Texas Rangers
Best – Ian Kinsler, Seventeenth Round, 2003 – A 17th round selection out of Arizona State, Kinsler worked quickly to the major leagues, winning the 2nd base job out of spring in 2006. He’s hit 195 home runs and stolen 204 bases in his 11 seasons in the big leagues with Texas and now with Detroit.
Worst – Kasey Kiker, First Round, 2006 – Selected 12th overall out of high school, Kiker got a lot of notice when he put up a big season in the Midwest League in 2007, but he stalled out in AA, and he was out of professional baseball after 2011.
Tampa Bay Rays
Best – James Shields, Sixteenth Round, 2000 – Taken late in the draft out of high school, Shields was a lottery ticket, but he followed the step-by-step program that Tampa follows, and he was a vital part of the 2008 Tampa Bay team that made the world series, leading the league in shutouts and throwing 215 innings. He then moved on to anchor the Kansas City Royals for two seasons.
Worst – Dewon Brazelton, First Round, 2001 – A big (6’4, 215) righty out of Middle Tennessee State, the Rays felt they had a rotation anchor picking Brazelton #3 overall. He responded by working his way to the big leagues quickly, making a September appearance in 2002. The problem was that major league hitters just never swung through anything he offered, and Brazelton ended up being traded before 2006, and he was part of 3 organizations in the next 2 seasons before being out of pro baseball altogether at age 27.
Boston Red Sox
Best – Dustin Pedroia, Second Round, 2004 – Selected out of Arizona State, Pedroia was quickly in the big leagues, starting full time in 2007. Pedroia has been an anchor in the Red Sox lineup ever since, winning a Rookie Of The Year award, Most Valuable Player award, and being selected to four All Star games.
Worst – Phil Dumatrait, First Round, 2000 – One of the more intriguing things is that the Red Sox really don’t have any guys who never made the majors in their drafts, so a guy like Dumatrait who never really made it as a major leaguer is the biggest miss the team had, though the Red Sox traded away Dumatrait in 2003 in a deal to shore up their bullpen.
Cincinnati Reds
Best – Joey Votto, Second Round, 2002 – Drafted out of high school, Votto took his time working to the major leagues, but once he hit the major leagues, he was immediately an elite hitter, and he’s been the cornerstone of the Reds lineup when he’s been healthy ever since.
Worst – Ryan Wagner, First Round, 2003 – Drafted 14th overall, Wagner was supposed to impact immediately, and he did that with a solid 2003 with the Reds, but he was never good after that. Wagner’s frequently cited now as a cautionary tale as to why not to take relievers in the first round.
Colorado Rockies
Best – Troy Tulowitzki, First Round, 2005 – Taken 7th overall out of Long Beach State, Tulo made it quickly to the majors, making his debut in 2006. He was tremendous immediately as the Rockies starting shortstop and was their franchise cornerstone until being traded last season to Toronto.
Worst – Greg Reynolds, First Round, 2006 – Drafted 2nd overall out of Stanford, Reynolds was expected to move quickly to the major leagues as a big (6’7, 225) righty, but he injured his shoulder in 2007 and was never the same pitcher after that, and he totaled a 7.01 ERA in 33 major league appearances.
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