In this edition of Minor League Spotlight, we’ll take a trip down memory lane and see how the class of 2001 is faring today. When MLB franchise make their selections on Draft Day, it’s kind of like rolling the dice – ya never know what you're gunna get. The prospects can easily go from one extreme to the other. For example, the Nationals took Virginia third baseman Ryan Zimmerman with the fourth overall selection in last June’s draft and the slugger flew up the minor league ranks and actually hit .397 in his cup of coffee in September. On the other hand, names like Brien Taylor, Josh Hamilton and Jack Cust (among hundreds of others) tell the story of what else could happen. We’ll take a quick rundown of the top 10 selections in the Amateur Draft four years ago and see how different their paths have gone.
2001 Amateur Draft
1. Twins Joe Mauer C – The Minnesota native is one of the rare catching prospects with the potential of winning a batting title. He arrived last season as the primary backstop for the Twins. Nagging shoulder, groin and knee injuries have road-blocked him from being an everyday player, but he’s still a viable number one catching option when healthy. With the upside of .300/15/75 in his second full season, it’s safe to say the kid has arrived.
2. Cubs Mark Prior RHP – When the Cubs’ ace is on, he’s arguably the best pitcher in the game already. Armed with a high-90s fastball, a 12-to-6 curveball and a vastly evolving changeup, the six-foot-five hurler has the whole repertoire. Arm troubles continue to be his biggest obstacle – he’s missed about 20 starts the past two campaigns. If he can avoid black and blues, he’s a bona fide number one starter in all fantasy formats. However, his track record will rightfully scare off several owners when drafting this March.
3. Devil Rays Dewon Brazelton RHP – Brazelton began the 2005 season in the D-Rays starting rotation, but struggled mightily. He started out 1-7 with a 6.43 ERA in his first eight starts and was then shipped off to the minor leagues (after a brief mysterious hiatus). He finished the season in the ‘pen but didn’t have much more success there either. In fact, Tampa Bay went 2-18 in the games the big southpaw appeared in. Dealt to San Diego this offseason, Brazelton will compete for a reliever role, but definitely needs more time to mature. The move to the pitcher-friendly confines of Petco Park will make his transition much easier, though.
4. Phillies Gavin Floyd RHP – Floyd made the club last season out of Spring Training, but was hit hard and found himself back in the minor leagues quickly. Things didn’t get much easier at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, as he posted a 6-9 record with a 1.61 WHIP. Floyd got a cup of coffee in September, but will need another year in the junior ranks to fine-tune his game.
5. Rangers Mark Teixeira 3B – The 25-year-old power hitter is already blessed with one of the best home run strokes in the game. He’s got Mark McGwire-type power and even has the ability to hit for average. Teixeira has been the Rangers everyday starter the past three seasons and will be a first round draft selection in the vast majority of fantasy leagues this year. In keeper leagues, it doesn’t get much better than Teixeira.
6. Expos Josh Karp RHP – After three sub par seasons in the Expos/Nationals minor league system as a starting pitcher, the club decided to change him to a reliever last year. Karp didn’t fare much better out of the bullpen though, posting a 5.75 ERA in 21 appearances so the team sent him back down to Double-A to work as a starter again. He’s still a couple years away from arriving in the big show, so leave him off your Draft Day cheat sheets.
7. Orioles Chris Smith LHP – The number seven selection of the 2001 draft hasn’t had the prototypical journey to the big leagues. Injuries have stunted his growth, limiting him to a mere nine games during his first three seasons in pro ball. Last year, Smith attempted a minor comeback, hurling in the Independent League. His 27-28 K-BB ratio there won’t land him many contract offers, though. He’s still just 26 years old, but will need two to three more seasons in the junior ranks at the absolute minimum before we even hear his name mentioned with a major league club.
8. Pirates John Van Benschoten RHP – Originally drafted as a power-hitting first baseman (he smashed 31 home runs his junior year at Kent State), Van Benschoten flew through the Pirates' minor leagues as a starting pitcher. He was a September callup in 2004 and was in a great situation to land a prominent role on the Bucs staff, but fell victim to a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the entire 2005 season. Van Benschoten will be ready for Spring Training this year and will need a couple months of work at Triple-A Nashville before he arrives in the bigs again. He’s somebody to watch out for in the second half.
9. Royals Colt Griffin RHP – Griffin faltered through his first four seasons in the Royals' Class-A ranks as a starting pitcher so the franchise made the decision to transform him into a middle reliever. He was mediocre at best last season in Double-A, but is dealing with major control problems. In 56 innings, the six-foot-four pitcher yielded 43 walks and 16 wild pitches. He could arrive at Triple-A this season, but is a couple years from making an impact with K.C.
10. Astros Chris Burke 2B, OF – Burke has been a speed demon in the Astros farm system the past five seasons, racking up 70, 16, 34 and 37 stolen bases his first four seasons in the game. He spent most of last season stuck on Astros bench in a utility role as the club slowly prepares him to take over for veteran Craig Biggio, who turned 40 last month. Burke will see more at-bats last season and is worth taking in mid rounds in NL-only leagues because of his stolen base and run potential.