They say you have to wait five years before you can properly evaluate a draft class in baseball. Players need to be given the opportunity to climb the minor league ladder and cut their teeth at the big league level before we start declaring winners and losers. That hasn't stopped us before, of course, and it won't stop us in the future.

The First-Year Player Draft will begin Monday night, making this the perfect time to go back those five years to evaluate the 2010 draft. That class has already given us two Rookies of the Year, three top-five finishes in the Cy Young voting, and more than a few All-Star appearances, so it's off to a pretty great start.

To make life easy, we're going to use WAR for this exercise. It's perfect for a quick and dirty look at a draft class like this. Plus it's easily searchable. With some help from Baseball-Reference.com, let's break down the 2010 draft.

Top 15 Players To Date (Round/Overall Pick)

  1. LHP Chris Sale, White Sox (1/13) -- 24.5 WAR -- There were plenty of questions about Sale at the time of the draft not only because his delivery is so funky, but also because his slider was just okay at Florida Gulf Coast University. Sale was in MLB two months after being drafted and has developed into a capital-A Ace, in part because that slider has improved immensely as a pro.
  2. SS Andrelton Simmons, Braves (2/70) -- 14.6 WAR -- Some clubs liked Simmons more on the mound, though the Braves believed in him at short and he is now arguably the single best defensive player in baseball, regardless of positon. Most of that WAR comes from his glove.
  3. OF Bryce Harper, Nationals (1/1) -- 14.3 WAR -- Amazingly, the 22-year-old Harper is now in his fourth MLB season, and he currently leads the world with 19 home runs. He was very good from 2012-14. Now he's starting to reach his considerable ceiling.
  4. IF Manny Machado, Orioles (1/3) -- 12.4 WAR -- Like Simmons, most of Machado's value comes from his glove. He was drafted as a shortstop but moved to third because the O's needed someone at the hot corner in 2012.
  5. LHP Drew Smyly, Tigers (2/68) -- 8.6 WAR -- Surprised? Smyly was in the show just a year and a half after being drafted, and he's been rock solid both as a starter and as a reliever in his young career.
  6. OF Kole Calhoun, Angels (8/264) -- 8.5 WAR -- Calhoun's a classic underdog, a guy who had to keep hitting at every level to get recognized. He's now one of the least talked about above-average outfielders in baseball.
  7. RHP Matt Harvey, Mets (1/7) -- 8.4 WAR -- Harvey would be much higher on this list had he not missed the entire 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery. He has exceeded expectations; no one expected Harvey to be this good when he came out of UNC.
  8. OF Adam Eaton, Diamondbacks (19/571) -- 6.1 WAR -- Eaton is another guy who derives most of his value in the field, though he is a quality leadoff man. Arizona traded him to the White Sox in the Mark Trumbo three-team trade in December 2013.
  9. RHP Jacob deGrom, Mets (9/272) -- 5.5 WAR -- Like Harvey, deGrom developed into a true ace after learning a slider from pitching coach Dan Warthen. The Mets managed to pull two of the best pitchers in baseball from one draft. Impressive.
  10. OF Kevin Kiermaier, Rays (31/941) -- 5.4 WAR -- Another defense guy, though unlike others like Simmons, Machado and Eaton, Kiermaier is almost all defense. But still, being one of the top outfield defenders in baseball is pretty valuable.
  11. C Yasmani Grandal, Reds (1/12) -- 5.4 WAR -- Grandal has already been traded for two brand names (Mat Latos and Matt Kemp), and he is really starting to come into his own as a switch-hitting, pitch-framing catcher extraordinaire with the Dodgers.
  12. 1B Christian Yelich, Marlins (1/21) -- 4.7 WAR -- Yes, Yelich was a first baseman when the Marlins plucked him out of a California high school. He's now a Gold Glove outfielder and one of the game's most impressive young pure hitters.
  13. OF Corey Dickerson, Rockies (8/260) -- 4.5 WAR -- Dickerson had maybe the quietest 24-homer, 142 OPS+ season in baseball in 2014. Nice get in the eighth round.
  14. RHP A.J. Griffin, Athletics (13/395) -- 4.3 WAR -- Griffin made the big leagues just two years after being drafted. He'd be in the middle of his fourth MLB season had he not blown out his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery last spring.
  15. C Evan Gattis, Braves (23/704) -- 3.2 WAR -- Gattis' story is well known by now. He was out of baseball entirely for a few years, battled substance abuse, worked as a janitor, and is now mashing baseballs.

Honorable Mention

Jake Petricka (2/63) is the only other player from the 2010 draft class to rack up 3+ WAR so far, and he's at exactly 3.0 WAR. Drew Pomeranz (1/5) is pretty close at 2.8 WAR.

Best Picks in the 10th Round or Later

  1. Eaton, Kiermaier, Griffin & Gattis: As detailed above, these four are among the 15 best players drafted in 2010 according to WAR. Great value.
  2. RHP Shawn Tolleson, Dodgers (30/922) -- 2.4 WAR -- Tolleson developed into a great bullpen prospect out of Baylor, but he got hurt 2013 and the Dodgers tried to slip him through waivers. The Rangers claimed him and he's now their closer.
  3. OF Joc Pederson, Dodgers (11/352) -- 2.2 WAR -- If we revisit this post next summer, chances are Pederson will jump into the top 10 in the draft class in career WAR. The early NL Rookie of the Year favorite is a major player development success for Los Angeles.
  4. LHP Chasen Shreve, Braves (11/344) -- 1.2 WAR -- Shreve was Harper's teammate at the College of Southern Nevada and he benefited from the extra scouting exposure. He's now a setup man with the Yankees after being acquired in a trade this past offseason.
  5. C Tommy Medica, Padres (14/424) -- 1.2 WAR -- After being drafted as a catcher, Medica spent some time with San Diego as a utility man from 2013-14.

Jury Still Out

Although five years have passed, there are several prospects from the 2010 draft who are still working their way up the minor league ladder. Here are the four best 2010 draft picks yet to make their MLB debut.

• RHP Jameson Taillon, Pirates (1/2) -- Taillon is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, though his arrival was delayed last year, when he underwent Tommy John surgery.
• LHP Jesse Biddle, Phillies (1/27) -- Biddle was a consensus top-100 prospect in 2013 and 2014, though injuries have slowed him of late.
• RHP Zach Lee, Dodgers (1/28) -- The Dodgers gave Lee a $5.25 million bonus to keep him from playing quarterback for LSU. He is knocking on the door of the big leagues and could debut soon.
• RHP Tyrell Jenkins, Cardinals (1s/50) -- Jenkins had some shoulder issues earlier in his career, though he's come on strong the last two years and is emerging as one of the better pitching prospects in the game. He went to Atlanta in the Jason Heyward/Shelby Miller trade.

Biggest Busts

As always, some highly drafted players in 2010 simply haven't worked out. That's the nature of the beast. Here are the 2010 draft's most notable busts.

• CF Jake Skole, Rangers (1/15) -- Skole, a high schooler from Texas, simply hasn't hit as a pro. He's slugging under .300 and is barely topping a .600 OPS in close to 1,300 minor league plate appearances since 2012. Skole is still active in the Rangers system though.
• RHP Hayden Simpson, Cubs (1/16) -- Simpson was a surprise first rounder. The Cubs saw him throwing 97+ with Southern Arkansas late in the spring and fell in love. Simpson was released in March 2013 after pitching to a 6.42 ERA in 161 1/3 Single-A innings. Yikes.
• OF Josh Sale, Rays (1/17) -- Sale (no relation to Chris) was one of the best pure hitters in the entire 2010 draft, but off-the-field problems dogged him as a pro. Sale was released earlier this year with a career .714 OPS in 224 minor league games, none above Class A.
• 3B Kolbrin Vitek, Red Sox (1/20) -- Vitek was one of those college "oh he's gonna hit!" guys, but he didn't hit. He retired in March 2014 with a .682 OPS in 304 minor league games.
• RHP Alex Wimmers, Twins (1/21) -- Injuries and control problems have hampered Wimmers following an excellent career at Ohio State. He is still active in Minnesota's sytem, though he has a 4.62 ERA in 204 1/3 career innings.

Disappointing but Useful

The draft isn't binary -- there's a whole wide range of outcomes between "bust" and "star." Some players have fallen short of their projected ceiling but were still able to make themselves into useful MLB players. Here are the most notable.

• IF Christian Colon, Royals (1/4) -- Colon didn't hit like the fourth overall pick in the minors, though he is currently with the Royals as a bench player. He could take over as the everyday second baseman if Omar Infante's numbers don't improve.

• LHP Drew Pomeranz, Indians (1/5) -- It took a pair of trades --- first for Ubaldo Jimenez, then for Brett Anderson -- for Pomeranz to find his way in the big leagues. He's settled into a swingman role with the A's.
• RHP Anthony Ranaudo, Red Sox (1s/39) -- Ranaudo was a Very Big Deal at the time of the 2010 draft. He was arguably the best college pitcher available that year. Ranaudo never did develop an out pitch though, and he's worked as an up-and-down spot starter with the Red Sox and Rangers the last two years.
• IF Mike Olt, Rangers (1/19) -- Olt had a huge minor league season in 2012 before dealing with some vision problems. He's now a low batting average reserve corner infielder with the Cubs who can run into a fastball on occasion.

Ones Who Got Away

Three first round picks went unsigned in 2010: RHP Barrett Loux (1/6), RHP Karsten Whitson (1/9) and RHP Dylan Covey (1/14). Whitson simply failed to come to terms with the Padres. The Diamondbacks found a red flag in Loux's shoulder during his pre-signing physical and opted not to sign him. (MLB declared Loux a free agent and he later signed with the Rangers.) Covey was diagnosed with Type I diabetes soon after the draft and opted not to sign with the Brewers so he could instead attend the University of San Diego and stay close to home.

Here are the most notable players who were drafted in 2010, but did not sign and were drafted much higher years later.

• RHP Kevin Gausman, Dodgers (6/202) -- The Dodgers drafted Gausman out of a Colorado high school in 2010 but couldn't convince him to turn pro. He went to LSU, dominated, and was the fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft as a draft-eligible sophomore. Gausman has shown flashes of utter dominance with the Orioles the last three years.
• RHP Jon Gray, Royals (13/389) -- Gray opted not to sign out of high school and instead went to Oklahoma. Three years later he was the third overall pick in the draft, and now he is one of the very best pitching prospects in the game.
• 3B Kris Bryant, Blue Jays (18/546) -- Oh boy. This is the big one. The Jays took Bryant out of Las Vegas high school, didn't sign him, and now he is one of the best young power hitters in the game with the Cubs. Chicago drafted him second overall out of San Diego in 2013.
• LHP Marco Gonzales, Rockies (29/890) -- The Rockies picked Gonzales out of their own backyard (Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins!) in 2010 but didn't sign him. After three years at Gonzaga, Gonzales was the 19th overall pick in the 2013 draft and is now part of that seemingly never-ending pipeline of Cardinals pitching prospects.

Chris Sale (l.) and Bryce Harper are two of the best players from the 2010 draft.
Chris Sale and Bryce Harper are two of the best players from the 2010 draft. (USATSI)