Redraft the decade!

[JDubs]

One of my favorite procrastination activiities is to do a draft retrospective for my favorite sports teams, so I thought some others may get a kick out of it too. In other words, who would you draft if you could go back and time (knowing what you know now) for each of the last 10 first rounds (1999-2009). I don't know enough to do more than the first round.

To clarify, this is not a criticism of the team's past drafts...it's just an playful exercise in revisionist history. Many of the revised draft picks were smart at the time and simply did not work out. Obviously, you can only pick players that were available to the O's and not already picked. I'm not doing supplemental picks, but feel free...however, the O's had seven 1st rounders including supplementals in 1999. So there is that.

So here is my attempt...feel free to add your own:

Year: (draft pick) (My selection) (O's Actual Selection [possibly some commentary])

1999: FOUR non-supplemental pics!!!

• #13 Albert Pujols (Mike Paradis [Eeeek!])
  
• #18 Jake Peavy (Richard Stahl)
  
• #21 Justin Morneau (Larry Bigbie [screw it! Pujols and Morneau are appealing right now])
  
• #23 Carl Crawford (Kieth Reed [shane Victorino is appealing though])
  2000:
  
• #14 Chase Utley (Beau Hale [Webb, Bay, & Sizemore were all tempting])
  2001:
  
• #7 David Wright (Chris Smith)
  
• #19 Jeremy Bonderman (Mike Fontenot)
  2002:
  
• #4 Zack Greinke (Adam Loewen [Tough choice between Greinke and Prince Fielder])
  2003:
  
• #7 Nick Markakis - No changes here. It basically boils down to whether you would rather have Markakis or Carlos Quentin. I'm not certain, but I made my choice.
  2004:
  
• #8 Billy Butler (Wade Townsend)
  2005:
  
• #13 Ryan Braun (Brandon Snyder [sorry. No offense to Snyder.])
  2006:
  
• #9 Timmy Lincecum (Billy Rowell [ad nauseum])
  2007:
  
• #5 Matt Wieters - BINGO!!!!
  2008:
  
• #4 Brian Matusz - b-b-b-but SMOAK!!! I'll stick with Matusz.
  2009:
  
• #5 Tyler Matzek (Matt Hobgood [Hobgood is fine, but give me Matzek])

If nothing else, this proves that drafting is difficult business. A lot of the greats came outside of the first round. It seems as though drafting is becoming slightly more accurate, but still...this is tough stuff.

[waroriole]

That would be a nice team of:

C: Wieters

1B: Pujols

2B: Utley

SS: FA

3B: Wright

LF: Braun

CF: Crawford

RF: Markakis

DH: Morneau

SP: Greinke

SP: Lincecum

SP: Peavy

SP: Matusz

SP: Guthrie/FA

Maybe trade Butler for a SS. That team might be allright.

[JDubs]

That would be a nice team of:

C: Wieters

1B: Pujols

2B: Utley

SS: FA

3B: Wright

LF: Braun

CF: Crawford

RF: Markakis

DH: Morneau

SP: Greinke

SP: Lincecum

SP: Peavy

SP: Matusz

SP: Guthrie/FA

Maybe trade Butler for a SS. That team might be allright.

Yes sir! The O's real problem is that its GM cannot see into the future. Inexcusable, really.

[waroriole]

Yes sir! The O's real problem is that its GM cannot see into the future. Inexcusable, really.

This team will never compete until we can travel forward and then back in time. Or, we could get a Back to the Future II sports book.

[JDubs]

This team will never compete until we can travel forward and then back in time. Or, we could get a Back to the Future II sports book.

Well now you know where all of the international development money has been going. Flux capacitors are not cheap!

[Orioles18]

I know that hindsight is 20/20 but it just baffles me the amount of all-star caliber players that we missed out on, especially Pujols. But then again, he was a 13th round pick that no one thought would do anything.

[Satyr3206]

I know that hindsight is 20/20 but it just baffles me the amount of all-star caliber players that we missed out on, especially Pujols. But then again, he was a 13th round pick that no one thought would do anything.

You think that's bad, Mike Piazza was drafted in the 62nd round. As a favor.

[Scrat1]

That would be a nice team of:

C: Wieters

1B: Pujols

2B: Utley

SS: FA

3B: Wright

LF: Braun

CF: Crawford

RF: Markakis

DH: Morneau

SP: Greinke

SP: Lincecum

SP: Peavy

SP: Matusz

SP: Guthrie/FA

Maybe trade Butler for a SS. That team might be allright.

With that team we could probably stick Butler at shortstop and still be just fine. I'd probably hate to root for them, though, since all the games would be 7 hours long.

[Dipper9]

That would be a nice team of:

C: Wieters

1B: Pujols

2B: Utley

SS: FA

3B: Wright

LF: Braun

CF: Crawford

RF: Markakis

DH: Morneau

SP: Greinke

SP: Lincecum

SP: Peavy

SP: Matusz

SP: Guthrie/FA

Maybe trade Butler for a SS. That team might be allright.

No need to trade for a SS. Tejada would have stayed here as we would have had no use to trade him. Same for Bedard. So plug Bedard into Guts spot and Tejada at SS. I see 10 World titles with that team!