New York Mets: Hubie Brooks incredible draft history

Hubie Brooks has quite an interesting draft history, being drafted six times before signing with the New York Mets.

Just being selected in the MLB Draft at all is an honor that most of us cannot understand. Even for those players taken in the later rounds that do not sign, it is still worthwhile knowing that a team was interested in your services, even if temporarily. For former New York Mets infielder Hubie Brooks, it is an honor he came to know many times.

Brooks was originally drafted in the 19th round of the 1974 MLB Draft by the Expos. Being a later round pick, and a highly recruited player out of high school, Brooks passed on the opportunity, heading to Mesa Community College before going to Arizona State. That is where his draft history gets interesting.

Back then, there were two drafts, one in June and another in January. Brooks was drafted again, this time with the fifth overall pick by the Royals, in the 1976 January secondary draft. After he didn’t sign, Brooks was drafted again, 14th overall in the 1976 June draft by the White Sox, but again did not sign. Then, in January 1977, the A’s drafted him with the second overall pick. Once again, Brooks did not sign. The White Sox drafted him again in the 1977 June draft, this time with the third overall pick, but were unable to sign him to a deal.

Finally, the Mets drafted Brooks with the third overall pick in the 1978 Draft in June, and were actually able to procure his services. It did not take long for Brooks to reach the majors, as he made his debut as a September callup in 1980, spending the following four seasons with the team.

While Brooks was a solid player in New York, his greatest contribution may have come in his departure. He was a part of the package sent to the Expos for Gary Carter, who became one of the leaders of the Mets 1986 World Series team. The Expos were not the only other team that drafted Brooks to eventually acquire his services – he also a year and a half with the Royals at the end of his career.

Overall, Brooks was a relatively solid player. He was a two time All Star, and earned two Silver Slugger awards at short during his time in Montreal. Out of a solid 1978 draft class, Brooks had the second most plate appearances of anyone selected in the first round. In that time, he produced a .269/.315/.403 batting line, hitting 149 homers and 290 doubles. While he was not great defensively, Brooks spent time as a starter at third, short, and right in his career.

Hubie Brooks was a solid major leaguer, but it is his draft history that truly makes him unique. For the New York Mets, he ended up being a chip they needed to acquire the missing link in their World Series winning squad.