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| Friday, June 2 | |||||
| The 1995 AL draft in review Special to ESPN.com | |||||
| It takes five years, at least, for the results of the yearly amateur draft to be fairly assessed. Let's take a look at the 1995 American League draft class.
As you will see, this class was overall a disappointment.
Anaheim With the first selection overall in the draft, the Angels struck paydirt with University of Nebraska outfielder Darin Erstad. Second-round pick Jarrod Washburn, from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and fourth-rounder Brian Cooper, from USC, should have key roles on the pitching staff in the years to come. Fifth-round pick Justin Baughman, from Lewis and Clark College in Oregon, is fast and should be able to help in a utility role. No one else in the draft class looks to contribute, but Erstad, Washburn, and Cooper make it one of the better Anaheim/California efforts in recent years. Baltimore This draft did not go well for the Orioles. First-rounder Alvie Shepherd, a hard-throwing right-hander from the University of Nebraska, never found his control as a professional and got hurt. High school picks in the second, third, and fourth slots all failed to pan out, and the Orioles failed to sign picks five through seven. 10th-rounder David Dellucci, from the University of Mississippi, can hit some, but the Orioles never believed in him, and he's with the Diamondbacks now. Calvin Pickering was a steal with the 35th-round pick, but weight problems, bad defense, and front-office distrust of his abilities have tarnished his prospect status. Boston No big stars with this draft. First-rounder Andy Yount, a pitcher from high school in Texas, got hurt. He is now struggling in the Detroit system. Supplemental pick Corey Jenkins, a raw outfielder from high school in South Carolina, never developed. Fifth-round catcher Steve Lomasney, a catcher from high school in Massachusetts, is currently in Double-A and will reach the majors eventually, probably as a backup. Sixth-round pick Matt Kinney, from high school in Maine, was traded to Minnesota and could reach the majors later this year. He has good stuff and could be a sleeper. Seventh-rounder Cole Liniak, from high school in California; ninth-rounder Paxton Crawford, from high school in New Mexico; 12th-round pick Jim Chamblee, from Odessa Junior College in Texas; and 27th-round pick Juan Pena, from Miami-Dade Community College, have all played well at times and still have chances to help someone in the majors. Chicago White Sox The White Sox took a pair of college hitters early, selecting Jeff Liefer from Long Beach State in the first round, and Brian Simmons from the University of Michigan in the second. Neither has developed into a star, but both can contribute on the major league level, though Simmons has to overcome his propensity for injury. Seventh-rounder Jason Lakman, from high school in Washington state, throws hard but has been unable to develop any consistency. 11th-round Texas A&M product Kevin Beirne looks like a useful utility pitcher. All in all, an average effort. Cleveland First-round pick David Miller, a line-drive hitting first baseman from Clemson, bombed in the minors. Second-rounder Sean Casey from the University of Richmond, on the other hand, turned into a star hitter, though he was traded to Cincinnati before he got a chance to play. Miller was rated ahead of Casey by many scouts due to his superior athletic ability. The fact that Casey was a better hitter didn't seem to matter as much. The rest of the draft class was a mixture of high school and college players, the best of which were Scott Morgan, an outfielder from Gonzaga drafted in the seventh round, and Jason Rakers, a New Mexico State pitcher drafted in the 25th round. Both have a chance to contribute in small roles. Detroit Wichita State pitcher Mike Drumright, the first-round pick, looked like a good selection at first, but lost command of his curveball when he reached Triple-A Toledo. He is with the Marlins now, struggling to regain what he once had. The big steal for Detroit was Gabe Kapler, drafted in the 57th round from a junior college in California. He's the best guy the Tigers got in that draft class, and the scout who signed him should be commended. The rest of this class looks pretty useless, with the exception of David Borkowski, drafted in the 11th-round from high school in Michigan. He doesn't have star ability, but reached the majors last year, and has a chance to be adequate if he is healthy. Kansas City A pair of Puerto Ricans highlighted this draft effort. First-rounder Juan LeBron has had injury and attitude problems, and is now with the Mets organization. Second-rounder Carlos Beltran was the 1999 American League Rookie of the Year, and will have a long and productive career. 11th-rounder Mark Quinn was a devastating hitter in the minors, and has shown he can hit the ball in the majors as well. He was a successful player at Rice, but scouts didn't like his unorthodox approach at the plate, which ruined his draft stock. The rest of the class has done little, but the Royals will take Beltran and Quinn and call it a success. Minnesota First-rounder Mark Redman, a southpaw from the University of Oklahoma, looked like a draft bust a couple of years ago, but is pitching very well for the Twins this year. His K/BB has been solid, which is a good indicator for his future. He is a good example of how difficult it can be to judge a draft class too far in advance. Second-round pick Jason Bell, a right-hander from Oklahoma State, peaked in Double-A. Fifth-rounder Doug Mientkiewicz, from Florida State, still has a chance to help as a utility player, last year's struggle with the bat in the majors aside. The rest of the draft class has done little, but if Redman continues to do well, the Twins will be happy. New York Yankees The Yankees gambled and lost on Texas outfielder Shea Morenz, hoping the former Longhorn quarterback could turn his athletic tools into baseball skills. Second round picks Richard Brown, a Florida high school outfielder, and Brian Buchanan, a Florida high school lefty, are still in the farm system, but are not hot prospects. Third-round pick Luke Wilcox, an outfielder from Western Michigan, can hit some, but is stuck in Triple-A. Ninth-rounder Mike Judd was traded to the Dodgers. He has major league stuff, but hasn't solved the Albuquerque riddle yet. 11th-rounder Darrell Einertson and 19th-round pick Jay Tessmer are college pitchers who might be able to handle middle relief roles if they get the opportunity. The best player in the class was 20th-round pick Mike Lowell, now the Marlins third baseman and a guy the Yankees wish they had back. 22nd-rounder Donzell McDonald, a junior college player from Arizona, has speed and patience, and could likely handle a reserve role if they let him. Although the early rounds of this effort were disappointing, the Yankees did pick up a number of useful roster-filler types, as well as a good player in Lowell. Oakland Cuban defector Ariel Prieto, then pitching in the independent Western League, was Oakland's first pick in 1995. He never lived up to his potential, and is still trying to come back from Tommy John surgery. Second-rounder Mark Bellhorn, from Auburn, is a Triple-A mainstay looking for a utility role. Fifth-rounder catcher Danny Ardoin, from McNeese State, could have a long career as a backup catcher due to his defensive skills and occasional offense. 10th-rounder Ryan Christensen, from Pepperdine, has developed into a useful player, though not a star. 17th-round pick David Newhan, also from Pepperdine, is now with the Padres, hoping for a bench role. Prieto's failure made this a disappointing draft, although it wasn't a total disaster due to Ardoin and Christensen. Seattle Jose Cruz Jr. is maddeningly inconsistent, but he gets on base and hits for power. Even if he doesn't turn into the star that everyone expected, he is still a productive player, although for Toronto now rather than for Seattle. Second-round Clemson product Shane Monahan is fun to watch, but his complete lack of plate discipline will keep him in Triple-A for most of his career. Third-rounder Greg Wooten, a pitcher from Portland State, pitched well at the beginning of his career, but was derailed by arm trouble. The rest of the class was weak. Texas The Rangers were hoping to get a quick boost from Florida State right-hander Jonathan Johnson, an advanced college pitcher, with the seventh-overall selection. But Johnson's curveball lost much of its bite, and he has been unable to adjust to the high minors. Injuries have also been a problem for him. Third-round pick Ryan Dempster, a high school pitcher from British Columbia, has been excellent this year in the majors. Unfortunately, he is now pitching for the Marlins, rather than the Rangers. Fourth-rounder Ryan Glynn, a VMI product, and sixth-rounder Dan Kolb, from a community college in Illinois, still have a chance to help on the major league pitching staff, though neither will be a star. Fifth-round pick Shawn Gallagher, one of the best hitters in the history of high school baseball, has proven he can hit in the minors, but lacks a position. 29th-round pick Mike Venafro, from James Madison University, will have a bullpen southpaw job for the next 10 years. Despite the failure of Johnson, this was a pretty good draft, at least compared to other American League efforts from 1995. Toronto Roy Halladay, from high school in Colorado, was Toronto's first-round pick. He's got tremendous natural ability, but as his recent demotion shows, he is still trying to put it all together. He should be able to do so, if he remains healthy. Second-round pick Craig Wilson, a catcher from high school in California, has power, but is now a first baseman in the Pirates system. The rest of the class was disappointing. John Sickels, who is the author of the STATS 2000 Minor League Scouting Notebook, writes a weekly feature, Down on the Farm, for ESPN.com. You can email him at JASickels@AOL.com. | ALSO SEE The 1995 NL draft in review  | ||||