Worst No. 1 Picks in MLB History
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Major League Baseball holds its first-year player draft every June, but it’s been anything but smooth sailing with the No. 1 overall pick. Since the MLB began drafting amateur players in 1965, only three have gone from being selected No. 1 to the Hall of Fame: Harold Baines (1977), Ken Griffey Jr. (1988) and Chipper Jones (1990). In that same time span, the NFL has produced nine Hall of Famers who were drafted No. 1 overall while the NBA draft has yielded 14.
No. 1 overall MLB draft picks may have been the cream of the crop as amateurs, but they all learned that the path to MLB stardom can be riddled with potholes. Look at Mark Appel, the top pick in 2013 by the Houston Astros who made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 2022.
These players were the biggest busts. Of course, not all busts are created equal, but the teams that picked them still are left to wonder what might have been if they had picked someone else.
25. Josh Hamilton
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Texas Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton tosses his bat after striking out in a 2011 against the New York Met.Position: Outfield
Hometown/school: Raleigh, N.C./Athens Drive High School
Year drafted: 1999
Team that drafted him: Tampa Bay Devil Rays
They could've picked: 2003 World Series MVP Josh Beckett (No. 2, Florida Marlins), 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner Barry Zito (No. 6, Oakland Athletics)
Bottom Line: Josh Hamilton
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The 2010 AL MVP never played a game for the team that picked him.
Josh Hamilton was out of baseball from 2003 to 2005 because of substance abuse issues, and for all intents and purposes, he missed another two seasons dealing with the same problems.
Although Hamilton appeared in 1,027 big league games over nine seasons (2007-2015), those years he missed in his prime could have pushed his career numbers (.290 batting average, 1,134 hits, 200 home runs, 701 RBI, .865 OPS) into Hall of Fame consideration.
24. Ron Blomberg
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New York Yankees first baseman Ron Blomberg grounds out against the California Angels during a 1973 game at Yankee Stadium.Position: First base
Hometown/school: Druid Hills, Ga./Druid Hills High School
Year drafted: 1967
Team that drafted him: New York Yankees
They could've picked: Two-time NL home run champ Dave Kingman (No. 29, California Angels), 1979 AL MVP Don Baylor (No. 39, Baltimore Orioles)
Bottom Line: Ron Blomberg
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One of the more famous Jewish players of all time, Ron Blomberg also was a top basketball recruit and offered a scholarship by UCLA’s John Wooden, according to The Roslyn (N.Y.) News.
Four knee injuries and two shoulder surgeries prevented him from achieving stardom, but he gained notoriety as the first player to enter a major league game as a designated hitter in 1973.
Blomberg’s biography was titled "Designated Hebrew: The Ron Blomberg Story."
23. Tim Foli
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New Yorks Mets shortstop Tim Foli attempts to snag a pick-off throw at second base against the Houston Astros in 1978.Position: Shortstop
Hometown/school: Sherman Oaks, Calif./Notre Dame High School
Year drafted: 1968
Team that drafted him: New York Mets
They could've picked: 1976 AL MVP and seven-time All-Star Thurman Munson (No. 4, New York Yankees)
Bottom Line: Tim Foli
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Tim Foli turned down a football scholarship at USC to play pro baseball.
Hard luck defined his career as much as his inability to hit for power and a low on-base percentage. The hard luck came when Foli spent his best seasons playing for the lowly Montreal Expos from 1972 to 1977, but he did have a key role in helping the Pittsburgh Pirates win the 1979 World Series.
Over his final nine seasons, the journeyman played for seven teams before he retired in 1985.
22. Tim Belcher
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tim Belcher hurls against the Oakland A’s during the 1988 World Series at Dodger Stadium.Position: Right-handed pitcher
Hometown/school: Sparta, Ohio/Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Year drafted: 1983
Team that drafted him: Minnesota Twins
They could've picked: Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens (No. 19, Boston Red Sox)
Bottom Line: Tim Belcher
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Tim Belcher refused to sign with the Twins, so the New York Yankees picked him in the 1984 supplemental draft.
He made it to majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1987 and won almost as much as he lost, finishing his career with a 146-140 record and 4.16 ERA.
An attack on a cameraman during the 1995 ALDS and an ugly brawl with Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park in 1999 defined Belcher's later years in the majors.
21. Mike Ivie
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San Diego Padres first baseman Mike Ivie on his 1977 Topps baseball card.Position: Catcher
Hometown/school: Atlanta/Walker High School
Year drafted: 1970
Team that drafted him: San Diego Padres
They could've picked: MLB Hall of Famers Rich Gossage (No. 198, Chicago White Sox) and Bruce Sutter (No. 494, Washington Senators)
Bottom Line: Mike Ivie
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Mike Ivie hit 21 home runs in 21 games early in his minor league career. Then, he moved to first base and became one of just five players to hit two pinch-hit grand slams in one season.
The San Francisco Giants traded for Ivie and had him tagged as Willie McCovey’s eventual replacement.
In 1980, Ivie accidentally sliced off part of his right pinkie finger with a hunting knife, and his career never recovered.
20. Kris Benson
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Pittsburgh Pirates owner Kevin McLatchy, left, presents Kris Benson with a jersey at a news conference announcing the pitcher's signing in 1996. At the time, Benson became the highest-paid draft choice in major league history with an estimated $2 million signing bonus.Position: Right-handed pitcher
Hometown/school: Marietta, Ga./Clemson University
Year drafted: 1996
Team that drafted him: Pittsburgh Pirates
They could've picked: 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey (No. 18, Texas Rangers)
Bottom Line: Kris Benson
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Injuries derailed Kris Benson’s career, starting with Tommy John surgery in 2000, and then his own personal life took a toll.
More often than not, headlines about Benson were centered on his wife, outspoken model and exotic dancer Anna Benson. The New York Mets grew tired of the duo’s drama and traded the pitcher to the Baltimore Orioles.
Benson never was effective after rotator cuff surgery in 2006 and finished with a 70-75 career record.
19. Luke Hochevar
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Kansas City Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar makes his major league debut in 2007 against the New York Yankees.Position: Right-handed pitcher
Hometown/school: Wiley, Colo./University of Tennessee
Year drafted: 2006
Team that drafted him: Kansas City Royals
They could've picked: Three-time All-Star Evan Longoria (No. 3, Tampa Bay Devil Rays), three-time Cy Young Award winner and 2014 NL MVP Clayton Kershaw (No. 7, Los Angeles Dodgers), two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum (No. 10, San Francisco Giants), three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer (No. 11, Arizona Diamondbacks)
Bottom Line: Luke Hochevar
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Luke Hochevar’s career forever will be linked to other pitchers taken in the first round, including three multiple Cy Young Award winners: Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum and Max Scherzer.
The Los Angeles Dodgers wanted Hochevar before anyone else, drafting him in the 39th round out of high school in 2002 and in the first round in 2005. But he refused to sign and played college baseball, then independent ball, until the Kansas City Royals picked him in 2006.
18. Darryl Strawberry
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Position: Outfield
Hometown/school: Los Angeles/Crenshaw High School
Year drafted: 1980
Team that drafted him: New York Mets
They could've picked: In no universe would any team not have picked Strawberry.
Bottom Line: Darryl Strawberry
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By the end of the 1991 season, at age 29, Darryl Strawberry had 280 career home runs. When his career came to a close after the 1999 season, he had 335 home runs.
Drugs were Strawberry's undoing, and Major League Baseball suspended him three times for substance abuse.
Although he won World Series titles with the Mets in 1986 and the Yankees in 1996, 1998 and 1999, Strawberry is a classic cautionary tale of wasted talent and the dangers of fame and money.
17. Ben McDonald
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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Ben McDonald delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians in 1996.Position: Right-handed pitcher
Hometown/school: Baton Rouge, La./Louisiana State University
Year drafted: 1989
Team that drafted him: Baltimore Orioles
They could've picked: MLB Hall of Famers Frank Thomas (No. 7, Chicago White Sox) and Jeff Bagwell (No. 110, Boston Red Sox)
Bottom Line: Ben McDonald
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The towering, 6-foot-7 pitcher signed with the Orioles on Aug. 19, 1989, and was called up to pitch in the majors on Sept. 6, but he was only the second-fastest player in his draft class to make the big leagues, coming up three days after John Olerud.
McDonald earned a spot in Orioles’ starting rotation in 1990 and became the first No. 1 overall pick to win his first three major league starts. After that, he only won 55 more games for the Birds in six seasons and was released in 1995.
He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1996, but failed rotator cuff surgery ended his career in 1998.
16. Tim Beckham
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Griffin High School shortstop Tim Beckham during practice at the school in Griffin, Ga., in 2008, before the Tampa Bay Rays picked him first in the draft.Position: Shortstop
Hometown/school: Griffin, Ga./Griffin High School
Year drafted: 2008
Team that drafted him: Tampa Bay Rays
They could've picked: Four-time Gold Glove winner Eric Hosmer (No. 3, Kansas City Royals), six-time All-Star and 2012 NL MVP Buster Posey (No. 5, San Francisco Giants)
Bottom Line: Tim Beckham
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Tim Beckham’s elite athleticism, 6-foot-2 size and speed seemed to make him the perfect shortstop, but fielding problems have been persistent.
Suspended 50 games in the minors for a second positive test for a "drug of abuse," Beckham found a modicum of success in 2017 after being traded to the Orioles.
He sat out almost all of 2018 with injuries and signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners on Jan. 10.
15. Paul Wilson
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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Paul Wilson leaves the mound in the seventh inning during a loss to the New York Mets in 2004.Position: Right-handed pitcher
Hometown/school: Orlando/Florida State University
Year drafted: 1994
Team that drafted him: New York Mets
They could've picked: Two-time AL batting champion All-Star Nomar Garciaparra (No. 12, Boston Red Sox) and three-time All-Star Jason Varitek (No. 14, Seattle Mariners)
Bottom Line: Paul Wilson
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Paul Wilson ascended to the majors by 1996, where he went 5-12 with the Mets, but spent the next two seasons in the minors before being sidelined for all of 1999 with injuries.
He was traded to the Devil Rays and had his best years with the Reds in the early 2000s.
The right-hander flamed out in spectacular fashion in a start against the Dodgers in 2005, becoming just the second pitcher in history to fail to get out the first eight batters in a game, going hit batsman-homer-single-homer-walk-hit batsman-double-double before he was pulled.
After two more losses, he called it a career with a 40-58 record and 4.86 ERA.
14. Bill Almon
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Detroit Tigers catcher Lance Parrish takes aim on Chicago White Sox baserunner Bill Almon at home plate in 1981.Position: Shortstop
Hometown/school: Providence, R.I./Brown University
Year drafted: 1974
Team that drafted him: San Diego Padres
They could've picked: Two-time NL MVP Dale Murphy (No. 5, Atlanta Braves) and MLB Hall of Famer Paul Molitor (No. 585, St. Louis Cardinals)
Bottom Line: Bill Almon
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The Ivy League grad played just 39 games in the minors before being called up to majors, where he committed a game-losing error against the Braves in his first game.
Bill Almon had one great year, in 1981 with the Chicago White Sox, when he hit .309 and finished 19th in MVP voting.
The journeyman ended his career with the New York Mets in 1988 after managing to play 14 seasons in the majors.
13. Delmon Young
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Tampa Bay Devil Rays right fielder Delmon Young connects for a single against the Chicago White Sox in 2006.Position: Outfield
Hometown/school: Camarillo, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo High School
Year drafted: 2003
Team that drafted him: Tampa Bay Devil Rays
They could've picked: Three-time Gold Glove winner Nick Markakis (No. 7, Baltimore Orioles)
Bottom Line: Delmon Young
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Delmon Young was named Baseball America’s top minor league prospect before the 2006 season. Then things went sideways. Young threw his bat and struck an umpire while playing for Triple-A Durham in 2006, earning a 50-game suspension.
He bounced around majors with six teams and was named ALCS MVP with the Detroit Tigers in 2012 — the same year he pled guilty to a hate crime in New York after drunkenly yelling anti-Semitic slurs.
Young has played in Australian, Mexican and Venezuelan leagues since his last MLB appearance in 2015.
12. David Clyde
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Texas Rangers left-hander David Clyde makes his major league debut at age 18 against the Minnesota Twins in 1973.Position: Left-handed pitcher
Hometown/school: Westchester, Texas/Westchester High School
Year drafted: 1973
Team that drafted him: Texas Rangers
They could've picked: MLB Hall of Famers Robin Yount (No. 3, Milwaukee Brewrers) and Dave Winfield (No. 4, San Diego Padres)
Bottom Line: David Clyde
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The Texas Rangers were so financially strapped when they drafted David Clyde that he was rushed up to the big leagues to capitalize on the phenom’s box-office appeal.
Clyde’s starts packed the stands and saved the Rangers from bankruptcy, but they ruined his shoulder and is often pointed to as one of the worst cases of mishandling a player in baseball history.
Clyde battled alcohol addiction that started early in his career and worsened after Rangers released him in 1980 and told the Dallas Morning News he was "damaged goods."
11-10. Danny Goodwin
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Minnesota Twins Danny Goodwin grabs the leg of Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Robin Yount during a 1980 game.Position: Catcher
Hometown/schools: Peoria, Ill./Peoria Central High School/Southern University
Years drafted: 1971, 1975
Teams that drafted him: Chicago White Sox, California Angels
They could've picked: MLB Hall of Famer Jim Rice (1971 No. 15, Boston Red Sox), MLB Hall of Famer Andre Dawson (1975 No. 250, Montreal Expos)
Bottom Line: Danny Goodwin
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Our only 2-for-1, because Danny Goodwin is the only player who has been selected No. 1 overall twice.
The Chicago White Sox made Goodwin the top pick in 1971, but he refused to sign. He was picked No. 1 again by the Angels in 1975 and signed for a record bonus of $150,000.
After bouncing around majors for parts of seven seasons, Goodwin finished his career with a .236 batting average, 13 home runs and 86 RBI.
9. Matt Anderson
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Matt Anderson, the Detroit Tigers' first overall pick in the 1997 MLB draft.Position: Right-handed pitcher
Hometown/School: Louisville, Ky./Rice University
Year drafted: 1997
Team that drafted him: Detroit Tigers
They could've picked: Six-time All-Star Lance Berkman (No. 16, Houston Astros)
Bottom Line: Matt Anderson
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The Detroit Tigers signed Matt Anderson, who set all of Rice’s career pitching records, for a $2.5 million signing bonus.
Called up to the majors just one year after being drafted, Anderson showed promise but had shoulder surgery in 2002 that saw his top speed drop from being clocked at 103 miles per hour down to 90. He then fought rumors he’d hurt shoulder trying to win Detroit Red Wings playoff tickets in an octopus-throwing contest against Tigers fans, according to a Sports Illustrated article.
Anderson played his last big league game in 2005 and hopped around minors until 2011.
8. Dave Roberts
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Dave Roberts on his 1980 Topps baseball card.Position: Third base
Hometown/School: Lebanon, Ore./University of Oregon
Year drafted: 1972
Team that drafted him: San Diego Padres
They could've picked: MLB Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley (No. 50, Cleveland Indians)
Bottom Line: Dave Roberts
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Dave Roberts was drafted on June 6, signed on June 7 and started for the Padres later that day, becoming just the sixth player to skip the minor leagues and go straight to the majors.
Roberts was a reliable utility player for most of his career but was prone to massive slumps, with several seasons batting below .200.
He managed briefly in the minors with Kansas City’s Single-A affiliate, the Eugene Emeralds, leading them to a 19-55 record, the worst showing in team history.
7. Shawn Abner
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Shawn Abner's 1988 Donruss rookie baseball card.Position: Outfield
Hometown/school: Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School
Year drafted: 1984
Team that drafted him: New York Mets
They could've picked: 12-time All-Star Mark McGwire (No. 10, Oakland Athletics), MLB Hall of Famers Greg Maddux (No.31, Chicago Cubs) and Tom Glavine (No. 47, Atlanta Braves)
Bottom Line: Shawn Abner
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Shawn Abner never played a big league game for the Mets. Traded to the Padres along with Kevin Mitchell in 1986, Abner made his major league debut in 1987 and was a reserve for almost all of his six seasons in majors.
He finished his career with a .227 batting average, 13 home runs and 71 RBI.
Abner’s son, Seth "Scump" Abner, is a professional "Call of Duty" player and two-time Major League Gaming (MLG) X Games gold medalist.
6. Al Chambers
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Al Chambers at bat for the Seattle Mariners in 1983.Position: Outfield
Hometown/school: Harrisburg, Pa./John Harris High School
Year drafted: 1979
Team that drafted him: Seattle Mariners
They could've picked: Five-time Gold Glove winner Andy Van Slyke (No. 6, St. Louis Cardinals)
Bottom Line: Al Chambers
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The Mariners thought they had the next Jim Rice when they picked the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Al Chambers No. 1 overall. The club lured him away from a football scholarship at Arizona State with an $85,000 signing bonus, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Chambers appeared in 57 games over parts of three seasons, with two home runs and 11 RBI and ended his career in the Mexican League in 1988.
According to a 1999 Seattle Times article, he went back home to work at a Hershey factory mixing chocolate syrup on a production line.
5. Bryan Bullington
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Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Bryan Bullington delivers in a 2008 game against the Chicago White Sox.Position: Right-handed pitcher
Hometown/school: Madison, Ind./Ball State University
Year drafted: 2002
Team that drafted him: Pittsburgh Pirates
They could've picked: 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke (No. 6, Kansas City Royals), six-time All-Star Prince Fielder (No. 7, Milwaukee Brewers)
Bottom Line: Bryan Bullington
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The Pirates gave Bryan Bullington a $4 million signing bonus, but he was widely viewed as being more of a "signable" pick as opposed to being the actual best player available.
Bullington made a quick ascent to majors, and the Pirates called him up in 2005, but shoulder surgery sidelined him for all of 2006.
Designated for assignment by the Pirates in 2008, he picked up his one and only major league win in 2010 with the Kansas City Royals. He then played in Japan for his final five seasons before retiring in 2015.
4. Steve Chilcott
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Steve Chilcott at Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, Calif., in 1966.Position: Catcher
Hometown/school: Lancaster, Calif./Antelope Valley (Calif.) High School
Year drafted: 1966
Team that drafted him: New York Mets
They could've picked: MLB Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson (No. 2, Kansas City Athletics)
Bottom Line: Steve Chilcott
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Steve Chilcott dislocated his shoulder diving into second base in his second season and never fully recovered from the injury.
Afterward, Chilcott said he "couldn’t throw the ball hard enough to break a pane of glass."
Out of baseball by 24 years old, he never made it above Triple-A and is one of just three No. 1 overall picks (so far) who never played in the majors.
3. Mark Appel
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Mark Appel never gave up on his dream to make the majors.Position: Right-handed pitcher
Hometown/School: Danville, Calif./Stanford University
Year drafted: 2013
Team that drafted him: Houston Astros
They could've picked: 2016 NL MVP Kris Bryant (No. 2, Chicago Cubs), 2017 AL Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge (No. 32, New York Yankees)
Bottom Line: Mark Appel
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Drafted No. 8 overall in 2012 by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Mark Appel didn’t sign and went to pitch at Stanford University instead. In 2013, he landed a $6.35 million signing bonus with the Houston Astros.
Houston management was determined to push him through the minor leagues despite his struggles (and injuries), but they decided to cut bait and trade him to the Phillies in 2015. Appel never played above Triple-A and retired in February 2018. Asked in an ESPN.com article if he was the biggest draft bust of all time, Appel replied, "I probably am."
Appel's story wasn't quite over yet, however. He returned to the Phillies organization in 2021 after three seasons away from the game and made his MLB debut on June 29, 2022, pitching a scoreless ninth inning for the Phillies just a few days shy of his 31st birthday.
It made Appel the oldest former No. 1 overall pick to make his MLB debut.
2. Matt Bush
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Texas Rangers pitcher Matt Bush in a game against the Kansas City Royals in 2017.Position: Shortstop
Hometown/school: San Diego, Calif./Mission Bay High School
Year drafted: 2004
Team that drafted him: San Diego Padres
They could've picked: 2011 AL MVP and seven-time All-Star Justin Verlander (No. 2, Detroit Tigers), three-time All-Star Jered Weaver (No. 12, Anaheim Angels)
Bottom Line: Matt Bush
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Matt Bush collected a $3.15 million signing bonus and suspension before ever stepping on the field after a felony assault arrest. He struggled at the plate and converted to pitcher in 2007.
Released by Padres for drunkenly beating up a 14-year-old lacrosse player in 2009, he was sentenced to 51 months in prison for DUI hit-and-run in 2012 and served three years in prison.
The Rangers signed Bush after a tryout in a Golden Corral parking lot in 2015 (he worked there), and called him up to the majors a year later. Pitching mostly in relief, Bush has thrown 137 innings and is 10-6 with a 3.35 ERA and 11 saves over three seasons from 2016 to 2018.
1. Brien Taylor
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Brien Taylor participates in fielding drills at the Seattle Mariners Double-A spring training camp in Peoria, Ariz., in 1999.Position: Left-handed pitcher
Hometown/School: Beaufort, N.C./East Carteret High School
Year drafted: 1991
Team that drafted him: New York Yankees
They could've picked: 2004 World Series MVP and 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez (No. 12, Cleveland Indians)
Bottom Line: Brien Taylor
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Then-suspended Yankees owner George Steinbrenner told the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel that team management "should be shot" if they didn’t sign Brien Taylor, who wound up with a three-year, $1.55 million contract.
The left-hander destroyed his shoulder during a fight at a trailer park in his North Carolina hometown after two years in the minors.
He never rose above Double-A before retiring in 2000. After leaving the game, Taylor was charged with child abuse in 2005 and pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking in 2012 and received a four-year sentence.