Squarely in the middle. That’s where the American League East sits in our latest draft review. Collectively, the division has produced 62 Major Leaguers and a 79.1 bWAR from the 2017-2021 drafts. These totals place the division fourth in total WAR, third in return on investment and last in the number of Major Leaguers when compared with the six MLB divisions.

Divisional Rankings:

1. AL Central (100.7 WAR / 95 ML'ers / $2.654M per 1.0 WAR, ROI)
2. AL West (82.8 / 85 / $2.569M)
3. NL Central (80.6 / 81 / $3.005M)
4. AL East (79.1 / 62 / $2.977M)
5. NL West (68.1 / 84 / $3.554M)
6. NL East (53.1 / 71 / $4.270M)

Meanwhile, the Rays and the Orioles pace the AL East with two individuals each among the top-five WAR producers.

AL East Individual Leaders:

1. Adley Rutschman (Orioles, 9.6 WAR)
2. Shane McClanahan (Rays, 8.6)
3. Alek Manoah (Blue Jays, 7.8)
4. Gunnar Henderson (Orioles, 7.1)
5. Taylor Walls (Rays, 6.0)

The Yankees lead in efficiency, investing $2.44M for every 1.0 WAR, yet they do not place an individual in the top five. The Blue Jays are currently the least efficient, but have sent a division best 15 draftees to the Major Leagues so far and have one individual in the top three. Due mostly to fewer picks and lower picks in each round, as well as not signing their 2nd round pick from 2021, the Red Sox have invested an AL East low of $37.1M in signing bonuses which has produced to date a MLB low of seven Major Leaguers over the five years of this research. For the complete MLB rankings, please see our MLB Draft Review from January 9.

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BALTIMORE ORIOLES

+ 2017 MLB Draft

• First Round: DL Hall (0.0 WAR), No. 21 overall.
• WAR Leader: Mike Bauman (0.3 WAR; 3rd round)
• All Draftees Combined WAR: 0.3
• ML’ers to Date: 3 (Hall, Zac Lowther, Baumann, Mason McCoy)
• Signing Bonuses: $8.18M