Mets360 Draft series: The 2001 MLB Draft

The 2001 draft started with a bang and – outside of a handful of hits beyond the first half dozen picks – fizzled considerably as it climbed toward 100.  Five of the first six players selected in 2001 have posted a career bWAR in double digits.  However, only five of the remaining 94 players in that draft’s top 100 can make that claim.

The Minnesota Twins hit a home run with top overall pick Joe Mauer, who was a pretty easy choice at that spot after being named USA Today’s High School Player of the Year as a catcher in the Twins’ backyard (St. Paul).  Mauer became the face of the franchise Minnesota envisioned, compiling a 53.4 bWAR through 2017 and claiming American League MVP honors in 2009.

The draft’s top five picks concluded with another player who has accumulated a career bWAR north of 50 in Mark Teixeira, who went to Texas.  The Rangers only had one pick among the draft’s first 100 and they made it count.

A third player selected within the draft’s top five also was seemingly destined to reach 50 career bWAR.  Mark Prior, taken second overall by the Cubs, posted a 7.4 bWAR as an 18-game winner in 2003.  However, injuries limited him to just 18 more victories and 5.2 bWAR in the remainder of a career that did not extend beyond 2006.

Here were the picks in the order they were made:

OvPck	Team	Signed	Name	WAR	Type
1	Twins	Y	Joe Mauer	53.4	HS
2	Cubs	Y	Mark Prior	16.6	4Yr
3	Devil Rays	Y	Dewon Brazelton	-3	4Yr
4	Phillies	Y	Gavin Floyd	15.9	HS
5	Rangers	Y	Mark Teixeira	51.8	4Yr
6	Expos	Y	Josh Karp	10.2	4Yr
7	Orioles	Y	Chris Smith		4Yr
8	Pirates	Y	John VanBenschoten	-3.5	4Yr
9	Royals	Y	Colt Griffin		HS
10	Astros	Y	Chris Burke	-1.2	4Yr
11	Tigers	Y	Kenny Baugh		4Yr
12	Brewers	Y	Mike Jones		HS
13	Angels	Y	Casey Kotchman	7.5	HS
14	Padres	Y	Jake Gautreau		4Yr
15	Blue Jays	Y	Gabe Gross	4.7	4Yr
16	White Sox via Marlins	Y	*Kris Honel		HS
17	Indians via Red Sox	Y	*Dan Denham		HS
18	Mets via Rockies	Y	*Aaron Heilman	1.8	4Yr
19	Orioles via Yankees	Y	*Mike Fontenot	4.5	4Yr
20	Reds	N	Jeremy Sowers	1.6	HS
21	Giants via Indians	Y	*Brad Hennessey	2.7	4Yr
22	Diamondbacks	Y	Jason Bulger	0.8	4Yr
23	Yankees via Mariners	Y	*John-Ford Griffin	0.2	4Yr
24	Braves via Dodgers	Y	*Macay McBride	-0.2	HS
25	Athletics	Y	Bobby Crosby	5.4	4Yr
26	Athletics via Mets	Y	*Jeremy Bonderman	5.2	HS
27	Indians via White Sox	N	*Alan Horne		HS
28	Cardinals	Y	Justin Pope		4Yr
29	Braves	Y	Josh Burres		HS
30	Giants	Y	Noah Lowry	10.2	4Yr
31	Orioles	Y	*Bryan Bass		HS
32	Tigers	Y	*Michael Woods		4Yr
33	Angels	Y	*Jeff Mathis	1.2	HS
34	Yankees	Y	*Bronson Sardinha	0	HS
35	Indians	Y	*J.D. Martin	0.7	HS
36	Mariners	Y	*Michael Garciaparra		HS
37	Athletics	Y	*John Rheinecker	-0.3	4Yr
38	Mets	Y	*David Wright	49.9	HS
39	White Sox	Y	*Wyatt Allen		4Yr
40	Braves	Y	*Richard Lewis		4Yr
41	Giants	Y	*Todd Linden	-1.8	4Yr
42	Yankees	Y	*Jon Skaggs		4Yr
43	Indians	Y	*Mike Conroy		HS
44	Rockies	Y	*Jayson Nix	2.6	4Yr
45	Twins	Y	Scott Tyler		HS
46	Cubs	Y	Andy Sisco	0.8	HS
47	Devil Rays	Y	Jon Switzer	-0.5	4Yr
48	Red Sox via Phillies	Y	*Kelly Shoppach	8.1	4Yr
49	Mariners via Rangers	Y	*Rene Rivera	2.1	HS
50	Expos	Y	Don Levinski		HS
51	Indians via Orioles	Y	*Jake Dittler		HS
52	Braves via Pirates	N	*J.P. Howell	8	HS
53	Royals	Y	Roscoe Crosby		HS
54	Astros	Y	Mike Rodriguez		4Yr
55	Tigers	Y	Preston Larrison		4Yr
56	Brewers	Y	J.J. Hardy	28.2	HS
57	Angels	Y	Dallas McPherson	0.8	4Yr
58	Padres	N	Matt Harrington
59	Blue Jays	Y	Brandon League	2.6	HS
60	Marlins	Y	Garrett Berger		HS
61	Red Sox	N	Matt Chico	0.6	HS
62	Yankees via Rockies	Y	*Jason Arnold		4Yr
63	Yankees	Y	Shelley Duncan	0.9	4Yr
64	Reds	Y	Justin Gillman		HS
65	Tigers via Indians	Y	*Matt Coenen		4Yr
66	Diamondbacks	Y	Mike Gosling	0.1	4Yr
67	Mariners	Y	Mike Wilson	-0.4	HS
68	Dodgers	Y	Brian Pilkington		HS
69	Athletics	Y	Neal Cotts	5.3	4Yr
70	Mets	Y	Alhaji Turay		HS
71	White Sox	Y	Ryan Wing		JC
72	Cardinals	Y	Dan Haren	35.3	4Yr
73	Braves	Y	Cole Barthel		HS
74	Giants	Y	Jesse Foppert	-0.5	4Yr
75	Rockies	N	*David Taylor		HS
76	Mets	Y	*Corey Rangsdale		HS
77	Twins	Y	Jose Morales	0.6	HS
78	Cubs	Y	Ryan Theriot	6.4	4Yr
79	Devil Rays	Y	Chris Flinn		4Yr
80	Mariners via Phillies	Y	*Lazaro Abreu		HS
81	Angels via Rangers	Y	*Steven Shell	1.4	HS
82	Expos	Y	Mike Hinckley	0.9	HS
83	Orioles	Y	Dave Crouthers		4Yr
84	Pirates	N	Jeremy Guthrie	17.7	4Yr
85	Royals	Y	Matt Ferrera		HS
86	Astros	Y	Kirk Saarloos	1.1	4Yr
87	Tigers	Y	Jack Hannahan	6.7	4Yr
88	Brewers	Y	Jon Steitz		4Yr
89	Angels	Y	Jake Woods	0.5	JC
90	Padres	N	Tagg Bozied		4Yr
91	Blue Jays	Y	Tyrell Godwin	-0.1
92	Marlins	Y	Allen Baxter		HS
93	Red Sox	Y	Jon Devries		HS
94	Rockies	Y	Jason Frome		4Yr
95	Yankees	Y	Chase Wright	-0.1	HS
96	Reds	Y	Alan Moye		HS
97	Indians	Y	Nick Moran		4Yr
98	Diamondbacks	Y	Scott Hairston	6.5	JC
99	Mariners	Y	Tim Merritt		4Yr
100	Dodgers	Y	David Taylor		HS

The biggest hit outside of the draft’s opening six selections was by the New York Mets.  Chosen with the 38^th pick in the draft, David Wright has produced the draft’s third-highest bWAR to date at 49.9.  He actually would have given the 2001 draft three players over 50 career bWAR had he not been saddled with a -0.2 bWAR in an injury-marred 2016 campaign – which very well could be his last.

At full health and in his prime, Wright not only was the biggest star on the Mets – he also was among the faces of Major League Baseball.  He posted five seasons with an OPS over .900, topping out with a .963 mark in 2007.

Other hits beyond the draft’s top six include Dan Haren, who was drafted 72^nd overall by the Cardinals but didn’t emerge as a frontline starter until after a trade to the A’s.  Selected by the Brewers with the 56^th pick, J.J. Hardy also has produced a solid career as evidenced by a 28.2 career bWAR.  Jeremy Guthrie, who was taken with the 84^th pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates but did not sign, ended up posting a career bWAR of 17.7.

In terms of volume, the A’s had a decent draft, with Bobby Crosby, Neal Cotts and Jeremy Bonderman each eclipsing 5.0 career bWAR.  No other team had more than two.  Bonderman was a rare first-rounder selected out of high school by the Billy Beane regime and was traded to the Tigers the following year.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Devil Rays stuck out as a loser in this draft.  Including Dewon Brazelton, who was the only player selected in the top six picks not to produce a double-digit career bWAR, Tampa’s three choices in the top 100 produced a combined -3.5 bWAR.

Here’s the top 100 of the 2001 Draft sorted by bWAR:

OvPck	Team	Signed	Name	WAR	Type
1	Twins	Y	Joe Mauer	53.4	HS
5	Rangers	Y	Mark Teixeira	51.8	4Yr
38	Mets	Y	*David Wright	49.9	HS
72	Cardinals	Y	Dan Haren	35.3	4Yr
56	Brewers	Y	J.J. Hardy	28.2	HS
84	Pirates	N	Jeremy Guthrie	17.7	4Yr
2	Cubs	Y	Mark Prior	16.6	4Yr
4	Phillies	Y	Gavin Floyd	15.9	HS
6	Expos	Y	Josh Karp	10.2	4Yr
30	Giants	Y	Noah Lowry	10.2	4Yr
48	Red Sox via Phillies	Y	*Kelly Shoppach	8.1	4Yr
52	Braves via Pirates	N	*J.P. Howell	8	HS
13	Angels	Y	Casey Kotchman	7.5	HS
87	Tigers	Y	Jack Hannahan	6.7	4Yr
98	Diamondbacks	Y	Scott Hairston	6.5	JC
78	Cubs	Y	Ryan Theriot	6.4	4Yr
25	Athletics	Y	Bobby Crosby	5.4	4Yr
69	Athletics	Y	Neal Cotts	5.3	4Yr
26	Athletics via Mets	Y	*Jeremy Bonderman	5.2	HS
15	Blue Jays	Y	Gabe Gross	4.7	4Yr
19	Orioles via Yankees	Y	*Mike Fontenot	4.5	4Yr
21	Giants via Indians	Y	*Brad Hennessey	2.7	4Yr
44	Rockies	Y	*Jayson Nix	2.6	4Yr
59	Blue Jays	Y	Brandon League	2.6	HS
49	Mariners via Rangers	Y	*Rene Rivera	2.1	HS
18	Mets via Rockies	Y	*Aaron Heilman	1.8	4Yr
20	Reds	N	Jeremy Sowers	1.6	HS
81	Angels via Rangers	Y	*Steven Shell	1.4	HS
33	Angels	Y	*Jeff Mathis	1.2	HS
86	Astros	Y	Kirk Saarloos	1.1	4Yr
63	Yankees	Y	Shelley Duncan	0.9	4Yr
82	Expos	Y	Mike Hinckley	0.9	HS
22	Diamondbacks	Y	Jason Bulger	0.8	4Yr
46	Cubs	Y	Andy Sisco	0.8	HS
57	Angels	Y	Dallas McPherson	0.8	4Yr
35	Indians	Y	*J.D. Martin	0.7	HS
61	Red Sox	N	Matt Chico	0.6	HS
77	Twins	Y	Jose Morales	0.6	HS
89	Angels	Y	Jake Woods	0.5	JC
23	Yankees via Mariners	Y	*John-Ford Griffin	0.2	4Yr
66	Diamondbacks	Y	Mike Gosling	0.1	4Yr
34	Yankees	Y	*Bronson Sardinha	0	HS
91	Blue Jays	Y	Tyrell Godwin	-0.1
95	Yankees	Y	Chase Wright	-0.1	HS
24	Braves via Dodgers	Y	*Macay McBride	-0.2	HS
37	Athletics	Y	*John Rheinecker	-0.3	4Yr
67	Mariners	Y	Mike Wilson	-0.4	HS
47	Devil Rays	Y	Jon Switzer	-0.5	4Yr
74	Giants	Y	Jesse Foppert	-0.5	4Yr
10	Astros	Y	Chris Burke	-1.2	4Yr
41	Giants	Y	*Todd Linden	-1.8	4Yr
3	Devil Rays	Y	Dewon Brazelton	-3	4Yr
8	Pirates	Y	John VanBenschoten	-3.5	4Yr
12	Brewers	Y	Mike Jones		HS
11	Tigers	Y	Kenny Baugh		4Yr
16	White Sox via Marlins	Y	*Kris Honel		HS
17	Indians via Red Sox	Y	*Dan Denham		HS
29	Braves	Y	Josh Burres		HS
31	Orioles	Y	*Bryan Bass		HS
36	Mariners	Y	*Michael Garciaparra		HS
43	Indians	Y	*Mike Conroy		HS
53	Royals	Y	Roscoe Crosby		HS
54	Astros	Y	Mike Rodriguez		4Yr
55	Tigers	Y	Preston Larrison		4Yr
60	Marlins	Y	Garrett Berger		HS
62	Yankees via Rockies	Y	*Jason Arnold		4Yr
75	Rockies	N	*David Taylor		HS
80	Mariners via Phillies	Y	*Lazaro Abreu		HS
99	Mariners	Y	Tim Merritt		4Yr
100	Dodgers	Y	David Taylor		HS
7	Orioles	Y	Chris Smith		4Yr
9	Royals	Y	Colt Griffin		HS
14	Padres	Y	Jake Gautreau		4Yr
27	Indians via White Sox	N	*Alan Horne		HS
28	Cardinals	Y	Justin Pope		4Yr
32	Tigers	Y	*Michael Woods		4Yr
39	White Sox	Y	*Wyatt Allen		4Yr
40	Braves	Y	*Richard Lewis		4Yr
42	Yankees	Y	*Jon Skaggs		4Yr
45	Twins	Y	Scott Tyler		HS
50	Expos	Y	Don Levinski		HS
51	Indians via Orioles	Y	*Jake Dittler		HS
58	Padres	N	Matt Harrington
64	Reds	Y	Justin Gillman		HS
65	Tigers via Indians	Y	*Matt Coenen		4Yr
68	Dodgers	Y	Brian Pilkington		HS
70	Mets	Y	Alhaji Turay		HS
71	White Sox	Y	Ryan Wing		JC
73	Braves	Y	Cole Barthel		HS
76	Mets	Y	*Corey Rangsdale		HS
79	Devil Rays	Y	Chris Flinn		4Yr
83	Orioles	Y	Dave Crouthers		4Yr
85	Royals	Y	Matt Ferrera		HS
88	Brewers	Y	Jon Steitz		4Yr
90	Padres	N	Tagg Bozied		4Yr
92	Marlins	Y	Allen Baxter		HS
93	Red Sox	Y	Jon Devries		HS
94	Rockies	Y	Jason Frome		4Yr
96	Reds	Y	Alan Moye		HS
97	Indians	Y	Nick Moran		4Yr

All in all, the first 100 picks of the 2001 draft accumulated a bWAR of 370, but nearly 40 percent of that total came before the seventh player came off the board.  As this project continues, it will be determined if this draft was a top-heavy outlier or more in line with the norm.

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