The 2023 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft concluded today (12 December). In a draft that lasted 20 rounds, the first overall honour went to Louisiana State University (LSU) right-hander Paul Skins (21), who was selected by Pittsburgh. Skins has been outstanding in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) this year, going 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts.
온라인바카라There’s a “first-round premium” in Major League Baseball, where players at the top of the draft, especially those selected in the first round, are rewarded with hefty contracts and more opportunities than their peers. But it’s not all sunshine and roses. Some players have underperformed due to a combination of injuries and bad luck, while others have hung up their jerseys without ever seeing the big leagues.
The latest is Henry Davis (24-Pittsburgh). The first overall pick in the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Louisville made his major league debut last June after just two years in the game. His contract was worth $6.5 million.
As of Thursday, however, Davis is batting just .239 (17-for-71) with one home run, seven RBIs and two doubles in 20 games this season. His OPS, which combines slugging percentage and on-base percentage, is also still below expectations at 0.657.
In some cases, first-round picks haven’t even been signed. Such was the case with left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken, 27, who was selected by Houston with the first overall pick in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft.
The San Diego native’s post-draft physical revealed a problem with his left elbow. Instead of signing, he underwent surgery and was eventually drafted by Cleveland with the 17th overall pick in the 2015 first round.
However, due to recurring injuries and slow development, he never made it to the big leagues and was retired after the 2019 season. The highest level he reached was Single-A. However, he was able to keep the $2.5 million signing bonus he received when he joined Cleveland. Houston originally offered him $6.5 million.
A similar story is that of left-hander Bryan Taylor, 52, who was drafted first overall by the New York Yankees in 1991. He was known for his rocket-like fastball from his 6-foot-5 frame. He was described as “a player who was bound to be a star”. The Yankees paid him $1.55 million, the highest amateur signing bonus at the time. But that was it.
Two years after turning pro, Taylor injured his left shoulder in 1993, ending his season prematurely. He missed the entire 1994 season for rehabilitation and was able to return to the mound in 1995. But the injury eventually caught up with him, and he retired after the 2000 season. His highest level as a professional was only Double-A.
San Diego is another team with a black history in the first round. The Padres selected outfielder Donovan Tate (33) with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. His contract was worth a whopping $6.25 million. That’s how much San Diego expected to get for him.
However, Tate has been in the news more often for non-baseball reasons since turning pro, such as injuries sustained in the offseason while riding a mountain bike and being disciplined for smoking marijuana. He also hung up his uniform at the end of Single-A in 2016.
Tate, who excelled in both baseball and football in college, later went on to play football at the University of Arizona, but when that didn’t work out, he quietly retired from the sport.
Mike Piazza during his time with the New York Mets. /AFPBBNews=News1
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are a number of players who were drafted in the lower rounds of the draft who went on to write their own story. Mike Piazza (55) is a prime example, as he is known to many Korean fans for his battery partnership with Chan Ho Park (50) at the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He was an unknown quantity in the 1988 MLB First-Year Player Draft, with no talent to speak of. But manager Tommy Lasorda, who knew his father, took a chance on him, and he was selected by the Dodgers. He was selected in the 62nd round, 1390 out of 1395 overall.
After making his major league debut in 1992, Piazza developed into an offensive catcher and hit 427 home runs in 16 big league seasons with the New York Mets before retiring in 2007 with Oakland. He was a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner, including National League Rookie of the Year in 1993. After retirement, he was voted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Paul Goldschmidt. /AFPBBNews=News1
Paul Goldschmidt (36, St. Louis), who has become one of the most dominant first basemen in the 21st century, is also a life-changer. He was originally selected by the Dodgers in the 49th round, 1453rd overall, in the 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. However, he chose to try again and was eventually selected by Arizona in the eighth round, 246th overall, in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. He was signed for $95,000 (approximately $122.83 million). It was less than what most Korean players in the US were paid at the time.
However, Goldschmidt’s progress was so rapid that he made his major league debut in 2011, just two years after turning pro. Since then, he’s been nothing short of spectacular. He has been named an All-Star seven times, won four Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers. In 2013, he led the National League in RBIs and home runs. Last year, he was named the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP). This season, he is batting .284 with 15 home runs and 46 RBIs, giving him a career big league batting average of .295 with 330 home runs and 1088 RBIs.
The footsteps of Piazza and Goldschmidt show that success in the major leagues is not all about draft position.
Article courtesy of Star News
