The Ones That Got Away: American League East

With the draft days away I decided this would be as good of time as ever to revisit players drafted by a team who they didn’t sign with. Mostly to play the “What if …” game. This series will include active players only and will focus on unsigned players, although a few mentions of players signed then quickly traded or released will be scattered. And no, the intent is not to slam a team for not signing a player or question their process. Obviously not every pick is made with the same intentions in mind, particularly those in the latter rounds.

Baltimore

Best positional player: Michael Young (1994: Round 25, Pick 699) did not sign out of high school and instead attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. Three years later the Toronto Blue Jays would draft him in the fifth round, where he would spend three seasons until being traded to the Texas Rangers for Esteban Loaiza.

Best pitcher: Cliff Lee (1998: Round 20, Pick 609) also did not sign and went to the University of Arkansas. Lee raised his stock enough to be a fourth round selection in 2000 by the Montreal Expos. He would later be traded to the Indians alongside Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore, and Lee Stevens for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew.

Honorable mention: Jayson Werth (1997: Round 1, Pick 22) who actually signed with Baltimore. Three and a half years later they traded him to Toronto for John Bale.

Boston

Best positional player: Mark Teixeira (1998: Round 9, Pick 265) this was, of course, before Teixeira went to Georgia Tech and eventually became the best college hitter in the 2001 draft. The two sides weren’t far apart in talks, yet at the end of the day Boston let him walk, only to try and woo him in free agency during the winter of 2008. (History sort of repeated itself when the Red Sox failed to sign Pedro Alvarez years later. Bryan Smith even notes that the international scouting director attempted to give the amateur department his money to sign Alvarez, but ownership disallowed the move.)

Best pitcher: Aaron Harang (1996: Round 22, Pick 661) if Harang plays another three-to-four years, he should surpass Buddy Black as the San Diego State University pitcher with the most innings thrown in the major leagues.

Honorable mention: Pat Burrell (1995: Round 43, Pick 1,194) again, before Burrell went to the University of Miami and before being the top pick.

New York

Best positional player: Casey Blake (1995: Round 45, Pick 1,259) is from Wichita State. That’s about the only interesting factoid about his drafting here.

Best pitcher: Brian Tallet (1997: Round 13, Pick 409) Tallet would later be selected by the Indians in the 2000 draft and in 2006 they would trade him to the Blue Jays for a minor leaguer named Bubbie Buzachero. That is a real name. That person actually exists. (Mark Prior should also get a mention here, he’s just not entirely active.)

Honorable mention: Brad Ausmus (1987: Round 48, Pick 1,152)

Tampa Bay

Best positional player: Jacoby Ellsbury (2002: Round 23, Pick 674) most notable because that is the same year and round that Bubbie Buzachero was drafted.

Best pitcher: David Bush (2001: Round 4, Pick 109)

Honorable mention: Mike Pelfrey (2002: Round 15, Pick 434)

Toronto

Best positional player: Brad Hawpe (1997: Round 46, Pick 1,344) the catch here is that Hawpe was actually drafted as a left-handed pitcher.

Best pitcher: Chad Qualls (1997: Round 52, Pick 1,444)

Honorable mention: Ryan Franklin (1991: Round 25, Pick 666) besides the fact that Franklin went everywhere Pat Gillick went – Toronto, Seattle, and later Philadelphia – the pick number earns him a spot here.