This is the second part of a two-part series on the 1996 draft (you can read part one here). This part will look at some of the more notable players taken in the later rounds, as well as any other interesting transactions.
Jimmy Rollins: drafted by the Phillies in the second round. Three time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, 2007 NL MVP, and proud owner of a World Series ring, it’s safe to say that the cousin of Tony TarascTony Tarasco’s cousin has done all right for himself. With career 30.3 rWAR and 36.7 fWAR, though, he isn’t the most valuable player of this draft class. That would be…
…Roy Oswalt: sometimes there is such thing as a pitching prospect. Selected with the 684th overall pick in the 23rd round by the Houston Astros, Oswalt has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the past ten seasons, amassing a career 3.18 ERA, 3.34 FIP, 3.77 tERA, 44.6 rWAR and 47.6 fWAR over 2,015 innings pitched. He spent nine seasons as the ace of the Astros’ rotation, helping lead them to the 2005 World Series and the 2004 NLCS. The Astros haven’t had a postseason appearance in the past six years, and in attempt to shed some payroll and begin a long-overdue rebuilding process, dealt Oswalt at the deadline last year. Oswalt went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA with the Phillies last year, and though he struggled a bit in the NLDS against the Reds, he surrendered just four runs in 14 innings against the Giants in the NLCS. The 33 year-old Oswalt is currently a member of one of the most fearsome, and oldest, rotations in baseball, along with Roy Halladay (33), Cliff Lee (32), and Cole Hamels (27).
Travis Hafner: selected by the Texas Rangers in the 31st round, Hafner played one season with the Rangers, batting an unimpressive .242/.329/.387/.716 in 70 plate appearances. The Rangers traded him to Cleveland for Einar Diaz and Ryan Drese after the 2002 season. Hafner, of course, became one of the best hitters in the league in Cleveland, at least for a couple of seasons. Pronk posted an OPS+ of at least 160 for three straight seasons from 2004 through 2007, leading the league twice, in 2004 (162) and 2006 (181). The Indians rewarded him with a four year, $57 million deal during the 2007 season, and, in keeping with the run of rotten luck Cleveland has suffered since 1947, he promptly got hurt. Hafner missed most of 2008 after having surgery on his right shoulder, and missed chunks of the 2009 and 2010 seasons when his shoulder began acting up again.
Pronk has posted an OPS+ of 120 in 2009 and 131 in 2010, so he is still a very dangerous hitter whenever he is healthy. Unfortunately, he isn’t healthy very much these days. He hasn’t made more than 500 plate appearances in one season since 2007. Hopefully, he will be healthy enough for the rebuilding Indians to unload him and the $26 million remaining on his contract at the deadline this year.
There are a few other members of the ’96 class who are still active in the majors. Ted Lilly was selected in the 23rd round by the Dodgers, and recently agreed to a 3-year, $33 million deal with the team that originally drafted him. Brad Penny, who recently signed with the Tigers, was taken in the fifth round by the Diamondbacks. Chad Durbin, Kevin Gregg, and Dan Wheeler round out a bullpen worth of 1996 draft picks, selected in the 3rd, 15th, and 34th rounds, respectively (Mike Lincoln was drafted in ’96 as well, but at 35 and with a 7.32 ERA last season, I’m not optimistic that he will find work). Kyle Lohse was drafted by the Cubs in the 29th round, then traded to the Twins for Rick Aguilera and Scott Downs a few years later. Doug Davis, selected in the 10th round by the Rangers, is still technically active, but after a dismal 2010, his chances of catching on with another team are pretty slim. The oft-injured but immensely talented Justin Duchscherer, drafted out of high school by the Red Sox in the 8th round, recently agreed to a minor-league deal with the Orioles.
Mark DeRosa, drafted by the Braves in the 7th round, has been an 11 WAR player since his major league debut in 1998. Casey Blake, selected by the Blue Jays in the seventh round, has racked up more than 20 WAR between five different teams over twelve seasons in the majors. Former second-round pick Milton Bradley* has had his problems over the seasons, but he’s still been worth about 18 WAR. You could make a decent bench out of the remaining active position players: Marcus Thames (30th round by the Yankees, 4.8 rWAR), Jamey Carroll (14th round by the Expos, 13.7 rWAR), Nick Johnson (3rd round, Yankees, 14.5 rWAR), and Joe Crede (5th round by the White Sox, 12.2 rWAR), who recently signed a minor league deal with the Rockies after missing most of 2009 and all of the 2010 season with back problems.
*Other notable trouble makers from this draft class include Jeremy Giambi and Shawn Chacon. Giambi has been busted for substances of both the performance-enhancing and, um, not-so performance-enhancing variety. Chacon got into a little dustup with Astros GM Ed Wade, got released, filed a grievance in an unsuccessful attempt to recover some of his lost salary, and hasn’t been heard from since.
And then there were the trades:
Denny Stark: drafted out of the University of Toledo in the fourth round by the Seattle Mariners, Stark is mostly notable for being part of the Jeff Cirillo trade. The Mariners shipped him, along with starter Jose Paniagua and pitching prospect Brian Fuentes, to the Rockies for the then 31 year-old infielder. Cirillo was barely above replacement-level during his two seasons with the M’s, but they did manage to dump him off on the Padres for a bunch of aging and declining veterans prior to the 2004 season. Stark spent three seasons with the Rockies and put up an ERA of 5.45, but Brian Fuentes turned out to be a pretty good pickup.
Peter Bergeron: also drafted in the fourth round, but by the Dodgers, Bergeron was later traded with pitching prospect Ted Lilly to the Expos for Hiram Bocachica, Mark Grudzielanek and Carlos Perez.
John Bale: taken in the fifth round by the Blue Jays, Bale was traded twice for players who turned out to be much more famous than he ever was: Jayson Werth (in 2000) and Gary Matthews, jr (in 2002). Bale spent seven seasons as a reliever for the Blue Jays, Orioles, Reds, and Royals, finishing his career with a 4.66 ERA, 4.02 FIP, and 1.97 K/BB.
Zach Day: drafted in the fifth round by the Yankees, Day and his fellow ’96 draft classmate Jake Westbrook, were later traded to the Indians for David Justice in June of 2000. Day never actually pitched for the Indians, however, as he was traded to the Expos for Milton Bradley barely a year later.
Paul Rigdon: drafted in the sixth round by the Indians, Rigdon was traded to the Brewers along with Kane Davis, Richie Sexon and a player to be named later for Jason Bere, Steve Woodward, and Bob Wickman. The PBTNL was some guy named Marco Scutaro.
Chad Moeller: taken in the seventh round, Moeller would later be part of a blockbuster deal that sent Craig Counsell, Lyle Overbay, Chris Capuano, Jorge de la Rosa and Junior Spivey to the Brewers, and Richie Sexson and Shane Nance to the Diamondbacks.
Jason Middlebrook: drafted in the ninth round by the Padres, Middlebrook was traded to the Mets in July of 2002 for Jason Bay and Bobby Jones.
Mike Bacsik: taken in the 18th round by the Indians, the son of the original Mike Bacsik was later traded to the Mets as part of the Roberto Alomar deal. The Indians got Alex Escobar, Matt Lawton, Jerrod Rigan, Earl Snyder, and Billy Traber out of the deal, while the Mets got Bacsik, Alomar, and former first-round pick Danny Peoples.
Kiko Calero: drafted in the 27th round, the former reliever was later part of the trade that sent Mark Mulder to the Cardinals. The Athletics, of course, also got Dan Haren and Daric Barton out of the deal.
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