Player Draft: Crap Shoot or Sweet Science?

A Brief History of the Milwaukee Brewers Drafts (1990-2005)

2005
Ryan Braun, 3B, University of Miami (#5). Enough said.

2004
Mark Rogers, RHP, Mount Ararat (ME) School (#5). Rogers pitched in 11 big league games, thanks to various injuries.
Could Have Picked: Jered Weaver, P (#12), Stephen Drew, SS (#15), Gio Gonzalez, LHP (#38).

2003
Rickie Weeks, 2B, Southern University (#2). Weeks has had an up-and-down career with Milwaukee, one that is most likely finished.
Could Have Picked: Nick Markakis, OF (#7), John Danks, P (#9), Aaron Hill, SS (#13), Adam Jones, OF (#37).

2002
Prince Fielder, 1B, Eau Gallie (FL) HS (#7). All in all, a pretty good pick.

2001
Mike Jones, RHP, Thunderbird (AZ) HS (#12). Never made it to the bigs, injury-prone. Out of baseball after 2010.
Could Have Picked: David Wright, 3B (#38).

2000
David Krynzel, OF, Green Valley (NV) HS, (#11). A solid defender in CF and a decent base-stealer, Krynzel couldn’t hit enough to stick in the bigs.
Could Have Picked: Chase Utley, 2B (#15), Adam Wainwright, RHP (#29).

1999
Ben Sheets, RHP, St. Amant (LA) HS, (#10). Sheets was the Brewers best starter for most of the 2000s.

1998
J.M. Gold, RHP, Toms River (NJ) North HS, (#13). See Mark Rogers and Mike Jones.
Could Have Picked: C.C. Sabathia, LHP (#20), Aaron Rowand, OF (#35).

1997
Kyle Peterson, RHP, Stanford University, (#13). Appeared in 20 games at the big league level, including 14 starts.
Could Have Picked: Lance Berkman, 1B (#16), Adam Kennedy, SS (#20), Jayson Werth, OF (#22).

1996
Chad Green, OF, University of Kentucky, (#8). See David Krynzel. (Besides, do ya think anyone with the middle name ‘Elton’ would become a rough, tough baseball player?)
Could Have Picked: Mark Kotsay, OF (#9), Eric Chavez, 3B (#10).

1995
Geoff Jenkins, OF, USC, (#9). The popular Jenkins had a great career in Milwaukee, hitting 212 home runs in ten years.

1994
Antone Williamson, 3B, Arizona State, (#4). A decent minor league hitter, he was only able to hit .204 in 54 big league at-bats.
Could Have Picked: Nomar Garciaparra, SS (#12), Paul Konerko, C-1B (#13), Jason Varitek, C (#14).

1993
Jeff D’Amico, RHP, Northeast (FL) HS, (#23) and Kelly Wunsch, LHP, Texas A&M, (#26). Both had decent big league careers, with D’Amico winning 45 games and Wunsch pitching 257 times in the bigs.

1992
Kenny Felder, OF, Florida State, (#12). Felder was a big, fast flychaser that never hit enough to advance to the bigs.
Could Have Picked: Shannon Stewart, OF (#19), Rick Helling, RHP (#22), Jason Kendall, C (#23), Charles Johnson, C (#28), Johnny Damon, OF (#35).

1991
Ken Henderson, RHP, Ringgold (GA) HS, (#5) and Tyrone Hill, LHP, Yucaipa (CA) HS, (#15). Neither made it beyond ‘A’ ball as a Brewer.
Could Have Picked: Manny Ramirez, OF (#13), Cliff Floyd, 1B-OF (#14), Shawn Green, OF (#16), Aaron Sele, RHP (#23).

1990
No first round pick.

Granted, Hindsight is 20/20, But…

Looking at the list of ‘Could Have Picked’ from the distant year 2015 makes you wonder: What were they thinking? But the science of baseball scouting doesn’t always work out. And sometimes, late-round picks go on to have fine careers.

Outfielder Nate McLouth, picked in the 25th round of the 2000 draft, has played over 1,000 big league games.

Infielder Damion Easley was selected in the 30th round in 1988 and played over 1,700 games in The Show.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have Matt Bush (2004), Brien Taylor (1991), and Steve Chilcott (1966). All three were #1 overall and never spent a day in the bigs. It just goes to show, you never know.

So, do you still want to be a big league scout?