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MLB Draft: Each team's all-time worst swing and miss
MLB Draft: Each team's all-time worst swing and miss
http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2014-05-28/mlb-draft-2014-busts-worst-prospects-picks
Apologies in advance, because this is going to sting a bit.
What follows is a list of the biggest first-round draft misses for each team, a collection of the nightmare “What if?” mistakes that drive fan bases crazy. This isn’t just about high picks that didn’t pan out. It’s more about the player(s) a team passed on than it is who the team actually drafted. We’re looking for skipped All-Stars and Hall of Famers.
For this list, money is not a factor. History does not look kindly on passing on Justin Verlander for Matt Bush, as the Padres did in the 2004 draft, and neither did we.
We tried to limit the “misses” to selections within five or six spots of where a team actually picked (example: team made a bad pick at No. 11 and an All-Star went at No. 17), and whenever possible, we tried to match up player positions, or at least limit pitcher misses to teams that took pitchers, and position players to teams that took position players.
http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2014-05-28/mlb-draft-2014-busts-worst-prospects-picks
Apologies in advance, because this is going to sting a bit.
What follows is a list of the biggest first-round draft misses for each team, a collection of the nightmare “What if?” mistakes that drive fan bases crazy. This isn’t just about high picks that didn’t pan out. It’s more about the player(s) a team passed on than it is who the team actually drafted. We’re looking for skipped All-Stars and Hall of Famers.
For this list, money is not a factor. History does not look kindly on passing on Justin Verlander for Matt Bush, as the Padres did in the 2004 draft, and neither did we.
We tried to limit the “misses” to selections within five or six spots of where a team actually picked (example: team made a bad pick at No. 11 and an All-Star went at No. 17), and whenever possible, we tried to match up player positions, or at least limit pitcher misses to teams that took pitchers, and position players to teams that took position players.
This one stuns me the most:
http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2014-05-28/mlb-draft-2014-busts-worst-prospects-picks/slide/24
Cincinnati Reds:
The Pick: OF Chad Mottola at No. 5
The Miss: SS Derek Jeter, who went to the Yankees at No. 6
The Skinny: If you’re a Reds fan, you might not want to read this 1999 piece from the Cincinnati Enquirer. Basically, Cincy’s top scout wanted Jeter but the front office didn’t listen to him. Oops. Mottola had a long career in pro baseball—he played a mind-boggling 13 seasons at the Triple-A level—but hit just .200 in 59 career games in the majors, split up in five different appearances from 1996 to 2006. Jeter is a first-ballot Hall of Fame lock.
Cincinnati Reds:
The Pick: OF Chad Mottola at No. 5
The Miss: SS Derek Jeter, who went to the Yankees at No. 6
The Skinny: If you’re a Reds fan, you might not want to read this 1999 piece from the Cincinnati Enquirer. Basically, Cincy’s top scout wanted Jeter but the front office didn’t listen to him. Oops. Mottola had a long career in pro baseball—he played a mind-boggling 13 seasons at the Triple-A level—but hit just .200 in 59 career games in the majors, split up in five different appearances from 1996 to 2006. Jeter is a first-ballot Hall of Fame lock.