1998 Draft Review

I did a ten-year review of the 1997 draft last year (in a slightly different format), and it was quite enlightening. My personal opinion is that you need to wait at least ten years before you really find out how successful a draft was, so as the ten-year anniversary of the 1998 draft approaches, we will find out quite a bit about that draft. I will be highlighting the successful picks of each round – the players who reached the major leagues and stuck there; In addition, I will only be listing players who actually signed with the team they got drafted by.

First Round
Pat Burrell - As much as Phillies fans hate to admit it, the first overall pick in 1998 was a success. Though Pat Burrell hasn’t performed at the superstar level, he has been a very consistent and disciplined hitter through the years. (Phillies)

Mark Mulder – This pick was a huge success for the A’s – Mulder dominated for the team for five years before being sent off to the Cardinals in exchange for Dan Haren, Kiko Calero, and Daric Barton. Since then, Haren turned into an ace, Calero was a solid middle reliever, and Barton became an excellent prospect. Meanwhile, Mulder has succumbed to injuries. Hopefully for the Cardinals, he can get healthy again. (A’s)

Corey Patterson – Whether or not he is a good player or not, the facts are that he has stuck at the major league level, and according to my rules, that’s a success. (Cubs)

J.D. Drew – Love him or hate him, he is a very good major league hitter, he has played at a high level for many years, and he was by all means a successful draft pick. (Cardinals)

Austin Kearns – He has yet to break out despite years of forecasted breakouts, but he has contributed for several seasons at the major league level. (Reds)

Felipe Lopez – Along with Kearns, he has also never really broken out in the way that scouts predicted, but he has managed to hold his own at the major league level. (Blue Jays)

Carlos Pena – A year ago, I would have been much more iffy on saying that Pena really stuck at the major league level, but I think that at this point it’s safe to say that he’ll probably be able to at least hang around. (Rangers)

Adam Everett – As bad as he may be of a hitter, he makes up for it with his spectacular glove. (Red Sox)

Jeff Weaver – Terrible pitcher he may be, but he has hung around in the majors and probably will continue to do so. (Tigers)

Kip Wells – Despite his struggles the past few seasons, it remains a good likelihood that he will continue to hang around in the majors in a similar fashion. (White Sox)

Brad Lidge – A hugely successful pick, considering how dominant of a closer he had been up until Pujols attempted to destroy his career. There remains a good likelihood that he can recover his career with his new team, the Phillies. (Astros)

C.C. Sabathia – Only recently did he break out, but he has broken out in a huge way, taking Cy Young honors in 2007. Expect him to go after a huge contract sometime soon. (Indians)

Jason Tyner – As much as he struggled to hit his first home run in the majors (it only took him seven seasons), he has managed to hang around the majors as a bench player. (Mets)

Matt Thornton – He only recently really made it to the majors, but he dominated in 2006, and the tall man has a good chance of sticking around. This was a questionable call for me, but I decided to write him down as a success. (Mariners)

Compensation First Round
Brad Wilkerson – He has hung around the majors since 2001, posting average to above average numbers each season, a success. (Expos)

Aaron Rowand – Though he just clocked in a huge new contract with the Giants, he has managed to put up numbers near average with strong defense. Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that the contract that the Giants gave to him was terrible. (White Sox)

Second Round
Gerald Laird – He hung around the Rangers bench for several years until he finally got a chance to shine in 2007 as the starting catcher. He proceeded to post even worse numbers than Rod Barajas’ numbers the previous year. Still, he fulfills the criteria. (A’s)

Adam Dunn – The Reds got Adam Dunn in the second round, a good value pick considering that the man hits 40 home runs yearly in addition to 100-110 walks. (Reds)

Brandon Inge – Though he only had two above average seasons, he fits the criteria in that he hung around the majors for so many years. However, now that the Tigers got Miguel Cabrera it seems likely that he is on his way out. And good riddance. (Tigers)

Third Round
Mike Maroth – As mediocre of a pitcher as he has been, he just fits the criteria. (Red Sox)

Josh Fogg – As mediocre of a pitcher as he has been, he just fits the criteria. Sound familiar? (White Sox)

Fourth Round
Jason Michaels – A team could do worse than having this guy on their bench. (Phillies)

Javier Lopez – Only recently became really successful, but it doesn’t seem like such a long shot that he will continue to be successful as a reliever. (D-Backs)

Fifth Round
Josh Hancock – Until his tragic accident last year, he was mildly successful as a reliever. Included on this list more out of respect than anything. (Red Sox)

Scott Proctor – Only relatively recently did he become what we could consider a success, but it seems likely that unless his arm does break down under continued abuse from Joe Torre, he will continue to be a successful middle reliever. (Dodgers)

Aubrey Huff – He has declined a bit recently, but he had a few excellent seasons in there, and I would guess that while he won’t return to his past levels of performance, he will continue to provide an above average bat. (Devil Rays)

Sixth Round
Bill Hall – He had a few really strong seasons, including a 35-homer 2006, but struggled in 2007. He is going to be just 28 in 2008, and it seems like a strong possibility that he could bounce back and put up some pretty good numbers for the Brew Crew. (Brewers)

Seventh Round
Matt Holliday – Only recently did he break into the majors, but what a breakout! He just barely missed the MVP award last season, and he seems poised to continue taking advantage of Coors Field. It’s not easy to measure how much of his amazing performance is caused by Coors, but it seems apparent that it is a significant portion. (Rockies)

John Buck – He had a strong start to 2007 before slumping to return his statistics to his career norms. Still, there seems a good chance that he will continue to hang around the majors. (Astros)

Eighth Round
Eric Byrnes – He has provided average hitting in almost every city he’s gone too, a valuable characteristic. (A’s)

Joe Kennedy – Kennedy was an interesting player who hovered between spot starting and relieving almost everywhere he went. It is a tragedy that he died, and he will be missed. (Devil Rays)

Ninth Round
Ryan Madson – He has contributed as a reliever, and he will be only 27 in 2008, which gives him good odds of sticking around. (Phillies)

Jack Wilson – An above average defensive shortstop who has provided terrible offense year-in and year-out. Still, he has hung around and been successful as a major leaguer. (Cardinals)

Morgan Ensberg – He used to be a very good hitter, but he has declined rapidly recently. He still provides a very good eye at the plate, but his ability to hit for average and for power at the plate has dropped drastically. (Astros)

Thirteenth Round
Juan Pierre – As mediocre and overrated he has been, he fits the criteria in that he has hung around the majors for several years now. (Rockies)

Fourteenth Round
Jay Gibbons – As mediocre as he has been, he has managed to stick around at the major league level for several seasons now, a mediocre hitter as a starter. (Blue Jays)

Fifteenth Round
Geoff Geary – As his Baseball Reference page says, “It’s not always pretty, but he gets it done.”(Phillies)

Seventeenth Round
Eric Hinske – A roughly average corner infielder and outfielder, always a useful player. (Cubs)

B.J. Ryan – Bounced around in the majors before the Orioles picked him up and turned him into an elite closer. (Reds)

Ty Wigginton – A roughly average hitter who has bounced around the infield almost as much as he has bounced around to different teams. (Mets)

21^st Round
Nick Punto – Punto was drafted by the Phillies before being sent to the Twins to spread his mediocrity in the AL Central. (Phillies)

38^th Round
Mark Buehrle – Quite a good deal there, getting your future ace in the 38^th round. Major props to the Sox on this one. (White Sox)

Wrap-Up
Two teams tied for the most successful picks in the draft – the Phillies and the White Sox had four apiece. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they had the most profitable draft, as the quality of said players may not have necessarily been that great. This draft seemed very weak to me, though I really only have one season to base that comparison on.