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Re-Drafting 2017 MLB Draft With Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore, Jo Adell and Full 1st Round
Hunter Greene may not have been the No. 1 overall pick, but he was the most talked about prospect entering the 2017 MLB draft, and he has ultimately developed into the best player from one of the thinner draft classes in recent memory.
The Twins selected Royce Lewis with the No. 1 overall pick, and he was followed by Hunter Greene to the Reds and MacKenzie Gore to the Padres. All three of those players still slot into the first round of our redraft, but the entire board has a new look.
In this hypothetical 2017 redraft, every MLB team's current roster remains intact, with the only change being a re-do of their 2017 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 Minnesota Twins are on the clock...
Note: The Rockies (Ian Desmond), Guardians (Edwin Encarnacion) and Cardinals (Dexter Fowler) all signed free agents that received qualifying offers, leaving them without a first-round pick as a result.
1. Minnesota Twins: RHP Hunter Greene
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Original Pick: 3B Royce Lewis
Greene's Original Draft Position: No. 2 overall
A talented two-way player coming out of high school who would have been a Day 1 pick as a shortstop, Hunter Greene brought a potentially generational combination of arm talent and athleticism to the mound.
It took some time for him to find his groove in the big leagues, but over 45 starts in 2024 and 2025 he logged a 2.76 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 301 strikeouts in 258 innings while racking up 10.2 WAR. He has yet to make his 2026 debut while recovering from elbow surgery to remove bone chips, but he is still the clear standout of a thin draft class.
Royce Lewis has shown flashes of stardom when healthy, but has had a tough time staying on the field throughout his pro career, playing just 292 games to date in the big leagues.
2. Cincinnati Reds: LHP MacKenzie Gore
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Original Pick: RHP Hunter Greene
Gore's Original Draft Position: No. 3 overall
MacKenzie Gore debuted on the Baseball America Top 100 prospect list in the No. 26 spot to begin the 2018 season, and by 2020 he was a consensus top-10 prospect in the sport while carving up minor league hitters.
The left-hander debuted with the Padres in 2022, but was traded to the Nationals later that year in the Juan Soto deal. He quickly emerged as the ace of the staff for a rebuilding team, racking up 517 strikeouts in 462.1 innings over his three seasons with the Nats while earning an All-Star nod in 2025.
He was on the move again this winter as the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal with the Rangers, but he might have been the one to sign the six-year, $53 million extension that Hunter Greene got from the Reds in this alternative universe.
3. San Diego Padres: DH Brent Rooker
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Original Pick: LHP MacKenzie Gore
Rooker's Original Draft Position: No. 35 overall
The irony of this redraft fit is that the Padres actually had Brent Rooker for about four months during the 2022 season, acquiring him from the Twins in exchange for Taylor Rogers in April before flipping him to the Royals for catcher Cam Gallagher in August.
A few months later he was claimed off waivers by the Athletics, and at 28 years old he broke through with an out-of-nowhere 30-homer season in 2023. Over his three full seasons with the Athletics, he has averaged 36 home runs and 99 RBI while posting a 135 OPS+ and adding a pair of All-Star selections and a Silver Slugger to his list of accolades.
He probably doesn't move the needle as a trade chip in 2022 the same way MacKenzie Gore did when he was included in the Juan Soto trade, so perhaps he ends up being a late-blooming star in San Diego after all.
4. Tampa Bay Rays: OF Daulton Varsho
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Original Pick: DH/LHP Brendan McKay
Varsho's Original Draft Position: No. 68 overall
With a Gold Glove and elite career defensive metrics in center field, it's easy to forget that Daulton Varsho was originally drafted and developed as a catcher in the Diamondbacks system.
A career .229 hitter with a .299 on-base percentage, he does have some holes in his game, but an elite defensive center fielder who has averaged 24 home runs and 4.3 WAR per 162 games during his career is still extremely valuable. For the Rays, he's essentially Kevin Kiermaier with some actual offensive impact.
Brendan McKay looked like he might be the next two-way star to take the game by storm coming out of Louisville, but a series of injuries ultimately limited him to 49 innings on the mound and 11 plate appearances in the batter's box for his career.
5. Atlanta Braves: IF Ernie Clement
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Original Pick: RHP Kyle Wright
Clement's Original Draft Position: No. 132 overall
Ernie Clement was little more than versatile organizational depth prior to the 2024 season when he tallied 3.3 WAR and slugged 12 home runs in a super-utility role for the Blue Jays.
That was followed by a 4.3-WAR campaign last year, and a record-setting 30 hits in 18 games during the playoffs, and he has continued his surprising upward trajectory this season by batting .304/.323/.465 with an AL-leading 79 hits. The Braves have had to navigate multiple injuries across the infield in recent years, and he would have been the ideal solution.
Kyle Wright had an elite 2022 season, finishing 21-5 with a 3.19 ERA in 180.1 innings to finish 10th in NL Cy Young voting. However, he has pitched just 31 innings since, and his last MLB appearance was on Sept. 28, 2023.
6. Athletics: RHP Shane Baz
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Original Pick: OF Austin Beck
Baz's Original Draft Position: No. 12 overall
The Orioles paid a steep price to acquire Shane Baz from the Rays after he tossed a career-high 166.1 innings in 2025, and he was promptly inked to a five-year, $68 million extension.
Injuries have been a hurdle throughout his career, but after making 31 starts last year he has tossed a team-high 77 innings this season. Still only 26 years old, he is just entering his prime years and still has some untapped potential for an Athletics team with a clear need in the starting rotation.
Outfielder Austin Beck never reached the majors, hitting .247 with a .693 OPS and a strikeout rate near 30 percent over 1,885 plate appearances before retiring after the 2024 season.
7. Arizona Diamondbacks: LHP Trevor Rogers
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Original Pick: 1B/OF Pavin Smith
Rogers' Original Draft Position: No. 13 overall
For 25 starts in 2021 (2.64 ERA, 133.0 IP) and 18 starts in 2025 (1.81 ERA, 109.2 IP), Trevor Rogers has been a legitimate ace-caliber starter, and his limited workload last year was still enough for him to finish ninth in AL Cy Young voting.
However, those two standout runs have been the exception rather than the rule as far as his career body of work is concerned. He has a 4.07 ERA in 580 innings overall, including a 6.15 ERA over his first 12 starts this season, but his ceiling when things are clicking is enough to still slot him comfortably inside the top 10 to a D-backs team with a lot of moving parts on the starting staff.
Pavin Smith hit .342/.427/.570 with more home runs (13) than strikeouts (12) during his junior year at Virginia, and while he did not develop into a franchise cornerstone, he has a 101 OPS+ over 1,568 plate appearances in the majors.
8. Philadelphia Phillies: OF Jo Adell
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Original Pick: OF Adam Haseley
Adell's Original Draft Position: No. 10 overall
A true five-tool prospect while rising the minor league ranks in the Angels system, Jo Adell saw sporadic MLB action over four different seasons before finally carving out a regular role in 2024 with a 20-homer, 15-steal campaign.
His 37 home runs last season trailed only Cal Raleigh (60), Aaron Judge (53) and Junior Caminero (45) on the AL leaderboard, and even with a middling .293 on-base percentage, he still finished with a 114 OPS+ and 1.4 WAR. The Phillies outfield has been a frequent question mark in recent years, and at the very least he would likely have prevented the Adolis García signing.
Over 158 career big league games, Adam Haseley hit .259/.319/.356 with five home runs, 43 RBI and 1.5 WAR, with his last action coming in 2023.
9. Milwaukee Brewers: RHP Bailey Ober
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Original Pick: 2B Keston Hiura
Ober's Original Draft Position: No. 346 overall
Right-hander Bailey Ober might not be a household name, but his 10.0 career WAR trails only Hunter Greene (13.2) among all pitchers that signed from the 2017 draft class.
He logged back-to-back 3-WAR seasons in 2023 and 2024, and he has quietly logged a 4.13 ERA and 103 ERA+ over 684.1 career innings as a useful middle-of-the-rotation starter. Those are the kind of guys the Brewers have had a knack for squeezing a little something extra out of over the years.
Keston Hiura debuted with a 138 OPS+ and 19 home runs in 84 games as a rookie in 2019, but he has hit just .203 with a staggering 38.3 percent strikeout rate in the years since, and he is currently playing in the KBO.
10. Los Angeles Angels: OF Heliot Ramos
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Original Pick: OF Jo Adell
Ramos' Original Draft Position: No. 19 overall
Despite some ups and downs during his time in the minors, Heliot Ramos became the first homegrown Giants outfielder since Chili Davis to earn an All-Star selection when he posted a 124 OPS+ with 22 home runs in 2024.
One of the youngest players in the 2017 draft class, he is still only 26 years old, and after a 21-homer campaign last season he has established himself as a productive everyday outfielder.
With Jo Adell off the board already in this redraft, Ramos is an easy plug-and-play replacement in the Angels outfield, and it would be interesting to see what sort of power numbers he could put up without playing half his games in spacious Oracle Park.
11. Chicago White Sox: 3B Royce Lewis
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Original Pick: 1B Jake Burger
Lewis' Original Draft Position: No. 1 overall
After years as a top prospect who could not shake the injury bug, Royce Lewis showed why he was the No. 1 overall pick during a breakout 2023 season when he logged a 149 OPS+ with 15 home runs and 2.4 WAR in only 58 games.
The injuries have continued in the years since, and he has hit .226/.285/.397 for an 88 OPS+ in 859 plate appearances when he has taken the field. However, after crushing Triple-A pitching during a brief Triple-A demotion in May, he's back in the majors with a new role at first base.
The higher ceiling that the 27-year-old Lewis still provides lines up better with the White Sox current trajectory than Jake Burger, who broke through with a 34-homer season in 2023 but is already in his age-30 campaign.
12. Pittsburgh Pirates: 1B/OF Gavin Sheets
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Original Pick: RHP Shane Baz
Sheets' Original Draft Position: No. 49 overall
Gavin Sheets has spent much of his career miscast as an outfielder as the White Sox and Padres tried to get his power bat in the lineup without a clear path to playing time at first base.
After posting a 107 OPS+ with 19 home runs and 71 RBI in his first season with the Padres last year after signing a minor league deal, he has been the club's primary starter at first base this year, and he has a 111 OPS+ and 10 long balls through 60 games as one of the few bright spots in San Diego's underperforming lineup.
With a similar profile to offseason addition Ryan O'Hearn, he would help address the Pirates' longstanding need for more offensive firepower. Maybe without Baz, they don't have the prospect firepower to pull off the ill-fated Chris Archer trade that also sent Tyler Glasnow and Austin Meadows to Tampa Bay.
13. Miami Marlins: IF/OF José Caballero
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Original Pick: LHP Trevor Rogers
Caballero's Original Draft Position: No. 202 overall
Speedy José Caballero led the AL in steals in 2024 (44) and 2025 (49), despite being utilized more as a super-utility player than a true everyday starter.
He has standout defensive metrics at second base (793.1 INN, 9 DRS), shortstop (1,573.2 INN, 9 DRS), third base (396.0 INN, 4 DRS) and right field (237.2 INN, 5 DRS) in his career, and that valuable versatility makes him a fit on virtually any roster.
Trevor Rogers was an All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year runner-up for the Marlins in 2021, and he was flipped to the Orioles at the 2024 trade deadline for Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby.
14. Kansas City Royals: 1B Jake Burger
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Original Pick: 1B Nick Pratto
Burger's Original Draft Position: No. 11 overall
Jake Burger played just 51 pro games before suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon, and he ended up missing the entire 2018 and 2019 campaigns before his 2020 was washed out by the cancelled MiLB season.
He started making up for lost time with a 34-homer campaign in 2023, and since the start of that year his 89 home runs are tied for 27th among all players. His 106 OPS+ and 10 long balls so far this year would be a welcome addition to a Royals lineup that has been sorely lacking in firepower outside of Bobby Witt Jr.
Nick Pratto is actually teammates with Burger in the Rangers system, playing for their Triple-A affiliate. He hit .216 with a 38.7 percent strikeout rate and minus-1.6 WAR in 144 games in the big leagues with the Royals.
15. Houston Astros: LHP David Peterson
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Original Pick: RHP J.B. Bukauskas
Peterson's Original Draft Position: No. 20 overall
Following a breakthrough 2024 season where he finished 10-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 121 innings, David Peterson earned his first All-Star selection last year while surpassing 30 starts and 150 innings pitched for the first time.
His 5.18 ERA so far this season is backed by a far more encouraging 3.01 FIP, a good indication he has been saddled with some bad luck. For an Astros team that ranks 28th in the majors with a 4.92 ERA from the starting staff, he would be one of the club's better rotation options.
The Astros used J.B. Bukauskas as part of the four-player package to acquire Zack Greinke at the 2019 trade deadline. He has a 5.04 ERA in 33 career relief appearances in the big leagues, and he is currently part of the Brewers organization.
16. New York Yankees: LHP Jacob Latz
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Original Pick: RHP Clarke Schmidt
Latz's Original Draft Position: No. 164 overall
Lefty Jacob Latz saw his first extended MLB action in his age-28 season in 2024, making 46 appearances out of the Rangers bullpen. He then emerged as a key swingman for the club last season, logging a 2.84 ERA in 85.2 innings spanning eight starts and 25 relief appearances.
The offseason addition of MacKenzie Gore left him without a rotation spot, but he has now emerged as the club's primary closer, logging a 1.86 ERA with nine saves in 23 appearances. The Yankees have found value in the flexibility Ryan Yarbrough provides, and Latz could fill a similar role on the staff.
Clarke Schmidt made 62 starts for the Yankees from 2023-25, posting a 3.85 ERA in 323 innings, but he has been sidelined since last July recovering from Tommy John surgery.
17. Seattle Mariners: RHP Jeremiah Estrada
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Original Pick: 1B Evan White
Estrada's Original Draft Position: No. 195 overall
In three seasons with the Padres since he was claimed off waivers from the Cubs prior to the 2024 season, Jeremiah Estrada has a 3.26 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 13.1 K/9 with 52 holds in 160 appearances.
With a mid-90s fastball and a lethal splitter that is generating a 53.5 percent whiff rate this year, he has prototypical late-inning stuff. In a less stacked bullpen, he might already be closing games, and he would be another high-octane arm in the Seattle relief corps.
Evan White signed a six-year, $24 million extension before making his MLB debut, then won the AL Gold Glove at first base as a rookie during the abridged 2020 season. He played just 30 more games in the big leagues after that, finishing with minus-0.7 WAR for his MLB career.
18. Detroit Tigers: IF Taylor Walls
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Original Pick: RHP Alex Faedo
Walls' Original Draft Position: No. 79 overall
With 11.3 career WAR, Taylor Walls trails only Daulton Varsho (19.0) and Hunter Greene (13.2) among all players from the 2017 draft class, and the bulk of his value has come from the defensive side of things.
His 62 Defensive Runs Saved since the start of the 2021 season lead all shortstops and trails only Ke'Bryan Hayes (98), Steven Kwan (71) and Andrés Giménez (65), making him one of baseball's elite defenders. He has also seen action at second and third base, and that versatility would be valuable on a Detroit infield with a lot of moving parts in recent years.
Alex Faedo logged a 4.51 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 175.2 innings spanning 30 starts and 34 relief appearances from 2022-24, and he is currently pitching at the rookie ball level for the Angels affiliate.
19. San Francisco Giants: RHP Riley O'Brien
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Original Pick: OF Heliot Ramos
O'Brien's Original Draft Position: No. 229 overall
Riley O'Brien had just 10 big league appearances and an ugly 10.45 ERA entering his age-30 season in 2025, but he has emerged as a late-blooming standout at the back of the St. Louis bullpen.
Armed with a fastball that averages 98.3 mph and a sweeper generating a 51.7 percent whiff rate, he has logged a 2.68 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 23 saves in 71 games since the start of last season.
For a Giants team that has struggled to find consistency in the closer's role the last two years, he would be a welcome addition to the bullpen. His club control through the 2030 season also makes him a potentially valuable trade chip, and the vultures are already circling the roster of a struggling San Francisco squad.
20. New York Mets: RHP Will Vest
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Original Pick: LHP David Peterson
Vest's Original Draft Position: No. 365 overall
There have been a lot of moving parts to an A.J. Hinch bullpen since he became the manager of the Tigers, but Will Vest was his primary closer last season with 23 saves and a 3.01 ERA over 64 appearances.
Originally drafted by the Tigers before a brief run with the Mariners as a Rule 5 pick ended in him being returned to Detroit, he has a 3.45 ERA and 9.3 K/9 in 261 appearances since the start of the 2022 season.
He is one of only 32 pitchers during that span to appear in at least 250 games, and while losing David Peterson in the rotation would be a blow, a reliable late-inning reliever fills another clear need for the Mets.
21. Baltimore Orioles: RHP Clarke Schmidt
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Original Pick: LHP DL Hall
Schmidt's Original Draft Position: No. 16 overall
In a thin draft class for starting pitching, Clarke Schmidt made his mark with 62 starts over a three-year stretch for the Yankees from 2023-25 and provided a 3.85 ERA and 109 ERA+ over 323 innings.
He is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery, but looks like a solid back-of-the-rotation arm capable of a bit more when things are clicking as long as he returns to his pre-injury form.
Left-hander DL Hall never quite developed as expected after several years as a top prospect in the Orioles system, and he was traded to the Brewers in the deal to acquire Corbin Burnes. He has a 3.83 ERA in 145.2 career innings and is now working primarily in relief.
22. Toronto Blue Jays: LHP Joey Cantillo
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Original Pick: SS Logan Warmoth
Cantillo's Original Draft Position: No. 468 overall
Like so many other Padres prospects in recent years, Joey Cantillo was traded before reaching the majors, going to Cleveland in the 2020 deadline deal to acquire Mike Clevinger.
He debuted in 2024 and broke out last year with a 3.21 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 95.1 innings, starting the year in a relief role before emerging as one of the team's best starters down the stretch. That's similar to the role Eric Lauer thrived in for the Blue Jays last year, and would be more than welcome this season amid all the team's starting pitching injuries.
Logan Warmoth never reached the majors, hitting .236/.335/.343 over seven seasons in the minors, with his last game action coming in 2024.
23. Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP Garrett Whitlock
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Original Pick: OF Jeren Kendall
Whitlock's Original Draft Position: No. 542 overall
A Rule 5 success story who went from the Yankees to the rival Red Sox, right-hander Garrett Whitlock has filled virtually every role on the staff from starting rotation to closer.
He has had a tough time staying healthy, but when he has taken the mound, he has a 3.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 369 strikeouts in 334.1 career innings. The Dodgers have expertly navigated pitching injuries in recent years to maximize their staff's production, and those results are a good value this late in the first round.
A three-year standout at Vanderbilt, Jeren Kendall failed to advance above Double-A in pro ball. He hit .209 with 547 strikeouts in 395 games and retired after the 2022 season.
24. Boston Red Sox: 1B/3B Mark Vientos
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Original Pick: RHP Tanner Houck
Vientos' Original Draft Position: No. 59 overall
Mark Vientos might have been a top 10 pick if this redraft were done immediately following the 2024 season when he posted a 134 OPS+ with 27 home runs, 71 RBI and 3.1 WAR in 111 games.
However, he has batted just .227/.276/.399 for an 88 OPS+ with minus-1.1 WAR in 177 games since that breakout performance. The 26-year-old is a roll of the dice at this point in his career, but one worth taking for a Red Sox team that faced uncertainty at first base for multiple seasons before acquiring Wilson Contreras.
Tanner Houck similarly looked like one of the stars of this draft class when he earned an All-Star selection in 2024, but he struggled to an 8.04 ERA in 43.2 innings last season, and is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery.
25. Washington Nationals: LHP JP Sears
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Original Pick: LHP Seth Romero
Sears' Original Draft Position: No. 333 overall
Useful arms are few and far between at this point in the redraft, but for a Nationals team that has been forced to piece together a pitching staff the last few seasons, JP Sears provides plenty of value.
The soft-tossing lefty made 91 starts from 2023-25 while posting a respectable 4.62 ERA in 488.2 innings. He has struggled since joining the Padres and is currently pitching at Triple-A El Paso, but he was good enough as recently as last year to be a rotation staple and a viable trade chip.
Seth Romero was a talented pitcher whose off-field issues overshadowed his performance in college. That continued during a pro career that included multiple arrests and zero big league appearances.
26. Texas Rangers: OF Jake Meyers
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Original Pick: OF Bubba Thompson
Meyers' Original Draft Position: No. 391 overall
Center field has been a hole for the Texas Rangers for years, and despite his early success, Evan Carter has not developed into the long-term answer many were expecting him to be at the position.
With a reliable glove and a solid mix of power and speed, Jake Meyers has averaged 11 home runs, 12 steals and 2.4 WAR per 162 games during his time in the big leagues. He has topped 400 plate appearances just once, so those numbers require some extrapolating, but he is a viable starting center fielder.
The uber-athletic Bubba Thompson was a two-sport star in high school, throwing for 3,713 yards and 38 touchdowns while leading his team to a state title as a senior. He posted a 61 OPS+ over 259 plate appearances in the majors before retiring and resurrecting his football career when he enrolled at South Alabama in 2025.
27. Chicago Cubs: RHP Janson Junk
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Original Pick: LHP Brendon Little
Junk's Original Draft Position: No. 662 overall
A 22nd-round pick by the Yankees out of Seattle University, right-hander Janson Junk had stints with the Angels, Brewers, Astros and Athletics before finding a home with the Marlins last season.
The 30-year-old entered last season with just 40 big league innings under his belt and a 6.75 ERA, but he quietly logged a 4.17 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 110 innings as one of the Marlins most effective pitchers. He made 11 starts this year before landing on the IL with shin inflammation, and has already vastly exceeded expectations given his draft position.
Brendon Little led the AL with 79 appearances last season while posting a 3.03 ERA and 12.0 K/9 out of the Blue Jays bullpen. However, the wheels have fallen off this year as he allowed 10 earned runs in 3.2 innings before he was optioned to the minors.
Compensatory Round and Competitive Balance Round A
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Compensatory Round
28. Toronto Blue Jays: LHP John King
29. Texas Rangers: RHP Tanner Houck
30. Chicago Cubs: LHP DL Hall
Competitive Balance Round A
31. Tampa Bay Rays: C Connor Wong
32. Cincinnati Reds: IF/OF Davis Schneider
33. Athletics: RHP Griffin Canning
34. Milwaukee Brewers: IF Josh Rojas
35. Minnesota Twins: 1B/OF Pavin Smith
36. Miami Marlins: OF Chas McCormick
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