Erin’s column normally runs on Wednesdays, but with the transitions and the technical snafus that came with it, it will run today instead. Just this once.
With the recent retirement of two of the top picks of the 1996 draft, Kris Benson and Gil Meche, I thought it might be fun to look back at that draft class. This post ended up being so long that I though it best to break it up into two parts: part one will look at the rest of the first round picks and how they fared in the major leagues; part two will examine the steals of the later rounds, as well as some notable trades. Prepare to read more than you probably ever cared to about the 1996 draft.
I already discussed Meche and Benson’s careers in greater detail last week, so I’m not going to do it here. Here is a brief glimpse at the rest of the first-rounders, though:
Travis Lee: Drafted with the second overall pick by the Minnesota Twins, his agent Scott Boras discovered an obscure rule that allowed him to become a free agent. The front office didn’t tender him a cnontract within 15 days of the end of the draft, and thus he was allowed to become a free agent. He signed a lucrative, $10 million deal with the Diamondbacks in October of that year, far more money than he would have ever received from the Twins. It is hard to blame Boras or his client for trying to get paid; after all, there is certainly no guarantee a prospect will reach the major leagues, and his signing bonus might be the difference between living comfortably or in poverty once he is out of baseball. Lee never really panned out, batting .256/.307/.408/.745 over nine seasons as an OF/1B, and was later traded to the Phillies for Curt Schilling.
Braden Looper: drafted by the Saint Louis Cardinals with the third overall pick, Looper enjoyed a pretty replacement-level career as both a starter and a reliever for twelve seasons. He made his major-league debut on May 31, 1998, pitching a clean ninth in a blowout against the Dodgers. He was traded to the Marlins with Armando Almanza and Pablo Ozuna to the Florida Marlins for Edgar Renteria. Looper bounced around between four different teams during his career, winning two World Series rings (with the 2003 Marlins and 2006 Cardinals), and posting a career 4.15 ERA, 5.8 rWAR and 5.9 fWAR.
Billy Koch: drafted by the Blue Jays with the fourth overall pick, Koch was a decent reliever for six seasons. He has a career 3.89 ERA and pitched for the Blue Jays, Athletics, White Sox and Marlins. He is perhaps most famous for showing up during a Jays-Rays game in 2005, shortly after the Jays had released him, and heckling his former team.
John Patterson: Patterson was initially drafted by the Expos, but his agent Scott Boras discovered a loophole that allowed the former All_american to become a free agent: his contract offer was not printed on official team letterhead. Major league baseball decided the contract was null and void, and Patterson was free to sign with whatever team he chose. He later signed with the Diamondbacks for the princely (even by today’s standards) sum of $6.075 million, and made his major league debut in 2002. Patterson displayed flashes of talent early in his career, but was sidelined by a forearm injury in 2006. He had surgery on the arm, but never really recovered from the injury. Patterson officially retired in 2009, finishing his career with a 4.32 ERA.
Seth Greisinger: TINSTAPP! Greisinger is yet another highly-touted pitching prospect from the ’96 draft whose career was derailed by injuries. Drafted out of the University of Virginia sixth overall by the Tigers, he advanced quickly through the minor league system. He made his major league debut as a starter in 1998, and finished the season with a 5.12 ERA and 66/48 K/BB ratio. Unfortunately, Greisinger suffered a torn elbow ligament and missed all of 1999 after having Tommy John surgery. He suffered numerous setbacks during rehab and didn’t make another major-league appearance until 2002, posting a 6.21 ERA and walking nearly as many batters as he struck out. After two more disappointing seasons in the major leagues with the Twins and the Braves in 2004 and 2005, respectively, Greisinger signed with the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization. Griesinger enjoyed a career renaissance overseas, going 6-6 with a 3.93 ERA in his first season with the Tigers. His success earned him a deal with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, where he posted a 3.48 ERA. He signed with the Yomiuri Giants after the 2007 season, and continued to pitch well until he suffered more elbow problems in 2009.
Mark Kotsay: The 1B/OF and former White Sox DH was drafted ninth overall by the Marlins. Kotsay has enjoyed a relatively successful major league career, with a career .279/.335/.411/.746 line, 18.4 rWAR and 25.1 fWAR over fourteen seasons. He was traded to the Padres in 2001, and actually fared well Petco Park, which is a notorious hitters’ park. Kotsay displayed some power in San Diego, with ISOs of .150 and .159 in his first two seasons. Kotsay has a reputation as a great defender (something the numbers bear out), but his best years at the plate were probably 2001-2005, when he had an OPS+ of at least 116 three times. At 35, Kotsay is still a solid bench player, with above-average defense and the ability to hit right-handed pitching.
Eric Chavez: selected tenth overall by the Oakland Athletics, Chavez probably could have been a superstar were it not for his back problems. He was anjoying an All-Star level career until he was sidelined with a slew of back and shoulder injuries in 2008. He made his major league debut in 1998 and never looked back, slugging .444 as a 20 year-old. He’s also a fantastic defender at third base, with a career 28.6 UZR and six Gold Gloves. Chavez has struggled with injuries over the past four seasons and hasn’t posted an OPS+ above 85 since 2007. The A’s have declined to pick up his option for 2011, and he is currently a free agent. If this is indeed the end for the former third baseman, he will finish his career with a .267/.343/.478/.821 line, 35.8 rWAR and 32.0 fWAR.
Adam Eaton: selected 11th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies, Eaton posted a career 4.94 ERA and 4.76 FIP over ten seasons. He was traded to the Padres in 1999, then was traded to Texas for Adrian Gonzalez in 2006. I think San Diego got the better end of that deal.
Bobby Seay: 1996: the year that Scott Boras outsmarted draft. Seay was another client granted free agency by the obscure 4-3 rule, costing the White Sox their 12th overall pick. Seay got a nice $3 million bonus when he signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, while Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf got mad and got to work, successfully lobbying his buddy Bud Selig to close this loophole. Seay has spent the past eight seasons as a serviceable middle reliever, with a career 4.16 ERA, 3.61 FIP, 2.11 K/BB, 2.2 rWAR and 3.0 fWAR.
Dee Brown: outfielder Dee Brown was selected 14th overall by the Kansas City Royals. He batted .233/.280/.333/.613 over eight seasons with the Royals and A’s, and is currently playing in Japan for the Seibu Lions.
Joe Lawrence: selected 16th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays, Lawrence played all of 55 games in the major leagues.
R. A. Dickey: drafted as a traditional starting pitcher by the Texas Rangers with the 18th overall pick, Dickey struggled to maintain any success in the major leagues, and decided to try to become a knuckleballer. The learning curve for the knuckleball is much steeper than any other pitch, and most knuckleballers don’t reach their primes until well into their thirties. After five years, Dickey appears to be figuring it out, posting a 2.84 ERA and 3.85 FIP with the Mets last year.
Fun Fact: R. A. Dickey was born without an ulnar collateral ligment in his pitching arm.
Mark Johnson: drafted 19th overall by the Houston Astros, Johnson pitched one season in the major leagues; for the Detroit Tigers in 2000. Fun Fact: Johnson was part of the trade that sent Mike Lowell to the Marlins.
Eric Milton: selected with the 20th overall pick by the Yankees, Milton was traded to the Twins along with Brian Buchanan, Christian Guzman, and Danny Mota for Chuck Knoblauch. Milton went on to pitch for eleven seasons in the major leagues, finishing his career with a 4.99 ERA, 4.78 FIP, and 2.49 K/BB ratio. He also threw the fifth no-hitter in Twins history against the Angels on September 11, 1999.
Jake Westbrook: drafted by the Rockies with the 21st overall pick, Westbrook was traded twice before he even reached the majors. He Westbrook made his major league debut with the Yankees (who acquired him, along with Ted Lilly and Christian Parker, from the Expos for Hideki Irabu) in 2000. He was traded again after the season, this time to the Indians for David Justice. He, along with teammates C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, would form one of the most formidable rotations in baseball. The 2007 Indians advanced all the way to the ALCS, before losing to the eventual-world-champion Red Sox in seven games. Unfortunately, Westbrook was sidelined with Tommy John surgery in 2008, and along with injuries to Carmona, Travis Hafner, and Grady Sizemore, the Indians’ window of contention has closed for the time being. He mounted a successful comeback in 2010, posting a 4.22 ERA and 1.88 K/BB ratio, and saw a drastic improvement in his numbers after he got traded to the Cardinals at the deadline. Westbrook, with a career 4.29 ERA and 4.17 FIP, recently agreed to a 2-year, $17.5 million deal with the Cardinals.
Damian Rolls: selected by the Dodgers with the 23rd overall pick, Rolls spent five seasons with the Devil Rays. He batted .248/.291/.337/.628 between 2000 and 2004, and was released following the 2004 season.
Sam Marsonek: Marsonek was selected with the 24th overall pick by the Texas Rangers, and made just one appearance in the major leagues: a scoreless 1.1 innings in relief for the Yankees on July 11, 2004.
Nick Bierbrodt: selected by the Diamondbacks with the 30th overall pick, Bierbrodt never managed to find much success in the major leagues. In 2002, he was shot in the arm and the chest while waiting at a drive-thru a fast food restaurant and missed the entire season. Bierbrodt pitched for three seasons with a career 6.66 ERA and 6.18 FIP for the Diamondbacks, Devil Rays and Rangers.
Corey Lee: selected with the 32nd overall pick by the Texas Rangers, Lee made just one appearance in the major leagues, giving up two runs on three hits.
Chris Reitsma: drafted by the Red Sox with the 34th overall pick, Reitsma was traded to the Reds for Dante Bichette in August of 2001. Reitsma made his major league debut in 2001, and pitched for seven seasons, racking up a career 4.70 ERA and 4.37 FIP as both a starter and a reliever. Like so many of the pitchers on this list, Reitsma’s career was derailed by a string of arm injuries. He’s battled ulnar neuritis, undergone five elbow surgeries, and spent the bulk of his final season in the majors on the disabled list. The Mariners gave him another shot, signing him to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training prior to the 2008 season, but Reitsma never pitched in the majors again.
Jason Marquis: selected with the 35th overall pick by the Atlanta Braves, Marquis has pitched for eleven seasons. He might not have the greatest stuff, whiffing just 5.32 batters per nine innings, but he gets a lot of ground balls (1.85 GB/FB rate) and is durable. The Nationals felt these skills were valuable enough to hand him a two-year, $15 million contract after the 2009 season (which was, incidentally, the best season of his career). Fun Fact: Marquis was traded, along with Ray King and Adam Wainwright, to the Cardinals for J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero in 2003.