Twelve years after the 2008 amateur draft, one top 10 pick ranks far above the rest…
1.) Tim Beckham, SS, Rays:
Taking Beckham at No. 1 has long looked like one of the most regrettable moves in Rays history. Beckham was only a .247/.299/.421 hitter with 2.5 fWAR in 791 plate appearances with the team from 2013-17. and it flipped him to the Orioles for right-hander Tobias Myers in the last of those seasons. Myers hasn’t advanced past the High-A level for Tampa Bay, while Beckham didn’t offer much production for Baltimore in 2018 or Seattle in ’19. He’s currently a free agent after the league hit him with an 80-game PED suspension last August.
2.) Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Pirates:
Alvarez wasn’t a total bust for the Pirates, with whom he put up two 30-home run seasons worth 2.5-plus fWAR apiece. The former Vanderbilt Commodore hasn’t lived up to his draft status, though, and is now accompanying Beckham in free agency. Alvarez, who has also played for the Orioles, hasn’t taken a major league diamond since 2018. If his career in the bigs is over, he’ll end as a .236/.310/.447 hitter with 162 homers and 7.7 fWAR.
3.) Eric Hosmer, 1B, Royals:
Hosmer had an inconsistent run as a Royal from 2011-17, but the highs were high. He was a key part of the Royals’ most recent championship team in 2015, and his .284/.342/.439 line with 127 homers and 60 steals in their uniform helped lead to a notable free-agent payday heading into the 2018 season. The Padres forked over a guaranteed eight years and $144MM to Hosmer, but he hasn’t lived up to the deal so far. The 30-year-old has hit .259/.316/.412 with minus-0.5 fWAR since he signed with San Diego.
4.) Brian Matusz, LHP, Orioles:
Matusz once looked like a can’t-miss prospect, but he failed to match the hype. To Matuz’s credit, after a pretty rough run from 2009-12, he reinvented himself as a solid reliever for the Orioles from 2013-15. However, he hasn’t pitched in the majors since a horrid nine-inning run with the Braves and Cubs in 2016. Matusz hasn’t officially retired yet, but he’s likely to call it quits as the owner of a 4.92 ERA across 528 2/3 innings.
5.) Buster Posey, C, Giants:
Finally, a smash success. Posey, 33, is the lone member of the 2008 top 10 with a legitimate Hall of Fame case. He’s a six-time All-Star, an NL Rookie of the Year, an MVP and someone who has been instrumental in three Giants World Series titles. Posey’s also a lifetime .302/.370/.456 batter with 140 homers and 52.7 fWAR.
6.) Kyle Skipworth, C, Marlins:
“Why couldn’t the Giants have taken Skipworth instead of Posey?”-The Marlins now, probably. Skipworth totaled four plate appearances as a Marlin in 2013, the only year in which he appeared in the majors. He last appeared in pro baseball in 2016 as part of Cincinnati’s minor league system.
7.) Yonder Alonso, 1B, Reds:
Alonso had a brief run with the Reds from 2010-11, after which they sent him to the Padres in a mega-trade for righty Mat Latos. Alonso has since had just one above-average season – with the A’s and Mariners in 2017, when he batted .266/.365/.501 with 28 homers and 2.4 fWAR. He has fallen back to earth since then, though, and has only accounted for 5.4 fWAR with a .259/.332/.404 line and 100 HRs in the majors during his career. Alonso’s now with the Braves, who signed him to a minor league contract over the winter.
8.) Gordon Beckham, SS, White Sox:
Beckham had a poor run as a member of the White Sox, with whom he hit .242/.304/.370 in over 3,100 PA, and has also struggled to put up good numbers in a few other stops. The 33-year-old is now a free agent.
9.) Aaron Crow, RHP, Nationals:
Washington failed to sign Crow, so it received the No. 10 pick in the 2009 draft as compensation. The team used that choice on righty Drew Storen, who logged a 3.02 ERA with 95 saves and 72 holds in 334 innings with the Nats from 2010-15.
10.) Jason Castro, C, Astros:
Thanks in part to his well-known pitch-framing wizardry, Castro has thus far enjoyed a respectable career between Houston and Minnesota. He’s a career .231/.313/.390 hitter with 86 HRs and 14.5 fWAR, and is just a few months removed from signing a one-year, $6.85MM contract with the Angels.
—
Any other first-round notables?
Not many. Gerrit Cole went 28th to the Yankees, but they couldn’t sign him (they made up for that a few months ago). Justin Smoak (No. 11), Aaron Hicks (14), Andrew Cashner (19) and Lonnie Chisenhall (29) also came off the board in that year’s top 30. There was some more success in the supplemental round, where Jake Odorizzi (32), Lance Lynn (39) and Wade Miley (43) were taken.
The draft pick that won the SF Giants 3 World Series rings. One of the best selections in recent memory for sure.
Posey didn’t win then singlehandedly. Theres a legit argument Bumgarner was their biggest factor.
He sure helped a lot…..
He had no XBH in the 2014 playoffs. Yeah he was a great draft pick but not the “best selection in recent memory”.
He said “one of the best selections” not “THE best selection in recent memory.”
How far back is recent memory? If its since the turn of the cuentry, Posey is not even a top 10 best pick. He is a borderline hall of famer and there have been quite a few clear HoFers drafted since 2000
Yeah, it really sucks when the guy you draft is only a borderline Hall-of-Famer.
If Posey hung up his cleats right now he would be a “border line” Hall of Famer but he has already surpassed Molina in career WAR in 6 less seasons. He has a MVP Award, three top 10 finishes in MVP Voting, 4 silver sluggers, ROY and three titles.
How can a guy who’s barely been around a decade and has already started declining for 3 years be a hall of famer? He was key for his teams championships but not a hall of famer considering he became washed up 7 years into his career
You’re saying any HOFer is worth more than Posey. I’ll disagree.
For instance, as a drat pick Posey was more valuable to the Giants than, say, Manny Machado was for Baltimore. Manny left the team for money, had issues with opposing teams, etc.
Posey might not make the HOF (I have serious doubts), but his arrival coincided with the greatest run in San Francisco history. He will forever be remembered in San Francisco, while I would suspect many people in Baltimore have thrown away their Machado jerseys already.
Ernie Banks was league-average at first base the last half of his career, yet does anyone doubt he belongs in the Hall? The first half of his career he was an astonishing shortstop
Y’all are hating. Posey has been the best catcher of that generation. He hands down beats Molina, McCann, and Mauer.
Bumgarner would have a big walk problem if not for pitch-framer Posey – do not forget that.
Pitch framing. Yet another b.s. made up stat invented by the math nerds ruining baseball.
Aren’t all stats made up? Also how does a stat or a nerd ruin a sport?
No, runs scored, singles, doubles, triples, HR, BA, RBI etc are all factual numbers. Please tell me how pitch framing is figured out?
gotta agree. pitch framing is important
made up? ruining baseball? i disagree with you
Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean it’s not factual.
library.fangraphs.com/defense/catcher-defense/
The link is framing explained in a way far superior to anyway I could explain it.
Like I said. Not real. Subjective and estimate, unlike when I know a runner crosses the plate and scores a run, or hits a fly ball over the wall. Pitch framing is as subjective as being awarded a gold glove.
Imadude –
Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean “it’s a made up B.S. stat”.
Wouldn’t catchers keep framing pitches whether we tracked the stat or not?
I see what you’re saying, it’s easy to quantify a hit. A hit is a hit. And on the other end, applying fancy cameras and sensors to pick up data points for things like pitch framing and strike zones… very technical.
But where is the line? A batting average doesn’t naturally occur on the field like a hit, but it’s the product of a mathematical formula, albeit a very simple one. But average isn’t some sport-ruining stat.
How about OPS+? It basically just uses total bases in a modestly more complicated formula to that also accounts for which ballpark each total base happens to create context. That stat doesn’t seem to ruffle too many feathers, despite it adding several layers of complexity to total bases/OPS.
Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite: the pitcher win. The same people who champion the strength of RBI and hits often see great value in a W… but the criteria for a W (starting pitcher must go 5 innings, the lead must not change after you leave the game, etc etc) is all arbitrary.
So where’s the line? Who gets to be the gatekeeper about which stats are “true” and which are ruining the game because some nerd understands math and statistics better than either of us?
Not saying all stats are perfect, but anyone with a fleeting grasp of statistics knows that a couple counting stats will never paint a more accurate picture than an wide array of many differing (mathematically and contextually sound) stats… a hundred stats that show part of reality are better than a couple of simple stats that are no more reliable at portraying the whole picture despite their simplicity
I wonder how Berra, Campanella, Cochrane, Freehan and Bench were at pitch framing? Maybe we should ask their managers and pitchers from those eras? Then again, most of them are dead, so we’ll never know, but I’m sure it was a hot topic at the bar after every game.
So… Was the catcher responsible for getting the pitch called a strike, or would that umpire have called it a strike regardless of who caught it? The world may never know!
Stymee, exactly. Subjective stats are worthless . And for all those people who want computer generated umpires calling balls and strikes, this stupid pitch framing will go away.
What he said.
Overthinking stats is definitely a blight ot the sport to me, but pitch framing is actually pretty cool and I wouldn’t call that a stat. Is arm strength a stat?
Some people only look at hard-core stats when evaluating a player – I think that’s wrong. People who break down stats to the fifth decimal to determine what is HOF worthy annoys the heck out of me, especially when it comes to defensive statistics. It’s like a nerd who doesn’t know the game looks over a stat sheet and wonders why Rafael Palmiero isn’t in the HOF but Joe Morgan is. They don’t know the nuances and stories behind the player and what makes them great.
Baseball is about stats, but it’s also about the stories, the teams, the sound a ball made when it cracked off a certain guy’s swing, the way a CF glided after a ball like he’s on a cloud. But what do I know? I’m over 40 and I still think RBIs mean something.
Stop making sense!
in 2014
Yes, a half a decade ago
Actually Bochy helped the most….if Bochy was the Dodgers manager they would have won 5 WS as they were a much better team and still are….but they needed Bochy not Posey….just saying
Hall of fame? lol. Posey doesn’t have HOF numbers
The Giants won because of many factors. People only mention those two guys but you have to go back and watch the old playoff games and you’ll see they won because of a full team effort and excellent managing
there were a lot of things that came together, bumgarner was a big help but so were cain, timmy, both sanchez’s, scutaro, pablo, zito, vogey etc. that being said i don’t see the giants winning if you replace posey with molina and whiteside
He was a big part. But I would say Bumgartner and Cain were the biggest contributors
I mean literally WAR is a stat designed to settle that arguement.
Mike Trout has entered the chat. Wants to also remind you that WS championships are team achievements.
The Giantts. Lol
3 rings….Lol. Yeah, like a half a decade ago.
The Giants and Posey are awful now.
Righty, Posey OPS+ since their last WS title. 133, 115, 127. 108 and 84. He’s had 1 bad year. The other 4 are all well above the league average.
What’s your point? Your Yankees haven’t won a World Series in over a decade. LOL.
3 rings….Lol. Yeah, like a half a decade ago.
The Giants and Posey haven’t booked a winning season in the last 4 years. They’re terrible now.
If he’d aged well then mayyyybe we’d be talkin’ HOF. As it stands now, if he follows his current trajectory, I’d say he falls short.
Posey isn’t a HOF. Neither is his closest counterpart, Molina.
Posey is running a typical catcher projection. Not many great years after say 32.
Same with Molina
Posey has 3 WS rings and over 50 WAR. Gotta think he gets in; and is definitely a better bet than Molina.
Posey WAR is 41.8. Go look at Thurman Munson’s career. If he’s NOT in the HOF, please tell me how Posey and Molina get in?
You’re right: Bwar – 41.8, fwar 52.7
With that being said, the homer in me says he’s still a 2 war player for the next few years.
He has over 50 fwar. Every catcher that has recorded over 50 war is in the HOF. That’s how
Munson WILL be in the Hall of Fame at some point. So will Posey and Molina. No doubt about it.
Posey’s numbers aren’t even close to HOF numbers
KCJ, that’s pretty optimistic since Munson died before Simmons retired. Simmons just got in. Munson, Molina and Posey are all the same player. They either all get in or none of them. I’m very hard on HOF. I believe it’s built for the elite players, not the very good. It’s getting watered down. Baines proved that point for me.
You shouldn’t use fWAR to compare catchers. They added framing to the stat but that only affects the last ten years or so since they’ve been keeping track of it. It makes the good framing catchers from the 2010s look better compared to the catchers from the previous eras where framing isn’t factored in. Better to use rWAR for apples-to-apples.
Baines may be the worst modern era player to make the HOF, and you can thank Jerry Reinsdorf for it.
Molina according to the numbers is the #2 best defensive catcher all time and was an above average offensive catcher
Learn to become a hitter.
Plus he played for the Cardinals. Going to get in.
May not be first ballot but he will get in with the writer’s vote.
Molina is NOT above average in offense. .750 OPS and 100 OPS+ are league average. He’s. 738 and 98. Try again.
“Plus he played for the Cardinals?” Who the eff cares who he played for?
You missed a key detail-
For a catcher.
For a catcher, he is above average in offense.
Career 98 OPS+ with his defense? More than acceptable.
All American, Bill Freehan was a great defensive catcher with a 112 OPS+. NEVER sniffed the HOF.
It’s tough to forecast HoF trends in about ten years, when Posey will be eligible…
But, Posey still has a legitimate (albeit uphill) shot. If you like high-ceiling peaks, Posey’s MVP-caliber play for a few years is as good as catchers get. If you like accolades and renown, he’s got a lot of hardware and rings for a catcher. If you like fancy metrics, he’s built up a lot of WAR and has been very well-regarded defensively. If you vote with your heart and based on “impact,” he’s got the narratives of franchise icon, World Champion, MVP, injury comeback, likeability, pitcher whisperer, and unanimous respect across the game.
Posey will likely miss out on padding his counting stats due to his regression and the lack of longevity for catchers, but he’s got a lot going for him in a potential HoF candidacy; Not a lot of guys have his hardware, reputation, rings, and peak performance — all at THE premium defensive position.
Agree with this, the voters will like him being the anchor of three WS winners.
The main Posey accomplishment is getting a new rule imposed because he did not know the proper way of blocking the plate. Seems to be arrogant, good player not quite worthy of HOF, though if Harold Baines can get in…….
You just explained Thurman Munson.
Shame we didn’t get more years from Munson. He was destined for the Hall. Still too early to tell about Posey and Molina. I don’t always prescribe to numbers but I feel like 2000+/- hits should be a bare minimum, even for catchers.
Sucks he missed basically a full season of his prime.
Even with the decline he makes the hall. He had 7 very good years. Especially for a catcher. That’s above the hall’s unofficial requirements. He makes it without any doubt at all. Doesn’t want to move to first but still the best framer and defensive catcher in the game.
Oops!
I was speechless!
Posey is kind of like Joe Mauer at this point, and Mauer isn’t thought of today what he was when he was younger and a “potential Hall of Famer”.
He had a very good 7 year run but that’s not nearly enough for HOF. He’ll go down as a franchise legend though which means a lot
Don’t even know why I waste my time with some of you….
Yadi Molina is a HoF. Whoever told you he isn’t doesn’t understand baseball.
In regards to Posey. Needs 1-2 more great seasons and play the position until his late 30’s
Louisiana, we are so glad to have your presence here. Thanks for telling us all that Molina is a HOF, even though his offensive numbers are sub par. It only took 30 years for one of the elite hitting catchers in all of baseball to get in the HOF, Ted Simmons. If longevity gets guys in the HOF, then they might as well start adding another 10,000 square feet of space to Cooperstown.
I still think that something happened to Gordon Beckham that wrecked his career (whether it was bad advice an injury or both). When he came up he looked real good at third even though he did not like playing there,. He was also was more of a gap type hitter and not likely to hit 30 homers in a season but the Sox had to tinker with him.
This is an ugly, ugly first round.
Consistency is the key for this draft. Skipworth is about the only that didn’t have at least one solid season.
Imo Posey either needs one good year or at least couple decent ones to solidify his HoF case. 60 WAR is usually considered HoF caliber and he’s close as a catcher who also has a bunch of awards under his belt. Far from a lock but he’s definitely close
Agree with 1 more great seasons
Regarding WAR
Doesn’t do the position justice.
If Posey keeps his career average around .300 and plays around 15 season he will get in.
Needs 3-4 more years behind the plate with 1 great season
A catcher batting near 300 is a rarity for his career
I was excited for matusz when he got called up. My dad and I got tickets to a game he started. We never get the nicer seats when we go, but my dad knew I wanted to see him pitch so we got tickets behind home plate for the first time. First inning, matusz gets hit by a line drive. Finishes the inning. Leaves the game after. That was all I got to see of matusz. Still a fun night. Pretty sure Luke Scott hit a walk off sac fly to win it
If Ted Simmons got in, Buster has shot too but agree he needs some more counting numbers to lock in a real chance.
Ted played a long time at a high level. I have no problem with him getting in…..
Simmons, when he retired, had the most career hits of any catcher. Most doubles too. Was 2nd in RBI to Berra and 2nd to Fisk in total bases. He also retired as the NL career leader in HR by a switch hitter and batted over .300 SEVEN times. Took him 30 some years to get in.
Ted Simmons was AWESOME
The assumption here is that if the Giants picked higher they still would have chosen Posey; I’m not sure that’s the case. I think everyone would have had Alvarez higher on their board
I think the Giants may have passed on Posey if they had the #1 overall
The only team we can ever be sure gets their guy is the team that picks #1 overall.
Why is Chisenhall on the list? Best thing he does is find a way to get injured
But he does it well.
Bad draft? Lol
Because he’s one of the best players around that spot in the draft, sadly. Looking at the full list, there’s a lot of interesting players who were taken in late rounds (Brad Hand 2nd, Bryan Shaw 2nd, Craig Kimbrell 3rd, Roberto Perez 33rd, Pat Venditte 20th, Dee Gordon 4th). But from pick 20 to pick 31 Chisenhall is the best guy who signed and by a good margin.
The reason the orioles passed on Posey was due to them drafting Matt wieters in the previous years draft. They had their future superstar catcher and he was good for a few years.
That’s an interesting thought and I wonder if this was actually part of their reasoning,
I remember the enormous hype surrounding Weiters when he was drafted and when he first came up…things didn’t quite work out as planned
Insane hype on Weiters, Nelson Cruz also came over that year to a large degree of anticipation
It was stated that Beckworth is a Free Agent but I’m pretty sure he’s still a Padre. (minor league invite to ST)
*Beckham autofixed
Gordon, not Tim!
Take a minute to regroup and try again.
Distractions! Ha ha
He was released in late March.
Thank you, I stand corrected. Getting older by the day here!
Posey and a bunch of good but not great players. Posey is in the HOF for me and if he had the same career in a Yank or Sux jersey it wouldn’t even be a question, it would be “future Hall of Famer” everywhere he went.
Legit bat, MVP, was a part of multiple no hitters and perfect games (yes, pitch calling and framing played into those) on top of all the team accomplishments.
I’ll say this one more time. Munson. Died at age 32. ROY. MVP. 7x all star. 2x WS champ. 3 GG. 1st captain of the Yankees since Lou Gehrig. Was a post season stud. Did everything asked of him. Hit, threw well, played defense well, leader of his team etc. 15 years on the ballot. Never got more than 15% of the votes. Total joke. So don’t give me this east coast bias nonsense. Until Munson gets in, don’t tell me any other catcher deserves to be a HOF
@ImAdude – So, just because Munson got screwed (which he did), any other catchers with arguable HOF resumes should also be screwed?
CRDB40, um…yes.
jenius
I’m not sure what jenius means? But until a player from the 1970s gets credited with being as good or better than 2 guys from the 2010s, then that’s how I will keep feeling on this ridiculous HOF selection process.
jenius means that you are being ridiculous
I support Munson for the Hall of Fame, but some of the stuff you mentioned is pretty meaningless. There are plenty of players who have won two WS that should never sniff the Hall. Gold gloves don’t say much of anything (it’s mostly a popularity contest) and him being the first Yankee captain since Gehrig is totally meaningless. I’m not sure how to even unpack ‘did everything asked of him’ or how it makes a player HoF-worthy. And during his MVP season, he wasn’t even the best player on his team (Nettles) and actually placed 4th in WAR behind Nettles, Rivers, and White.
All of this said, I would still put him in. He was one of the best catchers in the league for ten years and I don’t think a player should be penalized for having their careers ended by injury or death, especially when they had a great career up to that point. If he’d played another 4-5 seasons (which he probably would have), he probably would have made it already. And, as you said, he excelled in the postseason.
Everything you questioned about Munson is what is said about Molina and Posey. Leader. Gold gloves. WS champion. Molina was never best player on his team either. Maybe Munson winning the MVP should tell you just how important he was to that team? Either way, my comments were made as comparison to Posey and Molina. They all have the same attributes. They were all good players. And if anyone wants to vote Posey and/or Molina into the HOF, they better elect Munson.
Munson didn’t do this in his mid to late 30’s
Neither has Posey.
Molina has
The issue here is that the HoF stands for the best players.
Best catcher since Ivan Rodriguez retired is Molina.
So if we don’t put in Molina and maybe Posey that pretty much means we devalue the catcher position
Not going to happen.
A catcher from this generation is going to get in. Maybe 2
Munson died at 32 you fool. Just because someone plays 17 or 18 years, but was only good for 7 of them, doesn’t make them a HOF.
Phil Rizzuto is in the HOF. Jeter has multiple gold gloves. East Coast bias is real.
Posey has a better career offensive profile than Munson. I have no problem with Munson in the Hall, but as an individual Posey’s a better player.
Halo, Did you see Munson play? ALL AROUND player, Munson gets my edge over Posey, slightly. Munson played in an era when stealing bases was huge. Many players could steal bases, and he could gun them down at a 44% rate. In today’s game, it’s an afterthought. Munson has a huge edge over Posey defensively. Posey has a slight edge offensively. 128-116 OPS+. Munson was a good offensive catcher and stud defensively. Posey was very good offensively and average defensively. 46-42 bWAR edge to Munson. Munson’s career was aged 22-32, which is the same as Posey to date.
Beckham, the poster boy for power not translating with a wooden bat. I remember watching him break the UGA single season home run record and thinking he’d be a stud in the bigs.
Posey isnt a HoFer. too short a peak, even if it was a great peak.
Pedro Alvarez was a great hitter and had a good swing … when he made contact with the ball
Every pitcher knew that Pedro would swing and miss at anything low and away.
Pedro most certainly was NOT a great hitter. Wish he was but…
1) Buster Posey
2) Eric Hosmer
3) Jason Castro
4) Brian Matuz
5)Pedro Alvarez
6) Gordon Beckham
7) Yonder Alonso
8) Aaron Crow
9) Tim Beckham
10) Kyle Skipworth
I ranked Skipworth lower than Crow because the Nats were able to draft Drew Storen a year later
Castro and Alonso have been much better players than Matsuz and Beckham.
Alonso only played a partial season for the Reds but I should have moved him to #4 because Mat Latos did post a few good seasons with the Reds. I was giving the Os too much credit to trying Matusz as a reliever.
This might be an interesting draft class. At the very least, it will be remembered for its unique circumstances.
I wish the Braves would draft Pete Crow-Armstrong but he won’t make it that far down the list
I was at fsu when buster was playing there and you could tell this kid was special. He hit a homerun which won me a years worth of free burritos at qboda while i was taking my 4 year old son to the bathroom. Thank you buster.
IIt is always amazing how bad the Chicago White Sox are at scouting prospects whether that be in the amateur draft or in selecting prospects from other MLB teams in trade.
Ehhh, I’d put a few caveats to that. Bad at scouting bat prospects for the draft, perhaps; their pitching selections have been much better. Chris Sale, Carlos Rodon even; yes, Carson Fulmer hasn’t worked out so well, but they don’t ever work out 100%.
And for trades; meh, I think they do fine there. Most of the players they got back in the Sale/Eaton firesale have worked out fine at least to this point, and I don’t think anybody would regret those trades from either side. Sure, there’re trades I’d love to have back (Kahnle’s trade for example, as mentioned in an earlier article, or the one for James Shields), but I think they do fine.overall in trades, particularly the important ones.
But bats in the draft, yikes. I will say that some of it’s injury luck – running into a (solid) wall at full speed will do bad things for a prospect’s future, for example. And some if it was drafting fairly low for too many years – the constant attempts to compete 2000->2015 meant that we rarely drafted particularly high, Gordon here being one of our highest draft picks in that period, so you get a lot fewer can’t-miss prospects in the mid teens than you do in the top 5.
Once again Royals messed up big time in the draft. We could’ve gotten Buster Posey!
Who’s the potential Hall of famer the article mentioned? Posey? Yeah right
Wow looking back on that draft I can see, with the exception of Posey and Hosmer, there were so many duds.
What might be interesting, while were waiting for this MLB season to start, is to break down each years draft for each of the years between 2000 and 2015 and do an in depth analysis of factors that tend to lead to a players greatness and or failure.
Cubs take Cashner at 19 and trade him for Rizzo
FWIW, you can write the same article on mosts drafts..
14 teams passed on Utley, 5 teams passed on Greinke, 16 teams passed on Hamels, 23 teams passed on Pedroia, etc.
I was scrolling waiting to read a Pirates fan ranting over drafting Alvarez instead of Posey. Usually one fan will say something in a negative form about passing on a good player. With that years draft, Posey was underrated by many clubs due to his size. Pirates had Martin and then looked at Cervilli. Posey would have been blocked or traded like the Pirates did with Reese McGuire. If Aleveraz wasn’t so obnoxious and had Boras as his representative, maybe another year or two in the minors would have helped that guy out. He had phenomenal power but made a stink about being in the majors right away. Having Boras around helped his cause and he was brought up way too early. His arm (defensively) was wild and many errors was caused by rushing his throws. He had poor pitch recognition and was almost certain to strike out at something low and in the dirt. Giving his immaturity, I called that he would be a bust because he never fine tooled his game. Such a shame because he had potential to be the next the next Aramis Ramirez.
Did the Yankees really make up for not getting Cole back in the draft. They could of had at least one WS this past decade. So they didn’t go a whole decade without one. I guess it’s better late than never but still what could of been.
I certainly wish Gordon Beckham had been more successful, but he’s really basically an “average” first round pick in terms of total WAR. See for example community.fangraphs.com/how-valuable-is-a-first-ro… – average pick is maybe 4 WAR by year six, and Beckham was around 6 (fangraphs) WAR by then. Now, he was net negative after that, and certainly didn’t live up to the hype, but he wasn’t _that_ bad.
Andrew cashier for Anthony Rizzo. Thanks Pades
posey HOF no. I’m glad the Royals took Hoz over Posey. he may never see the HOF but for what he brought KC Posey could never bring. Leadership hustle attitude charisma Hoz brought KC and we won. Besides we have a better catcher than Posey ever thought about being.