True grades for each rookie class should be provided once a full five years have elapsed after draft day. The baseball draft is different from the NFL and NBA, and the NHL to a lesser degree, because many draft selections and undrafted free agent (UDFA) signings get opportunities to play for their respective teams almost immediately; for those sports, a three-year grade would certainly seem prudent. However, with incredibly rare exceptions, most members of baseball’s rookie classes usually spend a minimum of two years in the minors before even earning their calls up. So feel free to take my overall grade with a grain of salt, especially because some players have yet to even swing a bat or hurl a pitch in the minors.
A way-too-early grade for this year’s White Sox rookie class
