Padres take Kyle Hendricks in re-do of the top-10 draft picks in 2011

Going along with the trend of publications re-doing past drafts with the knowledge we know now about their careers and how they panned out, ESPN writers David Schoenfield and Kiley McDaniel are making a combined effort to re-draft the top-10 players in every draft over the last 10 years (2010-2019).

Today, I’m highlighting the 2011 draft where the Padres drafted third baseman Cory Spangenberg with the 10th-overall pick. Instead, the Friars snag pitcher Kyle Hendricks who was originally selected in the eighth round by the Texas Rangers.

Spangenberg spent five years with Padres from 2014-2018 where he his .258 with 298 hits, 27 home runs, and 109 RBIs. He was released in November of ‘18 when he refused a minor league assignment. He was then signed by the Milwaukee Brewers in January of 2019.

Here’s what Schoenfield and McDaniel had to say about Hendricks moving into the top-10 following what we know now:

“At the bottom, you could argue for Gray, Hendricks, Snell, Bauer or Clevinger for the top 10. Hendricks actually leads that group in career WAR and with a 3.14 career ERA continues to succeed despite an underwhelming fastball. Until proved otherwise, or until one of the other pitchers has a string of great seasons, Hendricks deserves a top-10 spot.”

Hendricks has enjoyed a solid six-year career with the Chicago Cubs which includes playing a big role during the 2016 in helping the Cubs bring home their first World Series pennant in over 108 years. He recorded a career-best 2.13 ERA across 31 games which included two complete games and a shutout. He finished the year third in the NL Cy Young voting.

How would you guys feel about this re-do? Is there another player that should have been taken instead?