Pirates Draft Win Shares 1990-2000, Part III
Continuing our look at the Pirates drafts in the 90s. In our last installment, the drafts from 1990-1995 were covered. In this installment, we will look at the drafts from 1996-2000.
1996 DRAFT
TOTAL WIN SHARES: 101 (99 for Pirates)
PLAYERS WHO REACHED THE MAJORS:
Kris Benson (1st Round)
Win Shares: 42 (40 for Pirates)
Tike Redman (5th Round)
Win Shares: 22 (22 for Pirates)
Rob Mackowiak (53rd Round)
Win Shares: 37 (37 for Pirates)
PLAYERS ACTIVE IN 2004:
Kris Benson (PIT-NYM), Tike Redman (PIT), Rob Mackowiak (PIT)
SUMMARY:
The Pirates took Kris Bennson with the first pick overall. Benson was the consensus top draft prospect, but he never realized his vast potnential while wearing the black and gold. If he finally puts it together, it will be in New York. Fifth round pick Tike Redman enters this season as the Bucs' center fielder, but it remains to be seen if he has any real long term value. Rob Mackowiak has gone above and beyond what anyone has any right to expect from a fifty-third round pick.
1997 DRAFT
TOTAL WIN SHARES: 17 (17 for Pirates)
PLAYERS WHO REACHED THE MAJORS:
J.J. Davis (1st Round)
Win Shares: 0 (0 for Pirates)
John Grabow (3rd Round)
Win Shares: 1 (1 for Pirates)
Kory DeHaan (7th Round)
Win Shares: 1 (0 for Pirates)
Sam McConnell (11th Round)
Win Shares: 1 (0 for Pirates)
PLAYERS ACTIVE IN 2004:
J.J. Davis (PIT), John Grabow (PIT), Sam McConnell (ATL)
SUMMARY:
Top pick J.J. Davis's impressive measurables (6'4" 250) never translated into consistent baseball production, and he was shipped to Washington this offseason. Lefty reliever John Grabow will likely be the best player signed from this fraft, but he will need to improve on the 5.11 ERA he posted in 2004. Kory DeHaan and Sam McConnell saw some major league action in other organizations, but they will probably not make much of an impact.
1998 DRAFT
TOTAL WIN SHARES: 9 (9 for Pirates)
PLAYERS WHO REACHED THE MAJORS:
Craig House (15th Round)
Win Shares: 0 (0 for Pirates)
Joe Beimel (18th Round)
Win Shares: 9 (9 for Pirates)
Mike Johnston (20th Round)
Win Shares: 0 (0 for Pirates)
Steve Sparks (28th Round)
Win Shares: 0 (0 for Pirates)
PLAYERS ACTIVE IN 2004:
Joe Beimel (MIN)
SUMMARY:
Another lackluster draft, which is probably more notable for players who switched from hitters to pitchers. First round pick Clint Johnston was primarily a hitter at Vanderbilt, but the Bucs saw more potential in him as a pitcher. He flamed out at Double A. Third round pick Jeremy Harts failed to develop as a hitter so the club tried to get something out of his plus arm. He'll probably start the season at Double AA. Fourth round pick Eddy Furniss couldn't duplicate the success he had at LSU. Local product Joe Beimel (18th Round) made the big club, had limited success, but then fell victim to a numbers game. 20th round pick Mike Johnston has some potential, and could establish himself as a decent lefty bullpen arm. The Bucs take a flyer on three future pitching prospects in the later rounds (Jon Switzer, Wyatt Allen and Trevor Hutchinson), but obviously failed to sign any of them.
1999 DRAFT
TOTAL WIN SHARES: 0 (0 for Pirates)
PLAYERS WHO REACHED THE MAJORS:
J.R. House (5th Round)
Win Shares: 0 (0 for Pirates)
PLAYERS ACTIVE IN 2004:
J.R. House (PIT)
SUMMARY:
The jury is still out on this one. There are a couple of intriguing players in this mix, but most of them seem to have serious question marks. First pick Bobby Bradley's rise through the system was sidetracked first by Tommy John surgery and then shoulder problems. He looked good in limited action last year, but his window is closing -- he will soon be out of options. Second round pick Ryan Doumit and fifth round pick J.R. House have also been slowed by injuries. Doumit has shown flashes of potential and could have a breakthrough season if he can ever stay healthy long enough. Landing House was a coup at the time (he was heavily wooed by West Virginia to play quaterback), but he too was bit by the injury bug. He doesn't appear to be in the team's long-term plans.
Some picks managed to escape the injury bug. Fourth round pick Justin Reid is a marginal prospect, but he could see time in Pittsburgh fairly soon. Landon Jacobson probably won't make much of an impact at the major league level (if he gets there), but he has given pretty good value for a fifieth round pick. 31st round pick Walter Young made some noise, but was cut loose and snatched up by the Orioles. He has intriguing power but is probably only a marginal prospect.
2000 DRAFT
TOTAL WIN SHARES: 4 (2 for Pirates)
PLAYERS WHO REACHED THE MAJORS:
Sean Burnett (1st Round)
Win Shares: 2 (2 for Pirates)
Chris Young (3rd Round)
Win Shares: 2 (0 for Pirates)
Jose Baustista (20th Round)
Win Shares: 0 (0 for Pirates)
Ian Snell (26th Round)
Win Shares: 0 (0 for Pirates)
PLAYERS ACTIVE IN 2004:
Sean Burnett (PIT), Chris Young (TEX), Jose Bautista (PIT, KC, BAL, TB), Ian Snell (PIT)
SUMMARY:
This has the potential to be a good draft, but unfortunately the Bucs won't reap all of the benefits from it. Signing third round pick Chris Young was a huge success at the time. Considered a tough sign, the Pirates gambled that they could sign him and $1.65 million later he was a Buc. Unforuntuately, the Littlefield regime became impatient with Young's initial struggles and shipped him to Montreal for Matt Herges (who was later released before even making an appearance for the Bucs). Young ended up in Texas (after some overtures from the NBA Sacramento Kings) and looks to play a prominent role in their rotation.
20th round pick Jose Bautista also was cut loose by the organization, as he was exposed to the Rule 5 draft last year. After brief stints with three teams, the Bucs reacquired him as part of the Kris Benson deal. He clearly was overmatched at the major league level last year and will likely get another year or two of seasoning in the minors. His ultimate potential remains to be seen.
First round pick Sean Burnett rose quickly through the system. Perhaps too quickly, as elbow problems struck soon after he reached the majors. Burnett looks to be sidelined for at least a year. 26th round pick Ian Snell also pitched for the big club last season. He has put up good numbers starting in the minors, but looks like a better fit in the bullpen. He has the stuff to be a closer or a quality setup man.
25th round pick Nate McLouth was another tough sign that the organization was able to reel in. He could be a good one and will likely get his first taste of the major leagues later this year.
So that's it. In the final installment of this study, I will try and make sense of all of this stuff. See you then.
<__trans phrase="Comments">
Nice work. It's Chris Young, though, and he got those Win Shares for the Rangers.
<__trans phrase="Posted by:"> Charlie | February 20, 2005 5:34 AM
Thanks, charlie. All fixed. Damn brain farts.
<__trans phrase="Posted by:"> trev | February 20, 2005 10:11 AM
clearly the bucs had a lot of bad drafts. I wonder how this stacks up with other organizations over the same time period? I'd be curious to see what organizations have truly been the best at drafting, and also what number of win shares constitutes a successful draft.
<__trans phrase="Posted by:"> jc | February 20, 2005 3:35 PM