Since we are a little over a month away from the MLB Draft, I’m going to go back and look at the drafts of this decade.
The 2000 draft looks weak compared to some of the more recent drafts.
The first round was lead off with Adrian Gonzalez being selected by the Florida Marlins. He’s been traded twice since then, where he’s emerged as a slugger for the San Diego Padres.
Rocco Baldelli was selected 6th overall by the Devil Rays. While he’s never lived up to the hype, he’s been a solid platoon player, when healthy.
Chase Utley was the gem of this draft; he was selected 15th overall by the Phillies. He’s since gone on to have multiple All Star appearances and a world series ring.
The Giants selected John Bonser with the 21st selection. Better known as Boof, Bonser went to the Twins as the key piece (along with Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano) of the A.J. Pierzynski deal.
Adam Wainwright is probably the last recognizable player selected in the first round. The Cardinals’ ace was the 29th overall pick, selected by the Atlanta Braves.
Other players that made it to the Major League from the first round:
Justin Wayne (#5, Expos, P), Dave Krynzel (#11, Brewers, OF), Joe Borchard (#12, White Sox, OF), Billy Traber (16, Mets, P), Sean Burnett (#19, Pirates, P), Chris Bootcheck (#20, Angels, P), Phil Dumatrait (#22, Red Sox, P), Scott Thorman (#30, Braves, 3B).
Most of the value of this draft came outside of the first round.
Xavier Nady was drafted in the second round and went straight to the Majors. He hasn’t lived up to the hype surrounding him in the draft, but he’s had a good Major League career.
Grady Sizemore was drafted by the Expos in the 3rd round. He’s since become a solid player and MVP-candidate. The Expos also landed Cliff Lee in the next round; both went to Cleveland in the Bartolo Colon deal.
Starting pitching was big later in the draft, as the Cubs drafted Dontrelle Willis in the 8th round, the D’back selected Brandon Webb in the 14th, Tampa took James Shields in the 16th, and Oakland grabbed Rich Harden in the 17th round.
Last year’s Pirate team was influenced by the draft. Besides Burnett and Nady, Jason Bay (22), Nate McLouth (25), and Adam LaRoche (29) were all taken this year; granted, Burnett and McLouth were the only ones selected by the Pirates.
Now out of baseball, Mewelde Moore was selected in the 4th round by the Padres. He played for the organization for 3 years while attending college at Tulane. He ended his baseball career when the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the football draft.
Other Major Leagues taken in the draft:
Manny Delcarmen (2nd Rd, Red Sox, P), David DeJesus (4th Rd, Royals, OF), Bobby Jenks (5th Rd, Angels, P), Ryan Church (14th Rd, Indians, OF).
