Jeff Clement, C, Seattle Mariners, -1.2 bWAR
A big bat even in high school, the Twins drafted Clement in the 12th round out of high school in Iowa, but instead he chose to go to college at USC, where he smashed the ball from the left side of the plate, earning a first round selection by the Mariners in 2005.
Clement made a big impression his draft season, working up to low-A, hitting .315/.387/.508 with 6 home runs in 142 plate appearances. He then went to the Arizona Fall League against the best prospects in the game, where he slashed .269/.347/.478, holding his own and showing his prodigious power. Baseball America took notice, ranking Clement the #33 overall prospect in the game before the 2006 season.
His first full season in the minor leagues was one of mixed reviews. Clement showed good ability to handle the catcher position, but that big power was nowhere to be found, as he slugged just .382 in 342 plate appearances between AA/AAA. He was still rated the #62 prospect by BA and #59 prospect by Baseball Prospectus.
The power showed back up in 2007 in Tacoma, earning a promotion to the major leagues, where Clement showed very well. After 20 minor league home runs (and only 88 strikeouts in 530 plate appearances with that power) along with a .375/.474/.813 line in his 19 plate appearance audition in Seattle, he was viewed quite highly, ranking as the #42 prospect by BA and #33 prospect by BP.
Clement split 2008 between AAA and the major leagues, pounding the ball in AAA, but unable to translate that success to the major leagues, and in an era where things like framing weren’t highly valued, Clement’s struggles with base runners became a major issue behind the plate.
In 2009, the Mariners were moving him to first base in the minor leagues before trading Clement to the Pirates along with 4 prospects for Ian Snell and Jack Wilson. He bounced between the majors and minors with the Pirates over the next three seasons, and finished his career with a season in the Minnesota Twins minor league system in 2013.