Josh Donaldson and Manny Machado were each drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft, and they each earned their first significant MLB playing time in 2012 before breaking through as top-tier stars in 2013. But the years between being drafted and being a fully immersed Major Leaguer were considerably different for the two.
Josh Donaldson was drafted by the Chicago Cubs as a catcher out of Auburn with the 48th overall pick—he was a first rounder, but less in the “can’t miss superstar, franchise player” mold and more in the “we got another pick because the Dodgers signed Juan Pierre so sure let’s draft this guy” mold.