When the Kansas City Royals spent the 17th overall pick on TCU left-hander, Brandon Finnegan, there were many mixed opinions. Since he is just 5’11” tall many saw him as a pure reliever, including myself, which is a high pick to spend on a guy who may never be more than an eighth inning guy. There were guys with much more upside still on the board like Bradley Zimmer, Grant Holmes, Justus Sheffield, Jake Gatewood, and more.
If Finnegan was over 6’ and hadn’t had shoulder trouble in college, many felt he was a top ten pick, but even falling to 17 it was hard to know what to make of him. Was he the type of guy who could be a mid-rotation starter, or will he be relegated to the bullpen? Can he stay healthy across a full big league schedule?
Even if the guys that went after Finnegan go on to be stars, and Finnegan spends the rest of his career with injury issues, the Royals may have already gotten their return on the pick.
Only about 2/3 of all first round picks ever even make it to the big leagues, and almost none make it in the same season they are drafted, but that is exactly what Finnegan did, even if it was as a bullpen arm. Finnegan made 13 appearances in the minor leagues this season, five as a starter and eight in relief, before getting the call up to the big leagues down the stretch.
Finnegan pitched seven innings in seven outings out of the pen, allowing a single run and striking out ten in September. Then, in one of the more entertaining games you will ever see, Finnegan pitched 2.1 innings against the Oakland Athletics in a playoff game. He did allow a run, but kept the Royals in the game which they eventually won in the bottom of the 12th to advance to the ALDS.
Time will still tell what Finnegan becomes and whether or not he will ever transition into the rotation, but a guy that pitches clutch innings in “October” in the same year he is drafted, well, that is a guy you can never consider a bust.