Jays and Pirates, he is hitting .289/.391/.467 for a 141 OPS+ so far this season in a revamped Pittsburgh lineup.
Ryan Jensen has yet to reach the big leagues, but after pit stops in the Mariners, Marlins and Twins organizations, he is back pitching for the Cubs Triple-A affiliate in 2026.
28. Milwaukee Brewers: SS Anthony Volpe
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Original Pick: LHP Ethan Small
Volpe's Original Draft Position: No. 30 overall
If we did this redraft two years ago when Anthony Volpe was fresh off a Gold Glove rookie season and in the midst of another 3-WAR campaign, he might have gone off the board 20 spots higher.
Instead, his stock has dropped considerably after a 2025 season where he hit .212/.272/.391 for an 82 OPS+ while his defense also took a step backward. The Brewers have gotten little in the way of production out of Joey Ortiz, so this is a bet on the higher ceiling of Volpe, who is still only 25 years old.
Ethan Small made two appearances each in the majors during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, allowing 17 hits and 10 earned runs in 10.1 innings. He spent last year with the Giants Triple-A affiliate and is currently a free agent.
29. Athletics: RHP Quinn Priester
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Original Pick: SS Logan Davidson
Priester's Original Draft Position: No. 18 overall
On the strength of his 2025 season alone, Quinn Priester is worth taking a chance on for an Athletics team in serious need of starting pitching, though he comes with some clear risk as he is currently sidelined with thoracic outlet syndrome.
After struggling to a 6.23 ERA in 99.2 innings during his first two seasons in the majors, Priester joined the Brewers last year and went 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 157.1 innings while earning a start in Game 3 of the NLDS.
After a standout career at Clemson, Logan Davidson stalled out in the upper levels of the minors. He saw his first big league action last year and went 7-for-47 with 22 strikeouts.
30. New York Yankees: 1B Andrew Vaughn
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Original Pick: SS Anthony Volpe
Vaughn's Original Draft Position: No. 3 overall
The White Sox promoted Andrew Vaughn to the majors in 2021 and asked him to learn how to play left field on the fly with Josรฉ Abreu occupying first base. The returns defensively were not good, and it's not out of the question to think it could have impacted his offensive development.
Meanwhile, the Yankees had a glaring hole at first base in 2021 that was eventually filled when they acquired Anthony Rizzo from the Cubs. What if Vaughn had been called up to play his natural position and allowed to settle in without navigating a defensive transition?
Despite drawing the ire of Yankees fans, Anthony Volpe has provided 8.9 WAR since debuting in 2023, outperforming plenty of No. 30 overall picks already.
31. Los Angeles Dodgers: LHP Bryan King
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Original Pick: 1B Michael Busch
King's Original Draft Position: No. 912 overall
The Dodgers have already added one quality bullpen piece in this hypothetical redraft in Louis Varland, and this gives them another late-inning weapon to help shorten games.
Taken all the way in the 30th round by the Cubs, lefty Bryan King didn't make his MLB debut until he was 27 years old. The late-bloomer has a 2.68 ERA and 9.1 K/9 in 116 appearances over the last three seasons out of the Houston bullpen.
The Dodgers had nowhere to play Michael Busch with Freddie Freeman blocking his path and traded him to the Cubs for a package that included current top prospect Zyhir Hope.
32. Houston Astros: IF Jared Triolo
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Original Pick: C Korey Lee
Triolo's Original Draft Position: No. 72 overall
The Astros squeezed plenty of value out of utility man Mauricio Dubรณn during his time with the team, and they have found a similar role for Braden Shewmake in the early going this season.
A slick-fielding infielder like Jared Triolo would fit that same mold, and while his 84 OPS+ in 1,101 career plate appearances leaves something to be desired as an everyday option, it's perfectly acceptable for a Gold Glove-caliber utility man.
Korey Lee has seen MLB action in each of the previous four seasons, but he hit just .193 with a 53 OPS+ in 530 plate appearances.
Compensatory Round and Competitive Balance Round A
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33. Arizona Diamondbacks: OF Dominic Canzone
34. Arizona Diamondbacks: RHP Hunter Gaddis
35. Miami Marlins: OF JJ Bleday
36. Tampa Bay Rays: SS Joey Ortiz
37. Pittsburgh Pirates: OF Matt Wallner
38. New York Yankees: RHP Kevin Kelly
39. Minnesota Twins: RHP Andre Pallante
40. Tampa Bay Rays: IF David Hamilton
41. Texas Rangers: RHP Jack Kochanowicz
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