2009 MLB Draft: Where Are First-Round Players Now?
Thanks to names like Mike Trout, Stephen Strasburg, Nolan Arenado and Dallas Keuchel, it’s impossible to declare the 2009 MLB Draft a bust. But there is a decided lack of depth among the selections and a preponderance of first-rounders (nine) who never played an inning of big league ball. There is a collection of All-Stars among the crop and some late-round finds — among them J.D. Martinez and Paul Goldschmidt — that save the draft from being a complete catastrophe, but no MLB executives will be wistfully remembering this one. Unless it’s the Angels brass snickering about how they grabbed Trout at No. 25.
1. Nationals: Stephen Strasburg, RHP
San Diego State • Washington (’10-18)
Strasburg was one of the most heralded draft picks in recent history, thanks to his 13–1 record during the ’09 season at San Diego State that featured 195 strikeouts in 109 innings. He spent all of 11 games in the minors and went 5–3 in his 2010 rookie campaign with a 2.91 ERA. But Tommy John surgery robbed him of the majority of the ’11 season, and though he was healthy in 2012, the Nationals limited his innings to 159.1, even though he went 15–6 and made the NL All-Star team. Strasburg didn’t pitch in the postseason, a move that angered some. He has won 15 games twice since — in 2016, ’17 — but has battled injuries.
All-Star Games: 3
2. Mariners: Dustin Ackley, OF
North Carolina • Seattle (’11-15), N.Y. Yankees (’15-16)
Ackley was supposed to be a great blend of speed and power, but he never became a standout. His finest season came in 2014, when he hit 14 homers and knocked in 65 runs. The Mariners were patient with him, but he never really emerged. After spending a total of 51 games with the Yankees, he was released in November 2016, and he spent the last two years in the Angels minor league system.
All-Star Games: 0
3. Padres: Donavan Tate, OF
Cartersville (Ga.) HS
Let’s hope Tate invested his $6.7 million signing bonus wisely, because he never played beyond the Class A-advanced level. The son of former University of Georgia and NFL running back Lars Tate, Donavan struggled early in his career with injuries. He lasted five seasons in the San Diego organization before spending his final campaign in the Dodgers organization.
All-Star Games: 0
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4. Pirates: Tony Sanchez, C
Boston College • Pittsburgh (’13-15), Atlanta (’17)
Although Sanchez spent parts of four seasons in the majors, he registered a mere 156 plate appearances and never played more than 26 games (2014). Sanchez was with seven different organizations from ’09-18 and was most recently in the Rangers system. Texas released him in November 2018.
All-Star Games: 0
5. Orioles: Matt Hobgood, RHP
Norco (Calif.) HS
Hobgood did not exactly make a good debut in the Baltimore organization, showing up overweight and lacking the velocity that had made him a coveted prospect. He struggled with shoulder issues during his seven seasons in the minors and, after deciding to become a position player, found no team — organized or independent — willing to sign him.
All-Star Games: 0
6. Giants: Zack Wheeler, RHP
East Paulding (Ga.) HS • N.Y. Mets (’13-14, ’17-18)
It has been quite a circuitous journey for Wheeler, who battled elbow problems and ineffectiveness to post a 12–7 record with a 3.31 ERA in 2018. Wheeler spent two years in the Giants system but was traded to the Mets in 2011 in the Carlos Beltran deal. After posting an 18–16 record in two seasons (’13-14), he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015. He started 17 games in 2017 for New York and staged an inspired comeback the following year as a sturdy member of the starting staff.
All-Star Games: 0
7. Braves: Mike Minor, LHP
Vanderbilt • Atlanta (’10-14), Kansas City (’17), Texas (’18)
It took a trip to the bullpen for Minor to rediscover the form that made him such a coveted prospect. During five years as a starter with the Braves, Minor was 38–36, with his 13–9, 3.21 ERA performance in 2013 his best. A torn labrum and recovery from surgery sidelined him in 2015 and ’16, and when he signed with the Royals in ’17, he became a top-notch reliever who made 65 appearances and posted a 2.55 ERA. He signed a three-year deal with Texas before 2018 to start again and was 12–8 last year with a 4.18 ERA.
All-Star Games: 0
8. Reds: Mike Leake, RHP
Arizona State • Cincinnati (’10-15), San Francisco (’15),
St. Louis (’16-17), Seattle (’17-18)
The well-traveled Leake has been a sturdy starter throughout his career, even if his 93–87 record and 4.03 career ERA are unspectacular. He made a quick impression on the big leagues by going 12–9 with a 3.86 ERA in 2011 for the Reds. Two years later, he was 14–7 with a 3.37 ERA with Cincinnati. Leake has started 30 or more games seven times during his career and was 10–10 with a 4.36 ERA for the Mariners in 2018.
All-Star Games: 0
9. Tigers: Jacob Turner, RHP
Westminster Christian (Mo.) Academy • Detroit (’11-12), Miami (’12-14), Chicago Cubs (’14), Chicago White Sox (’16), Washington (’17), Miami (’18), Detroit (’18)
Turner has bounced between six different teams and the bigs and bushes during his career, which has been spent primarily as a starter. He registered six wins during stints with the Marlins and Cubs in 2014, but his overall mark that season was 6–11. After returning to the Tigers during the ’18 season and giving up seven runs (five earned) in his lone start, Turner declared himself a free agent following the season.
All-Star Games: 0
10. Nationals: Drew Storen, RHP
Stanford • Washington (’10-15), Toronto (’16), Seattle (’16), Cincinnati (’17)
Storen came into the big leagues as a reliever and has never started an MLB game. He was a stalwart in the Nats bullpen and saved 43 games in 2011. Storen lost his closer’s job in 2015, when Washington acquired Jonathan Papelbon, and he was traded to Toronto in January 2016. The Blue Jays dealt him to Seattle later that season, and Storen signed for the 2017 season with Cincinnati, for whom he went 4–2 with a 4.45 ERA. He missed the ’18 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
All-Star Games: 0
11. Rockies: Tyler Matzek, LHP
Capistrano Valley (Calif.) HS • Colorado (’14-15)
Matzek spent parts of two seasons with the Rockies, making 24 starts and posting an 8–12 record with a 4.06 ERA. Matzek signed contracts with the White Sox and Mariners before the 2017 and ’18 seasons, respectively, but was released before the regular-season campaign began each time. He spent 2018 with the Texas AirHogs of the independent American Association.
All-Star Games: 0
12. Royals: Aaron Crow, RHP
Missouri • Kansas City (’11-14)
During his four years with the Royals, Crow proved himself to be a durable, productive reliever and earned an All-Star berth in 2011, his first season in the bigs. Crow posted a 20–11 record during his MLB career with a 3.43 ERA. In 2012, Crow appeared in 73 games for Kansas City, and the next season, he won seven games. He spent the ’18 campaign in the Mexican League.
All-Star Games: 1
13. A’s: Grant Green, INF
USC • Oakland (’13), L.A. Angels (’13-15), San Francisco (’16), Washington (’17)
Green never found a full-time MLB job, largely because his hitting wasn’t potent enough. He played 43 games for the Angels in 2014 and hit .273, but his on-base percentage was just .282. From 2015-17, Green played in just 41 games for three different teams and demonstrated little pop. He played part of 2018 in the Mexican League.
All-Star Games: 0
14. Rangers: Matt Purke, LHP
Klein (Texas) HS • Chicago White Sox (’16)
Purke refused to sign with the Rangers, despite a reported $4 million bonus offer. Instead, he went to TCU, earned second-team All-America status with the Horned Frogs and was picked in the third round of the 2011 draft by Washington. He never made it past AA ball with the Nats, in part due to shoulder and elbow problems. He pitched in 12 games for the White Sox in ’16, posting an 0–1 record with a 5.50 ERA, and spent the next two seasons in Triple-A.
All-Star Games: 0
15. Indians: Alex White, RHP
North Carolina • Cleveland (’11), Colorado (’11-12)
White’s two years in the majors were hardly memorable, as he posted a 5–13 record with a 6.03 ERA primarily as a starter. He has since undergone Tommy John surgery, spent parts of two seasons in the Houston and Atlanta organizations and has pitched the last two years for independent teams.
All-Star Games: 0
16. Diamondbacks: Bobby Borchering, 3B
Bishop Verot (Fla.) HS
Arizona bestowed a $1.8 million signing bonus on the power-hitting corner infielder, and let’s hope he held onto it, because he never played in a big league game and didn’t spend much time above Class A ball. Borchering hit 24 homers in both 2011 and ’12, but he struck out a bunch and never hit for a particularly high average.
All-Star Games: 0
17. Diamondbacks: A.J. Pollock, OF
Notre Dame • Arizona (’12-18)
Despite struggling with injuries (elbow, groin), Pollock has established himself as a strong outfielder with the ability to hit for power. He has hit 20 or more homers twice and has reached .800 in OPS four times, including his 2015 All-Star season, when he hit .315 with 20 homers, 76 RBIs, 39 doubles and an .865 OPS.
All-Star Games: 1
18. Marlins: Chad James, LHP
Yukon (Okla.) HS
James never pitched an inning in the majors, but he did get suspended three times for drug use and was out of baseball following the 2015 season. In 109 minor league games — all but 13 of them at the Class A level — James posted a 22–44 record with a 4.51 ERA.
All-Star Games: 0
19. Cardinals: Shelby Miller, RHP
Brownwood (Texas) HS • St. Louis (’12-14), Atlanta (’15), Arizona (’16-18)
Miller has had a strange MLB career. After posting a 15–9 record during his first full season (2013) and a 10–9 mark the year after, he hasn’t had a winning record since. However, he did make the NL All-Star team in 2015, despite finishing the year with a 6–17 record. Miller started the season strong but was a victim of poor run support (2.59 per nine innings). Since then, elbow problems have limited his effectiveness.
All-Star Games: 1
20. Blue Jays: Chad Jenkins, RHP
Kennesaw State • Toronto (’12-15)
Jenkins bounced between the majors and minors during the four years he pitched with the Blue Jays and did have some success, primarily as a reliever. In 2013, he posted a 1–0 mark and 2.70 ERA in 10 appearances, three of them starts. The next year, he was 1–1 with a 2.56 ERA in 21 games, each in a relief role. After that, he lost favor in the Toronto organization and was out of baseball following the 2016 season.
All-Star Games: 0
21. Astros: Jiovanni Mier, SS
Bonita (Calif.) HS
Mier has never played a game in the majors and played the 2018 season for Tijuana of the Mexican League. He spent time in the Houston, Toronto and N.Y. Mets organizations but was never able to demonstrate the offensive prowess necessary to earn a trip to the big leagues.
All-Star Games: 0
22. Twins: Kyle Gibson, RHP
Missouri • Minnesota (’13-18)
Gibson has been a serviceable and durable starter for the Twins during his six years in the majors, posting a career mark of 54–61, with a 4.47 ERA. He recorded winning records in 2014 (13–12) and 2017 (12–10) and was 11–11 during the ’15 season. Gibson has started more than 30 games three times and has thrown more than 190 innings twice.
All-Star Games: 0
23. White Sox: Jared Mitchell, OF
LSU
Mitchell came to the Sox with plenty of promise, after being the Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 College World Series. And though he climbed to the AAA ranks quickly, Mitchell never took the final step to the majors. He has spent time in the White Sox, Angels, Yankees and Reds organizations and played part of the 2016 and all of the ’17 and ’18 seasons in the independent ranks.
All-Star Games: 0