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Updated: June 5, 1:35 PM ET Looking back five years later: AL By John Sickels Special to ESPN.com | ||||||||||||||||||
| It takes five years, at least, for the results of the yearly amateur draft to be fairly assessed. Let's take a look at the American League 1996 draft class.
Anaheim The Angels forfeited their first-round pick to sign Randy Velarde. In the second round, they went for Austin Peay infielder Chuck Abbott, a slick fielder with speed but who couldn't hit. Third-rounder Scott Schoeneweis, a Duke University lefty, has had his moments. Fourth-round choice Brandon Steele, a high school pitcher from California, didn't develop. Eighth-round selection Jerrod Riggan, from San Diego State, emerged as a good bullpen prospect after being traded to the Mets. This class would look better had fifth-round pick Bobby Hill signed. Baltimore The Orioles had no first-round slot, giving it up to sign Roberto Alomar as a free agent. They took a risk with second-round high school right-hander Brian Falkenborg, who has looked good at times but can't stay healthy. College players selected in the third and fourth rounds (OF Daren Hooper, University of Arizona; RHP Mark Seaver, Wake Forest) failed to develop.
The Red Sox bombed with first-round pick Josh Garrett (RHP, Indiana high school) and second-rounder Gary LoCurto (1B, California high school). But supplemental first-rounder Chris Reitsma (Canada high school) pitched well when healthy in the minor leagues, and is now with the Reds following a trade last year. They did a good job identifying prospects later in the draft. Third-round choice Dernell Stenson, from high school in Georgia, still has a chance to be special. Fourth-round pick John Barnes, an outfielder from Grossmont Community College in California, was traded to the Twins for Greg Swindell a couple of years ago. He led the PCL in batting average last year, but is currently injured. Washington State lefty Rob Ramsay was picked in the seventh round and did fair work in the Mariners bullpen last year. Eighth-round choice Justin Duchscherer, from high school in Texas, is pitching well and should get a chance late this year or early next season, though he doesn't throw hard. Tenth-round pick Shea Hillenbrand, from Mesa Community College in Arizona, hits for a good average and is holding his own in the majors this year. I worry about his poor strike zone judgment, but he's still more useful than the vast majority of players from this draft class. Chicago White Sox The Sox were one of the teams bitten hard by the "loophole," losing first-round pick Bobby Seay, a Florida high school lefty, to the Devil Rays. However, there were indications that negotiations with Seay would have broken down anyway, loophole or not. Like the rest of the Loophole Gang, Seay hasn't lived up to his potential, though it is still too early to give up on him. Second-round Vanderbilt product Josh Paul has his uses, but the big catch for the Sox was third baseman Joe Crede, drafted out of a Missouri high school in the fifth round and currently their best hitting prospect. Southern Mississippi product Chad Bradford, drafted in the 13th round, is currently in the Athletics bullpen after being traded to Oakland last fall. The rest of the draft class didn't do much, but Crede was a steal in the fifth. Cleveland At this point, the Indians draft class looks very weak. First-rounder Danny Peoples, a slugger from the University of Texas, was more of a signability pick than anything else. He has power, but not enough other skills to force his way into a major-league lineup. Second-rounder Ryan McDermott, a high school pitcher from New Mexico, didn't develop. The same can be said for just about everyone else the Indians picked that year. Two exceptions are sixth-rounder Paul Rigdon, from the University of Florida, and ninth-rounder Sean DePaula, from Wake Forest. Both right-handers have experienced some success in the major leagues, and are good examples of college pitchers who weren't hot prospects but who exceeded expectations. Detroit Again, no stars here, but a decent group of talent considering the weak pool available. First-rounder Seth Greisinger, from the University of Virginia, reached the majors quickly, but is still trying to recover from arm troubles. Second-rounder Matt Miller, a Texas Tech lefty, just reached the majors this year. He has an inconsistent track record and will be a bullpen contributor at best. Fourth-round pick Kris Keller, a hard-throwing right-hander from high school in Florida, remains a decent, if unheralded, prospect and could sneak into a bullpen role soon. Cal State Northridge catcher Robert Fick was picked in the fifth round. He's been bothered by injuries and defensive troubles, but is a very productive hitter when he gets in the lineup. Triple-A slugger Chris Wakeland, a 16th-round pick out of Oregon State, could be a useful bat off the bench. Kansas City This is one of the better efforts of '96, despite an early concentration on risky high school talent. New York high schooler Dee Brown is playing very well this year and should have a long, productive career. He may end up being the best hitter selected in the entire draft. Second-round pick Taylor Myers, from high school in Nevada, was compared to a young Greg Maddux, but lost his career to arm trouble. But third-round pick Chad Durbin, from high school in Louisiana, shows signs of becoming a very fine finesse pitcher. Fourth-rounder Corey Thurman, a right-hander from high school in Texas, is in Double-A and remains a good prospect despite slow progress early in his career. Sixth-round selection Jeremy Giambi, from Cal State Fullerton, has yet to live up to his minor-league numbers. 22nd-round pick Kit Pellow, a third baseman from the University of Arkansas, and 27th-round pick Kiko Calero, a right-hander from St. Thomas University, should also see major-league action eventually. Minnesota The Twins concentrated on college talent, but were burned and spurned by first-round pick Travis Lee, one of the "loophole" players declared a free agent. They made up for this a bit with the success of second-rounder Jacque Jones, out of USC, who is inconsistent but at least an established player. Third-round choice Dan Cey, Ron Cey's son, was a shortstop from the University of California, but didn't develop as hoped. Fourth-round pick Chad Allen, from Texas A&M, is a useful spare part. The first high school player they went for was fifth-rounder Mike Ryan, a Pennsylvania prep who is still a sleeper prospect as a fairly good left-handed hitter. 13th-round choice Mike Lincoln, from the University of Tennessee, is a control pitcher who reached the majors but blew out his elbow last year. New York Yankees A fine effort from the Bronx front office. University of Maryland first-rounder Eric Milton is one of the best lefties in baseball now, albeit for Minnesota and not New York. Second-rounder Jason Coble, a high school lefty from Tennessee, didn't develop. Third-round pick Nick Johnson, from high school in Sacramento, is an awesome prospect, and would be starting this year for the Yankees were it not for his weird wrist injury last summer. Fifth-round pick Zach Day (RHP, Ohio high school) and sixth-rounder Brian Reith (RHP, Indiana high school) are no longer with the team, having been traded to the Indians and the Reds, respectively. But both are solid prospects, and further examples of how high school pitchers who do develop are often not the big-name first-round picks. The rest of the class was undistinguished, but getting Milton, Johnson, Day, and Reith was an impressive feat. Oakland The big name here was California high school third baseman Eric Chavez. He hasn't turned into Eddie Mathews yet, but is still just 23 and has more than 300 games of major-league experience under his belt. The sky remains the limit for him. Second-rounder Josue Espada, an infielder from the University of Mobile, is very fast and will take a walk, but has trouble staying healthy. He is currently in the Marlins system. Third-round Stanford backstop A.J. Hinch looked like an excellent catching prospect a couple of years ago, but has regressed badly. Several guys turned into useful organizational/fringe prospects, including 1B Nick Sosa (sixth round, Florida high school), INF Cody McKay (ninth round, Arizona State), RHP Kevin Gregg (15th round, Oregon high school), OF Justin Bowles (16th round, LSU), RHP Brett Laxton (24th round, LSU), and 1B T.R. Marcinczyk (28th round, University of Miami). Seattle The Mariners went hard after pitching in 1996, and seemed to have a winner in first-rounder Gil Meche, drafted out of a Louisiana high school. He's had major-league success, but is out for the year with a torn rotator cuff, and may never be durable. Second-rounder Jeff Farnsworth came out of a community college in Florida. He has a fair arm, but is still trying to master Double-A. Third-rounder Tony DeJesus, a lefty from high school in North Carolina, didn't develop. Fourth-rounder Denny Stark, from the University of Toledo, has trouble staying healthy, but pitches very well at times. He is pitching strong ball in the Pacific Coast League this year, and should reach the majors soon. The draft was otherwise disappointing. If Meche comes back strong and if Stark does in the majors what he is doing in the minors (throw strikes, change speeds), it's a moderate success. Tampa Bay The D-Rays didn't do especially well on draft day. They focused almost entirely on high school talent, and most of it didn't develop. First-rounder Paul Wilder, a slugging outfielder from high school in North Carolina, was a particular disaster, posting a .199 career average and having some run-ins with the law. Fourth-rounder Cedric Bowers is a live-armed lefty from high school in Florida who still has a chance to develop. Fleet Alex Sanchez, a Cuban defector drafted out of a Florida community college, is now with Milwaukee. At best he will be a reserve. Seventh-rounder Mickey Calloway, drafted out of the University of Mississippi, looks like a Quadruple-A pitcher. Two low drafts who retain chances to develop are 14th-round pick Delvin James, a hard-thrower from a Texas high school, and 16th-round third baseman Jared Sandberg, nephew of Ryne. The D-Rays made a bigger splash by signing loophole free agents Matt White and Bobby Seay. Both have been very erratic and inconsistent, and neither appears worth the large sums spent to sign them. Texas The Rangers were looking for pitching, and with three first-round slots, they thought they had a good chance to find it. It didn't quite work out that way. First-rounder R.A. Dickey, from the University of Tennessee, was forced to sign for a reduced bonus after it was discovered that he had no elbow ligament. It never officially blew out; he was either born without one, or injured it so long ago that the ligament eventually atrophied. His minor-league career was inconsistent and he hasn't developed as expected, but it didn't have much, if anything, to do with the elbow. The second first-rounder was Florida high school fireballer Sam Marsonek, who had to have Tommy John surgery in 1998 and was eventually traded to the Yankees. He still has trouble staying healthy, but is showing better command and control of his pitches over the last year. In the supplemental first-round, the Rangers picked up North Carolina State lefty Corey Lee, a polished college pitcher who was supposed to advance quickly along with Dickey. Lee has been the epitome of erratic, and is still trying to find his way in the high minors. Tenth-round pick Doug Davis, a lefty from the Community College of San Francisco, is also trying to get his bearings, but has at least spent some time in the majors. Two infielders of note: fourth-round pick Kelly Dransfeldt, from the University of Michigan, and fifth-rounder Warren Morris, from LSU. Dransfeldt hasn't been able to use his strong tools consistently, while Morris has been an enigma following his successful rookie season with the Pirates. Toronto The loss of Roberto Alomar and Devon White to free agency gave the Blue Jays extra picks to work with, and they did a good job with them. First out of the gate was Clemson fireballer Billy Koch, who overcame an elbow injury and is now a premiere major-league closer. Joe Lawrence, a Louisiana high school infielder, was also drafted in the first round. He was converted to catcher, and has a strong track record of hitting at the lower levels. He's still finding his stroke in Triple-A this year, but remains a good prospect. Supplemental first-rounder Peter Tucci, an outfielder from Providence College, hasn't hit consistently well with wood. But second-rounder Brent Abernathy, from high school in Georgia, is a steady second baseman with a solid overall approach. He is with the Devil Rays now, but got hurt just before he had a shot at the major-league job this spring. Montreal high school pitcher Yan Lachapelle, drafted in the third round, didn't develop as hoped. Another third-round choice, Florida high school southpaw Clayton Andrews, made the majors last year, but is a fringe finesse guy. Fifth-round Southern Mississippi product John Bale is with the Orioles now, traded there over the winter for catching prospect Jayson Werth. Bale has a live arm and could be a useful bullpener in time. Seventh-round pick Casey Blake, from Wichita State, is too old to be a prospect now but is a fine Triple-A third baseman. A sleeper is 10th-round pick Josh Phelps, a catcher from high school in Idaho. He's taken awhile to develop, but is hitting for power this year in Double-A. Overall, the 1996 draft hasn't produced a boatload of talent for major-league clubs. John Sickels, who is the author of the 2001 STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook, writes a twice weekly Down on the Farm column each week during the season for ESPN.com. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at hometown.aol.com/jasickels/page1.html. |
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