The top of the 2008 Draft was defined by signability. Buster Posey was in the running for top overall pick until it was suggested that he was going to ask for $12 million, which took him out of the running. Scott Boras was advising several of the top talents, including Pedro Alvarez, Gerrit Cole and Eric Hosmer, who were all seeking big contracts. That helped the Rays select Tim Beckham, who ended up signing for over $6 million. Posey fell to the Giants at five and barely got half of the rumored $12 million.
Beckham has had anything but a smooth ride to the majors. He was unspectacular his first three years in pro ball. Then when it looked like he was turning the corner, he got a 50-game suspension for a drug of choice. He finally established himself in the majors last year, only to get traded to the Orioles. In 50 games for Baltimore, he put up an .871 OPS and appeared to be set for years to come. But there’s still uncertainty in his situation, as the Orioles have announced that Manny Machado will play shortstop this year, with Beckham moving to third base. Meanwhile, Beckham has played a total of nine games at the hot corner in the majors.
Posey has easily been the class of this draft, although there are solid major league performers throughout the first round. Here is the chronological list of the top 100 players. All WAR totals throughout the piece are from Baseball-Reference:
| OvPck | Tm | Signed | Name | WAR | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rays | Y | Tim Beckham | 4.5 | HS |
| 2 | Pirates | Y | Pedro Alvarez | 6 | 4Yr |
| 3 | Royals | Y | Eric Hosmer | 14.1 | HS |
| 4 | Orioles | Y | Brian Matusz | 2.7 | 4Yr |
| 5 | Giants | Y | Buster Posey | 37.5 | 4Yr |
| 6 | Marlins | Y | Kyle Skipworth | -0.1 | HS |
| 7 | Reds | Y | Yonder Alonso | 7.9 | 4Yr |
| 8 | White Sox | Y | Gordon Beckham | 5.7 | 4Yr |
| 9 | Nationals | N | Aaron Crow | 2.4 | 4Yr |
| 10 | Astros | Y | Jason Castro | 12.1 | 4Yr |
| 11 | Rangers | Y | Justin Smoak | 4.7 | 4Yr |
| 12 | Athletics | Y | Jemile Weeks | 1.1 | 4Yr |
| 13 | Cardinals | Y | Brett Wallace | -0.6 | 4Yr |
| 14 | Twins | Y | Aaron Hicks | 5.7 | HS |
| 15 | Dodgers | Y | Ethan Martin | -0.5 | HS |
| 16 | Brewers | Y | Brett Lawrie | 15.2 | HS |
| 17 | Blue Jays | Y | David Cooper | 0.1 | 4Yr |
| 18 | Mets via Braves | Y | *Ike Davis | 4.9 | 4Yr |
| 19 | Cubs | Y | Andrew Cashner | 8.7 | 4Yr |
| 20 | Mariners | Y | Josh Fields | 1 | 4Yr |
| 21 | Tigers | Y | Ryan Perry | 0.3 | 4Yr |
| 22 | Mets | Y | Reese Havens | 4Yr | |
| 23 | Padres | Y | Allan Dykstra | -0.5 | 4Yr |
| 24 | Phillies | Y | Anthony Hewitt | HS | |
| 25 | Rockies | Y | Christian Friedrich | -0.4 | 4Yr |
| 26 | Diamondbacks | Y | Daniel Schlereth | 0 | 4Yr |
| 27 | Twins via Angels | Y | *Carlos Gutierrez | 4Yr | |
| 28 | Yankees | N | Gerrit Cole | 12.2 | HS |
| 29 | Indians | Y | Lonnie Chisenhall | 8.8 | JC |
| 30 | Red Sox | Y | Casey Kelly | -1.5 | HS |
| 31 | Twins | Y | *Shooter Hunt | 4Yr | |
| 32 | Brewers | Y | *Jake Odorizzi | 8 | HS |
| 33 | Mets | Y | Bradley Holt | 4Yr | |
| 34 | Phillies | Y | *Zach Collier | HS | |
| 35 | Brewers | Y | *Evan Frederickson | 4Yr | |
| 36 | Royals | Y | Mike Montgomery | 5 | HS |
| 37 | Giants | Y | *Conor Gillaspie | 1 | 4Yr |
| 38 | Astros | Y | *Jordan Lyles | -3.5 | HS |
| 39 | Cardinals | Y | *Lance Lynn | 14.1 | 4Yr |
| 40 | Braves | Y | *Brett DeVall | HS | |
| 41 | Cubs | Y | *Ryan Flaherty | 1.6 | 4Yr |
| 42 | Padres | Y | Jaff Decker | -1.5 | HS |
| 43 | Diamondbacks | Y | *Wade Miley | 8.3 | 4Yr |
| 44 | Yankees | Y | *Jeremy Bleich | 4Yr | |
| 45 | Red Sox | Y | *Bryan Price | -0.2 | 4Yr |
| 46 | Padres | Y | *Logan Forsythe | 12.5 | 4Yr |
| 47 | Rays | Y | Kyle Lobstein | 0.2 | HS |
| 48 | Pirates | N | Tanner Scheppers | 1.1 | 4Yr |
| 49 | Royals | Y | Johnny Giavotella | 0.8 | 4Yr |
| 50 | Orioles | Y | Xavier Avery | -0.3 | HS |
| 51 | Phillies via Giants | Y | *Anthony Gose | 1.9 | HS |
| 52 | Marlins | Y | Brad Hand | 4.4 | HS |
| 53 | Brewers | Y | Seth Lintz | HS | |
| 54 | Brewers | Y | Cutter Dykstra | HS | |
| 55 | Nationals | Y | Destin Hood | -0.2 | HS |
| 56 | Astros | Y | Jay Austin | HS | |
| 57 | Rangers | Y | Robbie Ross | 2.8 | HS |
| 58 | Athletics | Y | Tyson Ross | 6 | 4Yr |
| 59 | Cardinals | Y | Shane Peterson | 0.9 | 4Yr |
| 60 | Twins | Y | Tyler Ladendorf | -0.4 | JC |
| 61 | Dodgers | Y | Josh Lindblom | 1 | 4Yr |
| 62 | Brewers | Y | Cody Adams | 4Yr | |
| 63 | Blue Jays | Y | Kenny Wilson | HS | |
| 64 | Braves | Y | Tyler Stovall | HS | |
| 65 | Cubs | Y | Aaron Shafer | 4Yr | |
| 66 | Mariners | Y | Dennis Raben | 4Yr | |
| 67 | Tigers | Y | Cody Satterwhite | 4Yr | |
| 68 | Mets | Y | Javier Rodriguez | HS | |
| 69 | Padres | Y | James Darnell | -0.6 | 4Yr |
| 70 | Braves | Y | Zeke Spruill | -0.4 | HS |
| 71 | Phillies | Y | Jason Knapp | HS | |
| 72 | Rockies | Y | Charlie Blackmon | 15.2 | 4Yr |
| 73 | Diamondbacks | Y | Bryan Shaw | 6.4 | 4Yr |
| 74 | Angels | Y | Tyler Chatwood | 10.2 | HS |
| 75 | Yankees | N | Scott Bittle | 4Yr | |
| 76 | Indians | Y | Trey Haley | HS | |
| 77 | Red Sox | Y | Derrik Gibson | HS | |
| 78 | Rays | Y | Jake Jefferies | 4Yr | |
| 79 | Pirates | Y | Jordy Mercer | 7.3 | 4Yr |
| 80 | Royals | Y | Tyler Sample | HS | |
| 81 | Orioles | Y | L.J. Hoes | 0.1 | HS |
| 82 | Giants | Y | Roger Kieschnick | -1 | 4Yr |
| 83 | Marlins | Y | Edgar Olmos | -0.5 | HS |
| 84 | Reds | Y | Zach Stewart | -1.6 | 4Yr |
| 85 | Red Sox | Y | *Stephen Fife | 0.7 | 4Yr |
| 86 | White Sox | Y | Brent Morel | 0.5 | 4Yr |
| 87 | Nationals | Y | Danny Espinosa | 7.5 | 4Yr |
| 88 | Astros | Y | Chase Davidson | HS | |
| 89 | Rangers | Y | Tim Murphy | 4Yr | |
| 90 | Athletics | Y | Petey Paramore | 4Yr | |
| 91 | Cardinals | Y | Niko Vasquez | HS | |
| 92 | Twins | Y | Bobby Lanigan | 4Yr | |
| 93 | Dodgers | Y | Kyle Russell | 4Yr | |
| 94 | Brewers | Y | Logan Schafer | 0.7 | 4Yr |
| 95 | Blue Jays | Y | Andrew Liebel | 4Yr | |
| 96 | Braves | Y | Craig Kimbrel | 18.2 | JC |
| 97 | Cubs | Y | Chris Carpenter | 0 | 4Yr |
| 98 | Mariners | Y | Aaron Pribanic | 4Yr | |
| 99 | Tigers | Y | Scott Green | 4Yr | |
| 100 | Mets | Y | Kirk Nieuwenhuis | 2.8 | 4Yr |
As Joe noted last time out, we’ve reached the stage where players haven’t been around long enough to accumulate large sums of WAR. Still, it’s impressive that the top 21 picks all made the majors and that 18 of those have accumulated a positive WAR. But before you think that GMs have figured this drafting thing out, notice that Kimbrel has the second-highest WAR total to date from the top 100 and he lasted until the 96th pick.
The Mets had three of the top 33 picks in this draft and five of the top 100. Their first pick was Davis at 18 and for a while it looked like he was going to be a solid MLB player. But some odd injuries and the inability to lay off the curve five feet off the plate ultimately did him in. Now he’s in the low minors with the Dodgers, trying to reinvent himself as a pitcher. Unfortunately, they had the 22nd pick, also known as the first guy in the ’08 Draft not to reach the majors. Havens seemed to have all of the skills necessary but he was consistently injured. The next two picks didn’t reach the majors, either. But the Mets made a nice choice at 100, going the small school route and picking up NAIA product Nieuwenhuis, who’s already amassed 1,146 PA in the majors.
Here’s the top 100, sorted by WAR:
| OvPck | Tm | Signed | Name | WAR | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Giants | Y | Buster Posey | 37.5 | 4Yr |
| 96 | Braves | Y | Craig Kimbrel | 18.2 | JC |
| 16 | Brewers | Y | Brett Lawrie | 15.2 | HS |
| 72 | Rockies | Y | Charlie Blackmon | 15.2 | 4Yr |
| 3 | Royals | Y | Eric Hosmer | 14.1 | HS |
| 39 | Cardinals | Y | *Lance Lynn | 14.1 | 4Yr |
| 46 | Padres | Y | *Logan Forsythe | 12.5 | 4Yr |
| 28 | Yankees | N | Gerrit Cole | 12.2 | HS |
| 10 | Astros | Y | Jason Castro | 12.1 | 4Yr |
| 74 | Angels | Y | Tyler Chatwood | 10.2 | HS |
| 29 | Indians | Y | Lonnie Chisenhall | 8.8 | JC |
| 19 | Cubs | Y | Andrew Cashner | 8.7 | 4Yr |
| 43 | Diamondbacks | Y | *Wade Miley | 8.3 | 4Yr |
| 32 | Brewers | Y | *Jake Odorizzi | 8 | HS |
| 7 | Reds | Y | Yonder Alonso | 7.9 | 4Yr |
| 87 | Nationals | Y | Danny Espinosa | 7.5 | 4Yr |
| 79 | Pirates | Y | Jordy Mercer | 7.3 | 4Yr |
| 73 | Diamondbacks | Y | Bryan Shaw | 6.4 | 4Yr |
| 2 | Pirates | Y | Pedro Alvarez | 6 | 4Yr |
| 58 | Athletics | Y | Tyson Ross | 6 | 4Yr |
| 8 | White Sox | Y | Gordon Beckham | 5.7 | 4Yr |
| 14 | Twins | Y | Aaron Hicks | 5.7 | HS |
| 36 | Royals | Y | Mike Montgomery | 5 | HS |
| 18 | Mets via Braves | Y | *Ike Davis | 4.9 | 4Yr |
| 11 | Rangers | Y | Justin Smoak | 4.7 | 4Yr |
| 1 | Rays | Y | Tim Beckham | 4.5 | HS |
| 52 | Marlins | Y | Brad Hand | 4.4 | HS |
| 57 | Rangers | Y | Robbie Ross | 2.8 | HS |
| 100 | Mets | Y | Kirk Nieuwenhuis | 2.8 | 4Yr |
| 4 | Orioles | Y | Brian Matusz | 2.7 | 4Yr |
| 9 | Nationals | N | Aaron Crow | 2.4 | 4Yr |
| 51 | Phillies via Giants | Y | *Anthony Gose | 1.9 | HS |
| 41 | Cubs | Y | *Ryan Flaherty | 1.6 | 4Yr |
| 12 | Athletics | Y | Jemile Weeks | 1.1 | 4Yr |
| 48 | Pirates | N | Tanner Scheppers | 1.1 | 4Yr |
| 20 | Mariners | Y | Josh Fields | 1 | 4Yr |
| 37 | Giants | Y | *Conor Gillaspie | 1 | 4Yr |
| 61 | Dodgers | Y | Josh Lindblom | 1 | 4Yr |
| 59 | Cardinals | Y | Shane Peterson | 0.9 | 4Yr |
| 49 | Royals | Y | Johnny Giavotella | 0.8 | 4Yr |
| 85 | Red Sox | Y | *Stephen Fife | 0.7 | 4Yr |
| 94 | Brewers | Y | Logan Schafer | 0.7 | 4Yr |
| 86 | White Sox | Y | Brent Morel | 0.5 | 4Yr |
| 21 | Tigers | Y | Ryan Perry | 0.3 | 4Yr |
| 47 | Rays | Y | Kyle Lobstein | 0.2 | HS |
| 17 | Blue Jays | Y | David Cooper | 0.1 | 4Yr |
| 81 | Orioles | Y | L.J. Hoes | 0.1 | HS |
| 26 | Diamondbacks | Y | Daniel Schlereth | 0 | 4Yr |
| 97 | Cubs | Y | Chris Carpenter | 0 | 4Yr |
| 6 | Marlins | Y | Kyle Skipworth | -0.1 | HS |
| 45 | Red Sox | Y | *Bryan Price | -0.2 | 4Yr |
| 55 | Nationals | Y | Destin Hood | -0.2 | HS |
| 50 | Orioles | Y | Xavier Avery | -0.3 | HS |
| 25 | Rockies | Y | Christian Friedrich | -0.4 | 4Yr |
| 60 | Twins | Y | Tyler Ladendorf | -0.4 | JC |
| 70 | Braves | Y | Zeke Spruill | -0.4 | HS |
| 15 | Dodgers | Y | Ethan Martin | -0.5 | HS |
| 23 | Padres | Y | Allan Dykstra | -0.5 | 4Yr |
| 83 | Marlins | Y | Edgar Olmos | -0.5 | HS |
| 13 | Cardinals | Y | Brett Wallace | -0.6 | 4Yr |
| 69 | Padres | Y | James Darnell | -0.6 | 4Yr |
| 82 | Giants | Y | Roger Kieschnick | -1 | 4Yr |
| 30 | Red Sox | Y | Casey Kelly | -1.5 | HS |
| 42 | Padres | Y | Jaff Decker | -1.5 | HS |
| 84 | Reds | Y | Zach Stewart | -1.6 | 4Yr |
| 38 | Astros | Y | *Jordan Lyles | -3.5 | HS |
| 22 | Mets | Y | Reese Havens | 4Yr | |
| 24 | Phillies | Y | Anthony Hewitt | HS | |
| 27 | Twins via Angels | Y | *Carlos Gutierrez | 4Yr | |
| 31 | Twins | Y | *Shooter Hunt | 4Yr | |
| 33 | Mets | Y | Bradley Holt | 4Yr | |
| 34 | Phillies | Y | *Zach Collier | HS | |
| 35 | Brewers | Y | *Evan Frederickson | 4Yr | |
| 40 | Braves | Y | *Brett DeVall | HS | |
| 44 | Yankees | Y | *Jeremy Bleich | 4Yr | |
| 53 | Brewers | Y | Seth Lintz | HS | |
| 54 | Brewers | Y | Cutter Dykstra | HS | |
| 56 | Astros | Y | Jay Austin | HS | |
| 62 | Brewers | Y | Cody Adams | 4Yr | |
| 63 | Blue Jays | Y | Kenny Wilson | HS | |
| 64 | Braves | Y | Tyler Stovall | HS | |
| 65 | Cubs | Y | Aaron Shafer | 4Yr | |
| 66 | Mariners | Y | Dennis Raben | 4Yr | |
| 67 | Tigers | Y | Cody Satterwhite | 4Yr | |
| 68 | Mets | Y | Javier Rodriguez | HS | |
| 71 | Phillies | Y | Jason Knapp | HS | |
| 75 | Yankees | N | Scott Bittle | 4Yr | |
| 76 | Indians | Y | Trey Haley | HS | |
| 77 | Red Sox | Y | Derrik Gibson | HS | |
| 78 | Rays | Y | Jake Jefferies | 4Yr | |
| 80 | Royals | Y | Tyler Sample | HS | |
| 88 | Astros | Y | Chase Davidson | HS | |
| 89 | Rangers | Y | Tim Murphy | 4Yr | |
| 90 | Athletics | Y | Petey Paramore | 4Yr | |
| 91 | Cardinals | Y | Niko Vasquez | HS | |
| 92 | Twins | Y | Bobby Lanigan | 4Yr | |
| 93 | Dodgers | Y | Kyle Russell | 4Yr | |
| 95 | Blue Jays | Y | Andrew Liebel | 4Yr | |
| 98 | Mariners | Y | Aaron Pribanic | 4Yr | |
| 99 | Tigers | Y | Scott Green | 4Yr |
Posey has accumulated twice as much WAR as Kimbrel. We already see 10 players have reached a double digit WAR total and we’re likely to add a few more before all is said and done. Currently, 48 players have recorded a positive WAR and 67 have made the majors. Interestingly, we see several high draft picks from 2008 hit free agency following the 2017 season. Hosmer, Lynn and Cashner are all available right now, while Alonso signed with Cleveland.