Chicago Cubs: Best players drafted 16th overall
By Ryan Sikes
Shawn Green
Green had a game for the ages back on May 23, 2002. He smashed four home runs while going 6-for-6 and collecting a record 19 total bases. The former first-round pick of the Blue Jays in the 1991 draft made his Major League debut in 1993.
He didn’t earn regular playing time until the 1995 season, where he finished fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
In 1999, Green was selected to one of two All-Star games, with an AL-leading 45 doubles while also hitting 42 bombs and driving in 123 runs. Along with his All-Star selection, Green finished ninth in AL-MVP voting, won a Gold Glove, and also a Silver Slugger Award.
After spending seven years with the Blue Jays, Green moved onto the Dodgers, where he would spend the next five years. Aside from his incredible game in 2002, Green also finished within the top six for NL-MVP voting in the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
He would go onto finish out his career with the Diamondbacks and Mets, but not before accumulating a 34.87 career WAR.
Nick Swisher
Via the Boston Red Sox for signing Johnny Damon, the Oakland Athletic grabbed Swisher with their first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. He would make his big-league debut in 2004, transitioning into a full-time role the following year, where he finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
Swisher’s best year with the Athletics came in 2006 when he hit .254 and smacked 35 bombs while driving in 95 runs. After the 2007 season, he joined the Chicago White Sox for a year, hitting just .219.
He then moved on to the New York Yankees for the next four years, posting a combined .268/.367/.483 line with 105 home runs and 349 RBI.
He had a critical home run against the Phillies in the 2009 World Series, a series in which the Yankees won. Swisher would finish out his career with the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves before putting a bow on a very underrated career after the 2015 season.
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He was selected to just one All-Star game – in 2010 – but racked up a 21.4 WAR over a 12-year career.