The 10 biggest MLB draft busts of the past decade

[Say Hey Kid]

"Mark Appel, Houston Astros (first overall, 2013)
Bubba Starling, Kansas City Royals (fifth overall, 2011)
Danny Hultzen, Seattle Mariners (second overall, 2011)
Brady Aiken, Houston Astros (first overall, 2014)
Tyler Kolek, Miami Marlins (second overall, 2014)
Christian Colon, Kansas City Royals (fourth overall, 2010)
Trey Ball, Boston Red Sox (seventh overall, 2013)
Michael Choice, Oakland Athletics (10th overall, 2010)
Cornelius Randolph, Philadelphia Phillies (10th overall, 2015)
Barret Loux, Arizona Diamondbacks (sixth overall, 2010)" The 10 biggest MLB draft busts of the past decade

Click to read more...

 

[Dr Pepper]

I don't think anyone will come close to Matt Harrington, as far as wasted potential.

Shows what greed and a bad agent will get you.

 

[Brodeur]

I don't think anyone will come close to Matt Harrington, as far as wasted potential.

Shows what greed and a bad agent will get you.

OTL: Dream On A Shelf

Maybe once a year I'll re-read that long article on Harrington. Not sure if he would have panned out (TL;DR he sat out for most of the season after being drafted the first time) had he signed immediately, but definitely an odyssey throughout the years.

For some reason I have a harder time assigning the dreaded "bust" label for baseball prospects than other sports since so many pitchers have arm injuries.

It wasn't in the last decade, but at the peak of the baseball card industry in the early 90s, my local high school produced a top end prospect named Roger Salkeld. Seattle would take him with the 3rd overall pick in 1989, a couple years after they took Ken Griffey Jr. 1st overall in 1987. My older sister knew Salkeld's sister, so I was excited at the thought that I might be able to get him to autograph his rookie cards. But he injured his arm and only had a couple of stints in the majors.

 

[Dr Pepper]

^I JUST finished reading that article.

It's good to know Matt's at least found peace in retirement - that payout from Lloyd's helps, no doubt.

 

[Brodeur]

^I JUST finished reading that article.

It's good to know Matt's at least found peace in retirement - that payout from Lloyd's helps, no doubt.

In a weird way, I felt better for him after reading the article. In the moment, he was the butt of lots of jokes. Just realized that he was a couple years behind my high school class, so it's possible that some of my buddies batted against him (Palmdale is ~40 minutes east of where I grew up).

I was finishing up school in San Diego when the Padres drafted him, so I was hoping we got a top 10 talent in the second round. SportsCenter definitely made it a thing to make a joke the last few times Harrington was drafted.

 

[Quid Pro Clowe]

10th pick flaming out isn't exactly headline news.