I've been looking forward to this piece for a long time.

Since I started writing these "re-draft" pieces, in which I go back 10 years and use the beauty of hindsight to redo the first 30 picks of a draft class, I've been salivating at the chance to get at what remains the best draft class of my own brief baseball career, the 2005 crop.

How productive was the 2005 class? Just compare it to what came the year before. The '04 draft has produced just six players who've reached 20-plus WAR in career value to date, while the 2005 class (with a year less to tack on) has already produced nine. Five players from the 2005 crop have reached 30 WAR; that's as many as the 2003 and 2004 draft classes combined, again despite the disadvantage of one less year. All five of those players were taken in the top 11 picks, so while there's certainly a high failure rate in the baseball draft, it's far from random or a "crapshoot," as you might hear from people who don't know if the ball is blown up or stuffed.

This re-draft is based on two major criteria: the players' careers to date and my projections of value they still have to offer (though the list does include players whose careers are likely over). I did not account for the players' signability at the time, nor did I consider a team's preference for high school or college players, pitchers versus position players, etc. In other words, this analysis is based purely on talent. For the first time since I started these re-drafts in 2002, the first overall pick makes the list of the top 30 players from the crop. (By the way, you can see my past re-drafts for 2004, 2003 and 2002, but I'll warn you that this one is much more fun.)

This ranking includes only players who were drafted and signed in 2005. That means some well-known major leaguers, such as Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum, who were drafted that year but didn't sign, aren't eligible for this list. Their day will come.

1. Andrew McCutchen, CF
Fort Meade (Fla.) High School
WAR to date: 33.5

McCutchen isn't the career WAR leader from this draft just yet, but given his age and productivity the past three years, he seems likely to end up topping everyone else in the class en route to what might be a Hall of Fame career. McCutchen was seen as a strong, three-tool player, with speed, defense, and the ability to hit, but there were questions about how much power a player of his slighter build would generate. He's still not that big or exceptionally muscular, compared to most power hitters, but he has always had strong hands and lightning-quick wrists that projected to produce power even if he wasn't built like Travis Hafner. As long as his body permits it, I'd be surprised if he doesn't end up with 60 WAR or more.

McCutchen's actual draft spot: No. 11 overall, Pirates
Arizona's actual '05 pick: Justin Upton, OF, Great Bridge HS (Cheseapeake, Va.)

2. Troy Tulowitzki, SS
Long Beach State
WAR to date: 37.9

Tulowitzki had power, great hands, good range and a 70 arm at shortstop, and I'm still somewhat floored he didn't go in the top five picks, even in such a strong draft class. I thought he was the best player in the class after Justin Upton and Alex Gordon, who went 1-2. Tulo has had six seasons in the majors of 5+ WAR, he should have won the Rookie of the Year award in 2007, and he probably has a few All-Star seasons left in him if he can keep himself on the field, though injuries have robbed him of large chunks of four seasons amounting to over two years' worth of lost playing time.

Tulowitzki's actual draft spot: No. 7 overall, Rockies
Kansas City's actual '05 pick: Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska

3. Justin Upton, SS
Great Bridge HS (Chesapeake, Va.)
WAR to date: 21.8

Upton was famous back in 2002, when his brother Melvin was the second pick in the draft and scouts were saying Melvin's little brother, then 14, was going to be even better. They were right about that, as Justin reached the big leagues before his 20th birthday and, around some injuries and disappointing defense, has been a premium offensive player. He ranks fifth in the class to date in home runs and has posted just one sub-.350 OBP in his seven full seasons to date -- and 2015 is his age-27 season, so he's still somewhere in his peak. Upton was an erratic defensive shortstop in high school, so the Diamondbacks moved him to the outfield immediately, first to center field and then to right field after he reached the majors. By the major defensive metrics, he has been below-average in the field his whole career, which is somewhat shocking, given his athleticism, and it has shaved about five wins off his career total. Even with that limitation, however, Upton is likely to end up in the top four or five in the class in total WAR, given his three-year age advantage and continued power and OBP production, even if he never becomes the Hall of Famer he was expected to be when he was drafted.

Upton's actual draft spot: No. 1 overall, Diamondbacks
Seattle's actual '05 pick: Jeff Clement, C, USC

4. Alex Gordon, 3B
Nebraska
WAR to date: 30.0

The USA collegiate national team in summer 2004 was hilariously good and still the best I've seen. Gordon played first, and Tulowitzki played short. Ryan Zimmerman was at third, Jed Lowrie was at second, and Jeff Clement and Taylor Teagarden split catching duties. The outfield had John Mayberry Jr., Drew Stubbs (then only a rising sophomore), Travis Buck and Trevor Crowe. The pitching staff was headed by Ricky Romero, Mike Pelfrey, Luke Hochevar and Cesar Ramos, with rising sophomore Daniel Bard in the bullpen. (I believe Andrew Miller was on the trial roster but missed the final cut.) That's an enormous amount of big league talent on one team, a team that has produced about 140 WAR to date in total. Gordon was the best player on the roster, with unbelievable power from the left side and what looked like a very advanced hit tool, though he ended up struggling with better quality offspeed stuff in the majors for a few years. He was playable at third base as an amateur but, of course, has become an elite defender in left, a position switch that roughly coincided with his development into an All-Star hitter at age 26. Now 31, his peak years are probably behind him, but given how well he plays left field and his plate discipline, I expect Gordon to have a long, gradual decline phase.

Gordon's actual draft spot: No. 2 overall, Royals
Washington's actual '05 pick: Ryan Zimmerman, 3B, Virginia

5. Ryan Braun, 3B
University of Miami
WAR to date: 36.8

We can all speculate as to the reasons, but the fact is Braun hasn't been the same player since 2012, with a .273/.338/.463 line and 3.7 WAR total over the past two-plus years, after a pair of roughly 7-win seasons that saw him win an MVP award (which should have gone to Matt Kemp) and finish second in the other season. Braun was a very athletic prospect for a college player. He was rough at third base but fleet enough at the time to have a chance to move to center field, at least in the opinions of some of our scouts in Toronto, but we knew early on that he wasn't going to reach our pick, and such conversations were mostly hypothetical. He was in left field by 24 and ran off five straight legitimate All-Star seasons before a failed PED test, injuries and perhaps plain old age caught up to him, and though he remains productive this year, the $100 million he is owed doesn't look like a good investment at the moment, which is why I expect Upton and Gordon (at the least) to outproduce him by the time this draft class has played its final game.

Braun's actual draft spot: No. 5 overall, Brewers
Milwaukee's actual '05 pick: Braun

6. Ryan Zimmerman, 3B
Virginia
WAR to date: 34.1

Zimmerman was an elite defensive third baseman at the University of Virginia. He was so good there were some scouts who wanted to send him out as a shortstop, but he rarely walked and had a pronounced leak at the plate that gave him trouble with pitchers who could change speeds on him. To Zimmerman's credit, he reduced that front-side drift substantially and became more selective in the process, probably because he could let the ball travel farther, which resulted in a couple high-OBP, high-power seasons to go with that plus defense. Unfortunately, shoulder injuries led to throwing problems that have him at first base now, and his bat might not profile there in the long run.

Zimmerman's actual draft spot: No. 4 overall, Nationals
Toronto's actual '05 pick: Ricky Romero, LHP, Cal State Fullerton

7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Oregon State
WAR to date: 25.7

Ellsbury was a plus runner and defender who slid to the back of the first round in large part because there was a real question of how much power he'd develop, as he hit for high average and contact rates as an amateur, but the swing tended to be linear and looked geared for singles. Ellsbury turned out to be strong enough to maintain those high contact rates even against better pitching, and of course, he has had surprising bouts of power production, including a 32-homer season in 2011 that still accounts for 39 percent of his career home run total. His main problem in pro ball has been staying healthy, something that was never a question about him as an amateur but limits any projection for the rest of his career.

Ellsbury's actual draft spot: No. 23 overall, Red Sox
Colorado's actual '05 pick: Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Long Beach State

8. Brett Gardner, CF, College of Charleston
WAR to date: 24.9

The best pick after the first round in 2005 was Gardner, taken near the end of the third round, a little, fast, no-power outfielder who projected as an extra guy, especially when he hit just four homers in 318 games with full-season minor league clubs. It seemed Gardner would never have enough power to even hit for average in the majors, but he came into his strength late and has become a much better overall hitter than I ever expected him to be. He was an average or fringe defender in center, but his speed has made him plus in left field, and at one point, he was able to add significant value on the bases. Age and injuries seem to be catching up to him, but he has already been a huge home run (pun intended) for the Yankees, given where they selected him.

Gardner's actual draft spot: No. 109 overall (third round), Yankees
Tampa Bay's actual '05 pick: Wade Townsend, RHP, Rice

9. Austin Jackson, OF
Billy Ryan HS (Denton, Texas)
WAR to date: 20.8

The Yankees' first pick in the 2005 draft was a disaster; high school shortstop C.J. Henry never got out of Class A ball and quit after the 2008 season to try to play college basketball. (He is now signed to play with the independent Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association this year.) But the Yankees made up for it with two later-round picks in Gardner and the over-slot deal they gave Austin Jackson to forego a basketball and baseball scholarship to Georgia Tech. Jackson was raw but athletically gifted and managed to survive, despite aggressive promotions through the Yankees' system that had him in AAA at age 22. He has never fully developed as a hitter, producing a ton of value on defense early in his career but struggling to post adequate OBPs outside of 2012, when he posted a career-high BABIP and hit .300. Jackson is probably a below-average regular at this point, young enough to bounce back and have some years closer to average but unlikely to recapture the player he was when he was 23-25.

(The Yankees also took Doug Fister in the sixth round, but he went back to Fresno State for another year and signed with Seattle in the seventh round in 2006.)

Jackson's draft spot: No. 259 overall (eighth round), Yankees
NY Mets' actual '05 pick: Mike Pelfrey, RHP, Wichita State

10. Chase Headley, 3B
Tennessee
WAR to date: 21.1

San Diego got nothing from its first two picks, college pitchers Cesar Carrillo and Cesar Ramos, but did well with selections after the sandwich round, starting with Headley, who seemed like an obvious choice for a team that weighed stats heavily in the draft room. Headley drew 63 walks with just 23 punchouts in his junior year for the Volunteers and produced more home runs that season than in his first two years combined, but there were questions about his power and whether that plate discipline would hold up in pro ball. He hasn't had much power in the majors outside of a one-year spike in 2012, but he has become an above-average defensive third baseman with solid on-base skills and probably has another two or three years as a regular in him.

Headley's actual draft spot: No. 66 overall (second round), Padres
Detroit's actual '05 pick: Cameron Maybin, CF, T.C. Roberson HS (Asheville, NC)

11. Yunel Escobar, SS
No school (Cuban defector)
WAR to date: 23.0

Escobar defected from Cuba in 2004, landing in the Florida Keys and establishing residency in the U.S., which made him subject to the draft rather than a free agent. MLB clubs didn't have much history scouting him, which helped push him into the back of the second round, but he did have the tools to be at least an average defensive shortstop and a direct, line drive-oriented swing that produced contact without power. He has been dogged by makeup questions for much of his career, but until 2014, he was consistently above-average on defense and put the ball in play enough to produce value on offense even in his down years. He is still hitting, though Washington has him at third base this year, and he is still a work in progress there.

Escobar's actual draft spot: No. 75 overall (second round), Braves
Pittsburgh's actual '05 pick: Andrew McCutchen, CF, Fort Meade (Fla.) HS

12. Michael Brantley, CF
Central HS (Fort Pierce, Fla.)
WAR to date: 14.2

The son of former Mariners outfielder Mickey Brantley, Michael never played a game for the Brewers, as he went to Cleveland in the CC Sabathia trade and become a star at age 27, thanks to late-developing power. Brantley had above-average speed and good feel to hit as an amateur, but it wasn't clear he would develop much power. His contact rates in pro ball have been outstanding -- what he is doing this year is Joe Sewell-esque -- and he did indeed come into that power in an MVP-caliber performance in 2014, a performance he looks likely to sustain for several years to come. The Brewers have produced more WAR from their 2005 draft, thanks to Braun and Brantley, than any team other than the Yankees and Nationals, and that's without unsigned picks Jemile Weeks, Andrew Bailey and Jake Arrieta.

Brantley actual draft spot: No. 205 overall (seventh round), Brewers
Cincinnati's actual '05 pick: Jay Bruce, CF, West Brook HS (Beaumont, Texas)

13. Jay Bruce, OF
West Brook HS (Beaumont, Texas)
WAR to date: 15.0

Before Bruce's evaporation over the past year and change, he was a solid, above-average player who had some trouble against left-handed pitching (mostly just getting on base) but hit for power against everyone and played excellent defense in right. In high school, he came on late with a strong senior year, showing a better approach at the plate and projecting to plus raw power with at least average defense in right, all of which came true. But since injuring his knee early in 2014, he hasn't been the same hitter at all, and it's unclear when or whether he'll regain his All-Star production.

Bruce's actual draft spot: No. 12 overall, Reds
Baltimore's actual '05 pick: Brandon Snyder, C, Westfield HS (Chantilly, Va.)

14. Matt Garza, RHP
Fresno State
WAR to date: 15.6

No pitcher from the 2005 draft has produced more value to date than Garza (excluding Fister and Lincecum, who were drafted in 2005 but didn't sign). Garza was seen as a fairly safe college starter with four pitches, an average fastball and solid numbers after eye surgery before his sophomore year, but he raced through the minors, spending time at five minor-league levels on the way to the majors, and reached Minnesota just 14 months after signing. The Twins traded him to Tampa Bay for Delmon Young after the 2007 season, and the Rays got the two best years of Garza's career before shipping him off to the Cubs in a package that netted them Chris Archer. Since then, Garza has settled into a pattern that lines up with predraft expectations: He has the pitch mix to start but hasn't quite found the out pitch or the fastball command to be much better than average.

Garza's actual draft spot: No. 25 overall, Twins
Cleveland's actual '05 pick: Trevor Crowe, CF, Arizona

15. Colby Rasmus, CF
Russell County HS (Seale, Ala.)
WAR to date: 13.9

It's hard to believe Rasmus is still just 28 years old, when you consider how much drama has surrounded his career, including a public falling out with manager Tony La Russa in St. Louis, regular accusations that Rasmus listens too much to his father and not enough to his hitting coaches, and involvement in a big trade in 2011 that brought the Cardinals a few bullpen pieces they used on the way to the World Series, at the cost of what seemed to be an undervalued asset. Rasmus did produce for the Jays -- 6.6 WAR over three-plus seasons -- but he has never become the star many (including me) projected. Now playing left in Houston, Rasmus still has power and shows flashes of his old patience, but the above-average to plus defense he once showed in center appears to be gone.

Rasmus' actual draft spot: No. 28 overall, Cardinals
White Sox's actual '05 pick: Lance Broadway, RHP, TCU

16. Will Venable, OF
Princeton
WAR to date: 13.3

Venable signed after his senior year at Princeton, after turning down an offer from the Orioles when they took him in the 15th round the year before. Venable had athleticism but not polish and was only a mediocre performer in his three-plus years in the minors. He reached the majors more or less for good in 2009 at age 26. Since then, he has been a solid hitter against right-handed pitching and has provided average defense in right field, though he's never hit lefties well and has more than 80 percent of his career plate appearances against right-handers. He is 32 now, already in his decline phase and relegated to part-time duty by the Padres' numerous acquisitions, so he's probably done producing much value, though he should have another five years of use as a bench piece remaining.

Venable actual draft spot: No. 218 overall, Padres
Florida's actual '05 pick: Chris Volstad, RHP, Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) HS

17. Cameron Maybin, OF
T.C. Roberson HS (Asheville, NC)
WAR to date: 8.8

Eleven players the Tigers drafted and signed in 2005 reached the majors, though none has reached 10 career WAR yet, with Maybin and Matt Joyce the leaders. Of course, the biggest value Maybin produced for the Tigers came in trade, when they used him in the package to land Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins; Cabrera produced nearly as much value by WAR in the two seasons he won Mike Trout's MVP awards as Maybin has in his whole career. Maybin came into the draft as one of its main five-tool talents, a premium athlete who looked like he might outgrow center and instead become a power/speed right fielder, but he was far less polished than scouts believed. The Tigers promoted him to the majors from the high-A Florida State League in late 2007, barely two years after he signed, and he seems to have never quite recovered from the aggressive move, at least in terms of his approach at the plate. Now 28 and on his fourth organization, Maybin should still have several wins of value left, even if knee problems have left him only an average defender in center, as long as he can stay healthy enough to play every day.

Maybin's actual draft spot: No. 10 overall, Tigers
Yankees' actual '05 pick: C.J. Henry, SS, Putnam City HS (Warr Acres, Okla.)

18. Jed Lowrie, 2B
Stanford
WAR to date: 8.9

Lowrie had one of the worst tin-bat swings I've ever seen on a major prospect, much less one who produced the way he did while at Stanford, and as a pure college second baseman, he appeared to be a low-ceiling prospect. The Red Sox took him in the sandwich round with a pick they got for losing Orlando Cabrera as a free agent, and it has been not defense, position or hitting skill, but health that held Lowrie back. He has qualified for the batting title only twice in his career. He has been good enough to play quite a bit of shortstop in his career -- why Stanford had him at second base is one of many unanswerable questions around that program -- and has consistently posted strong contact rates. Of course, at this writing, he is hurt again and out for at least two months with a torn thumb ligament.

Lowrie's actual draft spot: No. 45 overall (supplemental round), Red Sox
San Diego's actual '05 pick: Cesar Carrillo, RHP, Univ. of Miami

19. Peter Bourjos, OF
Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
WAR to date: 10.3

Son of longtime scout and former San Francisco Giant Chris Bourjos, with whom I had the pleasure of working in Toronto, Peter Bourjos's reputation in high school was as an 80 runner who was already a 70 defender in center field but might never have more than a 35 bat. That's not that far off; he might have a 40 bat, but he's one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball and will probably have a job as long as his legs stay healthy, after which I imagine he'll get a lot of calls to help teach young outfielders the art of fielding.

Bourjos' actual draft spot: No. 313 overall (10th round), Angels
Rangers' actual '05 pick: John Mayberry Jr., RF, Stanford

20. Clay Buchholz, RHP
Angelina College (Lufkin, Texas)
WAR to date: 12.7

Buchholz had first-round talent but slipped in the draft because he stole 29 computers from the school where his mother worked and attempted to fence them while he was an infielder at McNeese State, after which he was dismissed from the team and transferred to the two-year Angelina College. He became a full-time pitcher there, working at 92-95 and showing potential with two breaking balls but not the plus changeup he developed with the Red Sox. He has been below replacement level for a year-plus now but is just 30 and apparently healthy, so it's hard to believe this is the end of his productive days, even if the data seem to point that way.

Buchholz's actual draft spot: No. 42 overall (supplemental round), Red Sox
Cubs' actual '05 pick: Mark Pawelek, LHP, Springville (Utah) HS

21. Cliff Pennington, SS
Texas A&M
WAR to date: 10.1

Pennington projected as an above-average defender at short who probably wouldn't hit. He has hit a little better than projections, but not much (.248/.315/.348 career), and he has made a career of being above-average at both middle infield spots. At 31, he appears close to finished as more than a replacement-level player.

Pennington's actual draft spot: No. 21 overall, A's
Oakland's actual '05 pick: Pennington

22. Jon Niese, LHP
Defiance (Ohio) HS
WAR to date: 8.3

Niese was a classic projection left-hander, a high school arm with a good frame with room to fill out, some feel for a breaking ball and a track record of success. The Mets gave him a modest over-slot bonus to buy him away from the University of Cincinnati and had him in the majors three years later. He has been effective as a starter, but 1.5 of his WAR total actually comes from his work at the plate.

Niese's actual draft spot: No. 209 overall (seventh round), Mets
Florida's actual '05 pick: Aaron Thompson, LHP, Second Baptist School (Houston)

23. Travis Wood, LHP
Bryant (Ark.) HS
WAR to date: 7.4

Wood had more present stuff on draft day than Niese, with less projection, as you can probably guess from his slight build, and I don't think anyone foresaw him becoming proficient enough with the bat to produce more than 2 WAR as a hitter.

Wood's actual draft spot: No. 60 overall (second round), Reds
Boston's actual '05 pick: Jacoby Ellsbury, CF, Oregon State

24. Ricky Romero, LHP
Cal State Fullerton
WAR to date: 9.7

The fateful pick that altered two franchises. I was with the Blue Jays at the time of the selection, and the draft room was divided between Romero and Tulowitzki. You know who the choice was and how it turned out. Just this week, Romero signed a minor league deal with the Giants to attempt a comeback, but in all likelihood, his major league career is over.

Romero's actual draft spot: No. 6 overall, Blue Jays
Houston's actual '05 pick: Brian Bogusevic, LHP, Tulane

25. Matt Joyce, OF
Florida Southern
WAR to date: 9.1

An unheralded -- Baseball America ranked Joyce 27th among draft prospects in the state of Florida in 2005 -- outfielder from Florida Southern College, a Division II school in Lakeland, Joyce has established himself as a high-value platoon player. He kills right-handed pitching and shouldn't be allowed near southpaws, which is more or less how he has been used throughout his career, with 86 percent of his career plate appearances against right-handers. I don't recall Joyce from our draft room discussions that year, but I have to guess poor performance in his junior season (a .292 average and just three homers against weak competition) caused him to slip to the 12th round.

Joyce's actual draft spot: No. 360 overall (12th round), Tigers
Minnesota's actual '05 pick: Matt Garza, RHP, Fresno State

26. Sergio Romo, RHP
Mesa State College
WAR to date: 8.0

Just the fourth big leaguer ever from Division II Mesa State, Romo put up solid numbers even in a high-offense environment, just like he did the year before with North Alabama, but it was the Giants who finally tabbed him after he went undrafted and unsigned in 2004. In college, Romo didn't have the devastating slider he showed in the majors, but in hindsight, any kid who had even an average fastball and showed he could pitch well on the surface of the moon deserved a shot.

Romo's actual draft spot: No. 852 overall (28th round), Giants
Boston's actual '05 pick: Craig Hansen, RHP, St. John's

27. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP
Hoover HS (Des Moines, Iowa)
WAR to date: 6.6

Iowa kids are frequently underscouted because there is no spring high school baseball, but Hellickson was very well known by draft day, having pitched for the 18U national team and having appeared at major showcases the previous summer and fall. He was a smallish righty without a lot of projection and just average stuff, and he reached the majors primarily because of command and control.

Hellickson's actual draft spot: No. 118 overall (fourth round), Rays
Atlanta's actual '05 pick: Joey Devine, RHP, North Carolina State

28. Nick Hundley, C, University Arizona
WAR to date: 6.2

Hundley didn't hit for power in his first two years for the Wildcats, then he exploded with a 15-homer, 23-double junior year that saw him draw 42 walks, so he seemed a lock for some stats-oriented team to take in the second or third rounds. That's exactly what happened, though no metrics at the time would have indicated he was (and still is) a modest defender and poor framing catcher.

Hundley's actual draft spot: No. 76 overall (second round), Padres
St. Louis' actual '05 pick: Colby Rasmus, CF, Russell County HS (Seale, Ala.)

29. Mike Pelfrey, RHP
Wichita State
WAR to date: 5.8

Pelfrey was the ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft, the second pitcher taken (after Romero), a Boras client from Wichita State who sat in the mid- to upper-90s with great sink from a low arm slot (and groundball rates to match), but he never did find an average breaking ball to go with it and has settled in as a fifth starter with a little value because he can soak up innings -- more than 1100 in the majors to date, second in the class -- but seems unlikely to ever be anything more.

Pelfrey's actual draft spot: No. 9 overall, Mets
Florida's actual '05 pick: Jacob Marceaux, RHP, McNeese State

30. Chris Carter, 1B
Sierra Vista HS (Las Vegas)
WAR to date: 1.6

Carter's career WAR total -- 1.6 by B-R, 1.4 by Fangraphs -- is somewhat flattened by how often he has been asked to do something he just can't do: play the field. As a full-time DH for Houston last year, Carter posted a career-best 2.0 WAR, more than he had produced the previous two seasons. He is back at first base this year and off to a miserable if fluky start, but he is just 28 and should have several 1.5-2.0 WAR seasons left in his bat, especially if and when Jonathan Singleton returns from AAA to take over at first and let Carter slide back to the DH spot.

Carter's actual draft spot: No. 455 overall (15th round), White Sox
St. Louis' actual '05 pick: Tyler Greene, SS, Georgia Tech