6 Teams That Regretfully Passed on Clayton Kershaw in 2006 MLB Draft

Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

The uniform Clayton Kershaw wears could have been a different one. In the 2006 MLB Amateur Draft, he wasn’t the most coveted player available and several teams passed on him. Kershaw eventually was selected 7th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers and set out to begin his tour of duty in the minor leagues. By 2008, he was on the big league roster following a quick, dominant run through the farm system.

The six teams that passed on “The Claw” were the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, and Detroit Tigers. On any of these six teams, the balance of power could have drastically shifted, or in one case, possibly never existed in the first place.

Hindsight is easy once you know the player Kershaw became. It’s a wonder six teams passed on him in 2006. Even more so when one considers five of the six chose pitcher’s, with one of them also being a southpaw. Pitcher’s Max Scherzer, Tim Lincecum and Ian Kennedy were all drafted after Kershaw and all have had more successful MLB careers than any of the five pitchers taken before him. This example is a true testament to an organizations ability to both identify and develop talent, or ability to neglect those necessities.

In some alternative universe out there, he never pitches for the Dodgers and one of these six teams are thankful for the decision they made in the 2006 MLB Draft.