Pick 10 – San Diego Padres Selection: RF Magglio Ordoñez Sometimes patience is the most underrated skill in drafting. And no team in this top ten played the waiting game better than the San Diego Padres. They watched the early picks unfold, saw the expected run on pitching, and stayed calm. And because of that, they walk away with one of the top bats in the entire class: Magglio Ordoñez. This wasn’t an easy decision. In fact, the...
Pick 9 – Florida Marlins Selection: 1B David Ortiz Every once in a while, fortune smiles on a franchise—not with a playoff berth or a breakout star, but with something quieter and equally valuable: a top-10 pick in a draft loaded with impact talent. The Florida Marlins didn’t plan to be here, but they won’t complain. And after two trades that have already added depth to their rotation, Florida enters this draft with a luxury:...
Pick 8 – Washington Senators Selection: SP Tony Saunders The Washington Senators are a machine—well-built, well-run, and well ahead of schedule. They led the DBL in wins, only to see their season end abruptly at the hands of the eventual champions. It was a disappointing finish, but not a derailing one; this is a franchise built on stability, depth, and decisiveness. And Washington wasted no time reminding the league of that decisiveness....
Pick 7 – Cleveland Spiders Selection: SP Scott Woodward The Cleveland Spiders are standing at a crossroads this offseason. Key bats are potentially walking out the door as free agents, and management faces decisions that could shape the next few seasons. Some veterans will return, some won’t—but when you strip away the narratives and look at 1996 objectively, one truth stands out: pitching is the problem. Bob Sebra led the staff in nearly...
Pick 6 – Chicago White Sox Selection: SP Kevin Millwood The Chicago White Sox are a team quietly ascending, and while they don’t command the flash or fanfare of a Washington Senators or a New York Yankees, there’s a method to their madness. Last offseason was filled with noise—smart draft picks, strategic acquisitions, and the headline-grabbing trade for Chuck Knoblauch to stabilize the infield. This is a club on the...
Pick 5 – Baltimore Orioles Selection: 1B Richie Sexson If there’s a unifying theme to the early portion of this draft, it’s this: the teams picking high have holes everywhere. And Baltimore might be the most baffling puzzle of the bunch. For years the Orioles have hovered in that uncomfortable middle zone—too talented to bottom out, too flawed to break through—and now find themselves staring at a roster that needs just about...
Pick 4 – Los Angeles Dodgers Selection: SP Bartolo Colon If there’s a team in this draft that defies easy categorization, it’s the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are a paradox wrapped in a puzzle wrapped in a .500 record. On paper, they look like a club that should be contending. In reality, they spent 1996 drifting somewhere between “not bad” and “not quite enough,” buoyed by a roster full of recognizable names who didn’t quite...
Pick 3 – Colorado Rockies Selection: 1B Todd Helton Every so often in the DBL, fate decides to flex its narrative muscle. It happened when Don Mattingly slipped on the pinstripes, a union so natural it felt preordained. And now, in 1996, we get a sequel: Todd Helton to the Colorado Rockies—the most inevitable pairing since the league first shuffled its draft cards. With the top two arms off the board, the Rockies are staring at the cleanest...
Pick 2 – Oakland Athletics Selection: SP Matt Morris By Graham Wexler The Oakland Athletics aren’t strangers to crossroads, but this year’s draft offers something far more enticing: clarity. Sitting at Pick No. 2, Oakland finds itself in an enviable position—close enough to the top to secure elite talent, but without the burden of choosing between multiple franchise-altering paths. The Yankees will take Carpenter at No. 1. Everyone...
The phones are charged, the executives are restless, and the annual trade-season curtain has officially risen. Every year, one team lights the fuse, making the move that signals the market is open for business. And this year, for the first time, we’re putting odds on which club will be the first to break the seal. Front offices are posturing, scouts are shuttling from park to park, and agents are whispering about “momentum.” Some teams...