Baseball

"Today, we're going to pull every fiber of our beings, collectively—I'm going to challenge each and every one of you—every fiber of your being to see yourself as a World Series champion..."—Hunter Pence addressing the crowd at AT&T Park after the final regular-season game of 2014.

With the 2015 first-year player draft approaching, let's take a look back at how the last 10 Oakland A's first-round draft picks have fared.

Because hindsight is a beautiful thing.

For purposes of a tidy list, we'll stick with the first overall selection from each year dating back to 2005. There may be a better draft pick, a guy picked later who is playing better currently. If that's the case, that player may get a brief mention, but again, this article will concentrate on the first pick.

Toronto Blue Jays star Jose Bautista has returned to the lineup after sitting out following a cortisone shot in his shoulder.

Continue for updates.

Jeremy Guthrie probably wishes he didn't have to work on Memorial Day like most other Americans. 

The Atlanta Braves have always put a focus on drafting, scouting and developing within the organization.

New president of baseball operations John Hart has put an even greater emphasis on the draft and restocking the farm system. Hart prioritizes the draft, as evidenced by the Braves' six selections in the first 89 picks of this year's draft —the most of any MLB team.

Garrett Jones pitched.

Got that? Garrett Jones, backup first baseman and backup designated hitter, pitched Saturday. 

For the New York Yankees.

In a real game.

And he was their most effective arm.

Garrett Jones lived out his dream...and it was awesome. He was our best pitcher of the day...and that's sad.

In the bottom of the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Detroit Tigers, the Houston Astros spun the second triple play of the 2015 MLB season.

It was Houston’s first in a long while, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Even though it isn't emphasized as much in baseball, the draft is important in building winning teams. Since it takes so long for draftees to reach the majors in most cases, it's hard to evaluate them immediately after the fact.

Now, let's take a step back and look at the Cubs' last 10 first-round draft picks. They will each receive a letter grade based on whether or not they panned out, where they are in their career and what track they're on (if they still have time to develop).

Johnny Cueto was ruled out for his scheduled start May 24 due to soreness in his elbow and general stiffness he's been experiencing since his start against the Kansas City Royals on May 19. Cueto remains day-to-day.

Continue for updates.

A year ago, Prince Fielder looked finished. Finito. Spent. And any other synonym for the word "done."

But as anybody who watched the Texas Rangers veteran first baseman in action on Friday night against the New York Yankees will tell you, rumors of Fielder's demise were greatly exaggerated.