The Worst #1 Draft Picks in MLB History
Posted by: Richie Rich in MLB Draft, Mariners, Mets, Padres, Pirates, Rangers, Tigers, YankeesWhen an MLB franchise selects a player with the #1 overall pick in the Amateur Draft, the team is expecting to have that player make a significant contribution to the team for years to come.
In unrelated news, earlier this season, the Padres released Matt Bush, the #1 Pick in the 2004 MLB Draft … before he ever played a game in the Major Leagues. I hope no one actually bought a Matt Bush Padres Jersey.
Bush was a High School Shortstop from the San Diego Area who the Pads selected over the likes of Jered Weaver and Stephen Drew. Bush’s career batting average in the minors is a robust .219 (in nothing higher than Class A ball) … so let’s just go and call him a bust. The Padres have.
This got me to thinking … who else has flopped after being picked first in the MLB Draft?
Brien Taylor, P – 1991 (New York Yankees)
Under advisement by Scott Boras, Taylor held out until the Yankees caved and gave him an unprecedented $1.55 Million signing bonus.
Mind you, after his first two seasons in the minors … he looked like he might be worth it. In Class A in 1992, he had 187 K’s in 161 innings and in 1993 went 13-7 with 150 K’s in AA Albany.
But in December 1993, he separated his shoulder and tore his labrum in a fight in a trailer park – does anything good ever happen in a trailer park? Dr. Frank Jobe described the injury as one of the worst shoulder injuries he’d ever seen.
Taylor never posted an ERA under 6 the rest of his minor league career and never sniffed the Majors.
Matt Anderson, P – 1997 (Detroit Tigers)
I think Anderson is the only relief pitcher to be selected #1 overall. In my opinion, that makes this pick pretty bad to begin with – #1 picks are for Starters and Position players.
Either way, Anderson leapt from the minors to the Tigers’ bullpen in 99 thanks to an arm that could throw 100 MPH. Like Taylor, Anderson’s promising career was squashed by a non-baseball injury. But his is much funnier.
In 2002, at a Detroit Red Wings game, Anderson took part in an “octopus throwing contest” to win playoff tickets and tore something in his armpit. He never threw 90 MPH again.
Bryan Bullington, P – 2002 (Pittsburgh Pirates)
I suppose the jury is still out on Bryan Bullington, since he’s still active (the Blue Jays picked him off the Cleveland Indians’ scrap heap this offseason).
But he’s played in only nine games with a 5.45 career ERA. And when you consider the other players taken in the 2002 Draft (#2 BJ Upton, #7 Prince Fielder, #15 Scott Kazmir, #17 Cole Hamels) behind Bullington … this pick has not panned out.
David Clyde, P – 1972 (Texas Rangers)
Have you ever heard the phrase “I hope they don’t pull a David Clyde with him” ?
Well if not, it refers to when a ballclub rushes a young prospect to the Majors before he’s ready and ends up squashing his career as a result.
That’s just what the Rangers did to the 18-year old Clyde, who never played in the minors before pitching for the big club. Clyde wanted to pitch two games in The Show before he went to the minors … and he did so well in those two games that the Rangers didn’t send him down to the minors.
Clyde only played five seasons with a 18-33 record and a 4.63 ERA. He played his last game in August, 1979 … at the age of 24.
Al Chambers, – 1979 (Seattle Mariners)
Sandwiched between two #1 Overall Picks who became NL Rookies of the Year (1978 -Bob Horner, 1980 – Darryl Strawberry) was a guy I bet amost all of you have never heard of - Al Chambers.
Chambers looked good in the minors, but tanked in the show. He played a measly 57 games over three seasons (1983-5) for the Mariners, with a career batting average of .208 with two Home Runs and 11 RBI.
Did I mention his pitiful .292 slugging percentage?
Danny Goodwin, C – 1971 (White Sox), 1975 (California Angels)
I bet you didn’t know that a single player was selected twice as the first overall pick in the MLB Draft.
The Chicago White Sox picked him first in 1971 as a High Schooler out of Peoria, IL. Instead of heading up the road to the South side of Chicago, Goodwin decided to go to college at Southern University.
In 1975 the California Angels selected Goodwin #1 overall. Too bad he never lived up to that reputation.
Goodwin only batted .236 over seven seasons with the Angels, Twins and A’s.
But THE WORST #1 OVERALL PICK WAS …
Steve Chilcott, C – 1966 (New York Mets)
All I have to say is that the Mets selected Chilcott ahead of Reggie Jackson (who went #2 to the Kansas City Athletics) and this becomes the undisputed worst pick ever.
Seriously. It’s akin to picking Sam Bowie ahead of Michael Jordan.
To make matters worse, Jackson would attribute his not being selected #1 by the Mets to racism in an article for Sports Illustrated. Add to that the fact that Chilcott never played single game in the Majors after six sub-par seasons in the Minor Leagues and I want you to even try to name me a worse pick.
He’s so bad … he never even got a baseball card.
Did I miss anyone? Someone will say Kris Benson and/or Josh Hamilton. Here’s the full list of #1 Overall Draft Picks.
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February 7th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Not as bad, but the Mets did have another disappointing #1 pick in the 1984 draft, Shawn Abner. He did get 840 ABs over 6 major league seasons, none with the Mets, and ended with an OPS+ of 65. Since he had a major league career, he does not measure up to the awfulness of those on your list, but it was still a pretty bad pick.
There were very few stars picked in that year’s first round, but Jay Bell at #8 had a solid career, and the #10 pick was Mark McGwire. A few others, like Terry Mulholland, Norm Charlton and some more were decent major leaguers.
February 7th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I had Abner on my list and took him off. He never played for the Mets, so he probably belonged.
February 7th, 2009 at 11:09 am
What about Gregg Jefferies was he a first pick? I know the Mets claimed he was going to be Mantle like in NY.
I know he sucked at Shea for them and at the Vet for the Phillies.
Andy Ashby was a bust draft as well for the Phillies. A native of lame ass Scranton PA(the then home of the Phillies AAA team the “Red Barons”) Ashby was a sensation, even had a no hitter in a game that was part of a AAA double header. (7 innings)
But all anyone remembers about the Electric City Native (Funny nickname for a city that generally thinks in the dark ages still) is he grabbed his nuts and spit toward the booing fans ala Rosanne Barr at the Padres game years ago.
See no one boos in Scranton, shit they never cheered for the Red Barons either, if you did cheer loud they complained to security – your too loud.
They seem to think in Scranton a baseball game should get PGA treatment. I guess that makes David Wells the John Daly of the diamond.
February 9th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Gregg Jeffries played 14 years in the majors, had 126 home runs, and was a 2 time All-Star. That hardly constitutes “sucking”.
February 9th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Word was the Mets didn’t want Jackson because he had a white girlfriend.
February 10th, 2009 at 10:17 am
Mike tell that to both Mets and Phillies fans, who rarely agree. But BOTH teams fans were disapointed by the over the top HYPE!
The next Mickey Mantle is not JUST a 2 time all star, with a whoping 126 homers!
Why do I think your last name is Jeffries?