Pittsburgh Pirates Draft: The Five Biggest Busts since 2002

Pedro Alvarez was the number two overall pick in the 2008 MLB draft.  This was Neal Huntington’s first draft as general manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.  Alvarez was considered the top power bat in the draft and many scouts considered him the top prospect on the board. The Tampa Bay Rays passed on him however, due to drafting third baseman Evan Longoria the previous year.  Instead the Rays took a prep shortstop by the name of Tim Beckham.

This got fans excited.  Neal Huntington seemed to be in a position to draft a corner stone, franchise player who would be Major League ready quickly.  Alvarez was represented by Scott Boras who, as many baseball fans know, is difficult to negotiate with.  Because of this Alvarez and the Pirates did not finish a deal until around midnight of the draft signing deadline.

Upon further investigation it was found out that Alvarez never officially signed, thus putting him on the restricted list by Major League Baseball.  However, after working with the league and the player’s union the Pittsburgh Pirates were able to sign Alvarez to a four-year 6.4 million dollar deal. This deal essentially was paying him what he would have received for his signing bonus.

Alvarez tore through the Minor Leagues in 2009 and early 2010 and received a promotion on June 16th of 2010, and it appeared that the future star of the Pittsburgh Pirates had reached the Majors. He enjoyed a lot of early success in 2010 playing in 95 games and hitting .256 with 16 home runs and 64 RBI.  He did strikeout out 119 times in those games though which was a red flag, as well as a sign of things to come.

However, Alvarez did not build upon his rookie year success in 2011.  He played in 74 games that year and only hit .191 with a .561 OPS and 80 strikeouts. He was demoted back to Triple-A that season and many viewed it as though he just needed more time to develop.

Alvarez did put together a few good years in Pittsburgh.  He was the National League’s Silver Slugger third baseman in 2013 and an All-Star.  He also had back-to-back 30 home run seasons in 2012 and 2013.  The biggest issue came in 2014 when he acquired a throwing accuracy issue which many attributed to his lack of confidence.  If he was struggling the plate or made a mistake earlier in the field he would let it affect him the rest of the game.

The Pittsburgh Pirates management tried to move him to first base in 2015.  His offense improved some, hitting 27 homers and a .243 batting average, but he continued to cost the Pirates runs at the first base position. Without a DH in the NL and his arbitration likely raising his salary to 8 million dollars the Pirates cut him in the 2015-2016 off-season. Ending his rocky career with the Pirates and never turning into the franchise player he was believed to be when he was taken number two overall in 2008.

Next: The Catcher of the Future...

Tony Sanchez was considered the top college catching prospect in the 2009 draft.  He was drafted out of Boston College with the number four overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates., and many viewed Sanchez as the catcher of the future for the franchise.  He was an advanced hitter for a college catcher, and appeared to have above-average defensive skills.

Sanchez started off his Minor League career strong, batting .316 at Low-A (2009) and .314 (2010) at High-A.  However, he suffered a bean-ball to his face in 2010 and suffered a fractured jaw. After his broken jaw, he was never the same hitter again.  Another concern was that his defense behind the plate was not developing the way the Pirates hoped. Sanchez also got in trouble with the Pirates for issues in the off-season and on twitter.

Sanchez finally made his Major League debut in June on 2013.  He played in 22 games that season and hit .232 with two home runs.  He did not make the Opening Day roster for 2014, but appeared in another 26 games and posted a solid .267 batting average.  Many wondered why he was not getting more of an opportunity.  The reason is because of his poor defense behind the plate.  From 2013-2015 in the Pirate’s Minor Leagues his throw out percentage was below 15%, had trouble blocking pitches, and was not very good at framing pitches.  Essentially, the Pirates did not trust him behind the plate on a consistent basis and his offense was average at best.

The Pirates designated Tony Sanchez on January 6th of 2016, and they out-right released him on the 13th.  He was picked up by the Toronto Blue Jays and assigned to Triple-A.  There he has not produced much at all.  So far on the year he is batting .155 in 17 games.  For a number four overall pick, he surely has busted.  He already is 28 years of age and has only played in 51 Major League games.  With his current production at AAA for the Jays it does not seem he will be adding to that games played total any time soon.

Next: From starter to reliever

The biggest issue in the Dave Littlefield Era was that the Pittsburgh Pirates always had some success, but never enough to be significant.  Littlefield was afraid to completely tear down the team and build it back from the ground up. Instead of getting the prime number one or number two pick he would be picking at four through six range more often than not. Littlefield would consistently use his high draft choices on “close to MLB ready” players.  Hoping that he would strike lightning in a bottle and get a key piece going forward.

In 2006 Littlefield did this once more by drafting Brad Lincoln. Many of the scouts in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization asked the general manager to take a look at a hard throwing, prep left-handed pitcher.  Littlefield went to the game, the temperature in the high-30’s with rainy and windy conditions.  He left after a few innings, unimpressed, and a decision that he would not be drafting the young left-handed pitcher. Who was this left-handed pitcher? Clayton Kershaw.

Lincoln was a bad choice all around.  He was projected to go in the 15-20 range.  On draft day experts understood the pick though because on paper Lincoln looked good.  He had a solid college career at Houston, and his fastball could sit in the low-to-mid 90’s.

What worked against him was things like level of competition he faced and that he was only six feet tall.  Littlefield knew he would be an easy target to sign, though.  Littlefield told the public that Lincoln was a good, college pitcher who would be a quick to the Majors ace that would help to get the team winning again.  Lincoln became the Pittsburgh Pirates top pitching prospect, but he never panned out.

Lincoln fought his way through the Minors and in 2010 made his debut.  He started nine games for the Pirates that year and posted a 6.66 ERA.  At this point many fans knew that Lincoln was not worth the number four overall pick.  They figured out that Littlefield took the signable player, and passed on greater talent while hoping for a quick to the Majors player.  In 2011 he was a little better posting a 4.72 ERA in 12 games, while making eight starts.  The key is that he made four relief appearances and proved to be effective in doing so.

The Pirates stuck Lincoln in the bullpen for the 2012 season and were rewarded by it.  In 28 games in the 2012 season he pitched to a 2.73 ERA.  He did make five starts, but those were mostly spot starts.  Neal Huntington capitalized on the limited success and dealt him to the Toronto Blue Jays for Travis Snider.  Snider was the 14th overall pick in the 2006 draft and was having a hard time staying healthy and getting a consistent opportunity in Canada.

By 2014 Lincoln was on the Philadelphia Phillies.  He made two appearances and had an ERA close to 12. With that he was cut by the Phillies.  He has not played a single Major League game since. Lincoln went from the number four pick, to the number one pitching prospect in the organization, to a busted prospect and starter, to a relief pitcher, to a trade chip, to out of Majors all within seven years of pro baseball.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates and Dave Littlefield selected Daniel Moskos with the fourth overall pick many fans were upset.  Many followers wanted the Pirates to select premier catching prospect Matt Wieters.  However, the Bucs were likely scared away by Scott Boras. Instead, they settled on the left-handed pitcher from Clemson.

This pick was similar to what I talked about with Lincoln.  Moskos was one of the better college arms that year, but not necessarily the highest ceiling or first round worthy.  In fact, the draft was on ESPN 2 that year and when the Pirates’ selection was announced ESPN did not have his film ready as they did not expect him to go that early.

Pirates management viewed him as an advanced left-handed pitcher who would reach the Majors quickly, and, more importantly, sign cheaply.  There was a series of events that took place that really made the pick even worse. He pitched on national TV just a day after signing with the Pirates and got shelled (do not know the stat line).  Then he missed time at the beginning of his career with injuries.  Finally, it all started to come out that he likely would be used a relief pitcher. Drafting a relief pitcher with the number four overall pick is nothing short of stupid.  In fact the organization admitted to this in an interview from 2007 with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

“We like him in both roles,” Creech said. “[But] I think the role he’s probably going to end up [in] is closer. He has the mentality for it. He’s an aggressive kid. He goes after hitters. He throws strikes. He has power pitches.” Paul Meyer, 2007

Moskos was a disappointment from the get go with the fan base.  When you select a pitcher fourth overall you hope for a future ace, not a future bullpen guy.  The pick was a bust before he even played a game. In 2011 he was called up by the Pirates, he appeared in 31 games, and pitched to a 2.96 ERA.  He opened up the next year in AAA and pitched close to a four ERA.  The Pirate waived him and he was claimed by the White Sox.

Since then he has received Tommy-John Surgery in 2014.  He then was suspended 50 games in 2015 for testing positive for a second time during a drug test.  Moskos signed a Minor League deal with the San Diego Padres in 2016.  He has not reached the majors since 2011. This, thankfully, was Dave Littlefield’s last draft as the GM of the Pirates.

Next: The Number One Overall Pick in 2002

When the most successful years of a player’s career come in Japan, you know that player did not make it.  What makes this even worse is that Bryan Bullington was the number one overall selection in the 2002 draft.

Bullington was considered one of the top college arms, but, like the others earlier, not a slam dunk pick.  Many speculated that the pick was more about signability rather than selecting the most talented player available.  In a 2002 interview with mlb.com, Littlefield said this about the selection:

“There was quite a bit of discussion on where we were going to go. It wasn’t a situation where we were trying to be crafty. It was more a situation that it wasn’t a year where it was one player standing above anybody else, and we felt we had to consider a lot of different factors. We feel very comfortable and good about drafting Bullington.””Being a college pitcher, he’s going to be a little closer than a high school draftee…I’d anticipate we’re looking at him a couple of years away.” Ed Eagle, 2002

There are all the key words in the quote.  He is going to be closer to the Majors, there was not clear player above any other, and not going to be crafty which suggests that they did not want to have to over spend or put the time and development in on a more raw prep player.  Who did they pass on? To name a few: Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder, Cole Hamels, and Melvin Upton Jr.

Bullington pitched in six total games for the Pirates one in 2005 and the other five in 2007.  His career ERA was 5.89 for the Bucs with an 0-3 record.  In his Major League career he appeared in 26 games posting a 1-9 record with a 5.62 ERA.  He has found success in Japan and pitched there from 2011 until 2015 when an injury to his shoulder got him released.

The fact is that when selecting a pitcher number one overall you hope to get a Stephen Strasburg or a Gerrit Cole.  A pitcher who from day one is the most logical pick and looks to be a future ace.  Bullington was a first rounder, but not viewed as a top five worthy pick.  The Pirates could have gotten him at pick ten just as easily as they did at one.   This is supported by him only appearing in 26 games in his career.

Next: What Makes a Bust?

What makes a bust?  Several things went into this list.  Many of which came with players not reaching expectations of where they were drafted.  Pedro Alvarez was the toughest player to put on this list.  The guy is still playing in the big leagues, but he was supposed to be such a corner-stone player and he never reached that potential.

The Pirates recently extended Francisco Cervelli.  In 2009 it was perceived that Tony Sanchez would be the catcher right now.  Sanchez was a reach of a pick at number four , but many felt he still would turn into a plus catcher.  However, his defensive struggles, and inability to stay focused on and off the field got him into some trouble.

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Then you have the three Littlefield picks. All pitchers, all busts.  Dave Littlefield drafted three college pitchers and none of them really found consistent success in the Major Leagues.  Two are floating around in the minors, while the other left to a different league.

What did all of these “busts” have in common?  They were all top five selections in the draft. When you take five players in the top five picks you would think you had gotten five future All-Stars. Instead, the Pittsburgh Pirates did not even acquire one regular, every-day player.  I did 2002 because I consider this the modern era for the current Pirate team.  Anything before 2002 is staring to be out dated. This is Rum Bunter’s top five draft busts since 2002.  Who is your’s?