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.
1. Kansas City Royals
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If drafted by the Royals, Kansas City might have looked a lot more like the current Dodgers do. Current Dodgers teammates Kershaw and Zack Greinke may have been a one-two-combination in Kansas City rather than in Los Angeles. Greinke was originally drafted sixth overall in the 2002 amateur draft, ultimately making his first MLB appearance in 2004, before departing in 2011 to the Milwaukee Brewers.
The playoff drought that ended in 2014 for the Royals could have ended a lot earlier with those two at the top of the rotation. Instead of drafting Kershaw, the Royals took Luke Hochevar first overall. It was not the right choice, as Hochevar has only 128 games started and a career ERA over 5.00.
At the time of the draft, Greinke was well on his way to being the ace of the Royals’ rotation. But the club still elected to draft a pitcher instead of a position player, so it’s a wonder why their scouting department saw more potential in Hochevar than they did in Kershaw. Hochevar sat out all of 2014 after Tommy John surgery and has a lifetime WAR of 2.5 compared to Kershaw, whose worst full season WAR measures at 4.7.
2. Colorado Rockies
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Maybe the most interesting scenario for Kershaw would have been if he was drafted second overall by the Rockies. Imagine the best pitcher in baseball forced to take the mound for half of his season’s starts at Coors Field. Would he still put up great numbers? Would he get so frustrated that it would affect his game? Would he end up in a trade once able to demand such?
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Whatever the outcome, evidence suggests Kershaw wouldn’t be the man we know him as now. In 15 lifetime starts in Denver, his ERA is 4.58 — over two full points higher than his overall career ERA. Aside from at Dodger Stadium, he has not given up more home runs (12) or bases on balls (29) than he has at Coors Field in his career.
Rather than drafting Kershaw, the Rockies selected pitcher Greg Reynolds who only pitched in 33 big league games. In 2006, the Rockies’ best starting pitcher was Jason Jennings, who was not exactly a household name. The lineup was fairly stable with names like Matt Holliday, Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe and Todd Helton being regular contributors. But much like the Royals, it’s a wonder why their scouting department failed them and gave higher grades to Reynolds than they did Kershaw.
3. Tampa Bay Rays
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
One team who can argue they didn’t miss out too badly on Kershaw is the Rays. They selected third baseman Evan Longoria third overall with their first round pick and should have few regrets.
Although Longoria isn’t at the same level of dominance as Kershaw is, he became a franchise player they were able to build around. Longoria was also pivotal in getting the Rays to the World Series in 2008 during his rookie season, winning AL ROY that same year.
Since drafting Kershaw, the Dodgers haven’t made it beyond the NLCS. The most interesting thing with Kershaw on the Rays would have been potentially pitching in the same rotation as David Price. However, Price was selected first overall in the draft after Kershaw, so the Rays obviously had a much bigger need to develop a position player in 2006 with pitchers like James Shields and Scott Kazmir already contributing at the major league level that year.
4. Pittsburgh Pirates
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Pirates also passed on Kershaw. With them, Kershaw could have given the club its first Cy Young award winner since Doug Drabek claimed such fame in 1990.
Instead, the Pirates drafted yet another pitcher taken before Kershaw in 2006. RHP Brad Lincoln appeared in 22 games for the Pirates from 2010-12. He did nothing special, starting 10 games and bringing down the club with a 4.78 ERA. The Pirates traded him to the Blue Jays halfway through the 2012 season and he now will begin a second stint with the Pirates after signing a minor league contract with the team in November of 2014.
In 2006, the Pirates had a pretty detestable rotation. It was headlined by Zach Duke (10-15, 4.47) and Ian Snell (14-10, 4.74). The entire rotation’s ERA ranked 21st in all of MLB by the end of the season, so missing out on Kershaw and drafting a bust like Lincoln was a substantial setback for the organization.
In fact, the only starting pitcher to be named an All-Star as a Pirate who was drafted and developed by their organization since the 2006 MLB draft was Duke, who in 2009 played in the Midsummer Classic. It’s tough to be able to tell why why, though. His first half equated to an 8-8 record with a 3.29 ERA before eventually imploding in the second half and going onto lead the NL in losses with 16.
5. Seattle Mariners
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As a member of the Mariners, Kershaw would have been teammates with Felix Hernandez. King Felix was signed as an amateur free agent in 2002. But in 2006, he wasn’t anything special yet, posting a 12-14 record with a 4.52 ERA in 31 starts. Worse yet, as a 20-year old player with Seattle, Hernandez was their best starter. No one who pitched in the M’s rotation logged more innings (191) had more wins, a lower WHIP (1.33) or a higher WAR (1.3) than he did.
There would have been no debate as to which team in baseball had the best rotation with those two pitching together. Like the Pirates who passed on Kershaw for Lincoln, the Mariners too selected a pitcher, Brandon Morrow, ahead of Kershaw.
Morrow reached the big leagues a year earlier than Kershaw did in 2007. Hidden is the fact Morrow debuted as a 22-year old who played NCAA baseball with the University of California in Berkeley before playing for the Mariners. He didn’t impress much, never being able to find a niche as a starter. From 2007-09 as a Mariner, Morrow appeared in 131 games (15 GS) while collecting 13 saves and a 3.96 ERA.
In the 2009 offseason, the Mariners traded Morrow to the Toronto Blue Jays. He was injured for much of his time there, but compiled his finest season as a pro when in 2012 he went 10-7 with a 2.96 ERA in 21 starts. He spent over 10 weeks that season on the 60-day DL with a strained left oblique muscle. In 2015, Morrow will suit up with the San Diego Padres.
6. Detroit Tigers
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The final team to pass on Kershaw was the Detroit Tigers. They took — yes, not only another pitcher, but a LHP — Andrew Miller with their first overall pick in the draft and probably don’t like to talk about missing out on the better choice taken immediately thereafter.
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A world with Kershaw being on the Tigers would be a very different one. He might have joined Justin Verlander there during his dominant years. Also, interestingly enough is that one of the better pitchers taken in the same draft aside from Kershaw was Scherzer who was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks 11th overall. Scherzer, of course, won a Cy Young in 2013 with Detroit after landing there via a 2009 trade.
Miller, meanwhile, is yet to be named to an All-Star roster. He played for four different teams, mostly as a reliever, before Kershaw won his third Cy Young and first MVP in 2014.
Miller was fortunate to land a four-year $36 million contract with the Yankees recently. He has been a strong bullpen arm for the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles since 2012, although I’m sure if those two teams and the Yankees could choose between Miller and Kershaw for the long-term, all would prefer that No. 22 suits up for them.