I was listening to a discussion about why the number 1 overall pick in baseball amateur never seems to pan out the other day and I was quite surprised to find how true the statement may be. There are a lot of position players who were drafted number 1 overall and some of them have been simply outstanding and most of them have been have been busts. Darryl Strawberry could have a hall of fame player. He and Bob Horner are the only first overall picks and make the all star game and be rookie of year. Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, and Alex Rodriguez are probably first ballot Hall of Famers. Chipper may be borderline. Harold Baines had a great career but probably won't get unless the veterans committee will vote him in in a few years from now. Darryl should have been a hall of fame guy. Drug addiction killed his career. Joe Mauer is the future of baseball. If he stays healthy, the sky is the limit. Playing a catcher may make it difficult because the body can only take so much punishment. That is the good of the list of number 1 players.
Pitchers however are a different story. David Clyde was drafted and he was supposed to be the future of baseball. He threw in the high 90's and touched 100. He went straight to the major leagues and he got his brains beat out. Brien Taylor was supposed to be the Yankees answer to the Mets Dwight Gooden. He has never once pitched in a major league game. Ben McDonald led LSU to the college world series and was the stud pitcher that was supposed to bring back memories of the Baltimore pitchers of the 70's. He was often injured. Andy Benes was supposed to be the guy in San Diego and his brother was better in the end. Tim Belcher got a ring with the Dodgers in 88, but he never was the horse that they needed. That was Orel Hersheiser. Floyd Bannister and Mike Moore were supposed to be big pieces to help teams that had already established pitchers and injuries hurt their careers and so did inconsistency. Paul Wilson was supposed to be the Mets front man of a dream rotation that never materialized. Kris Benson was supposed to be the Pirates savior and he has bounced around the league in recent years. David Price is impressive but it is early. He like Benson were stars on teams that did not have enough to win the college world series but had enough stuff to get everyone's attention. Just like the new stud on the block Mr. Steven Strasburg. I am sure I am botching his last name but pretty soon he is coming to a park near me and I cannot wait to see how he matures. He has been awesome in triple A and the Nationals are playing pretty good baseball this year. Livan Hernandez and Ryan Zimmerman are leading the way and they look like a team that is on the rise. We shall see..
It is interesting the comparison between players who go the college route and the ones who go to the minor leagues. The same applies to tennis. I think that going to college hurts young players in these sports because they are not playing against the best competition or getting the best training at most Universities and colleges. I could be wrong here but I think that John McEnroe is the last collegian to become number 1 in the world in tennis. Andy Roddick nor James Blake have in recent years. Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras did not go to college. Jim Courier I don't think went to college either. Micheal Chang I believe went to Stanford like McEnroe. The point being most of the great players in the last 30 years all got their "education" playing professionally. Serena, Venus, Lindsay, Monica, Steffi, Justine, Kim, all played pro at a young age and got their brains beat out and then got better and became stars. Jennifer Capriati too. Most of the number 1 draft picks that went to college first have not materialized into stars. Chipper, Alex Rodriguez, Darryl Strawberry, Joe Mauer, Ken Griffey Jr., all went to the minor leagues first then college. Dont get me wrong, there are great players who went to college first and the major leagues. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Albert Belle, Robin Ventura, Will Clark, and Rafael Palmeiro are just a few off of the top of my head. Fred Lynn was M.V.P. and rookie of the year in the same year. I just think that if that is what you know that is what you want to do for a living and have the ability t do it and can afford it, the go for it. Injuries are a son of bitch...
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