College Hitters - 2001 Draft

1st Round

5. Mark Teixeira - 3B, Georgia Tech - Texas Rangers: Teixeira was considered the top college hitter in the 2001 draft and, unlike Nady the previous year, he was drafted accordingly. He spent only one season in the minors before making his debut in 2003. He's done nothing to disappoint since then as he's hit 140 homers and driven in 450 runs. His strike out totals have reached triple digits for each of his first four seasons but has maintained a batting average between .280 and .300. Outcome: Huge hit.
10. Chris Burke - IF, Tennessee - Houston Astros: Burke firmly established himself in the Majors during the 2005 season. He's not a huge home run threat unlike former Volunteer and current Rockie Todd Helton (well, we can debate that now), but he's versatile enough to play three positions as a singles hitter. Outcome: Hit. I look forward to 2007 for him should he find a full-time gig on a team.
14. Jake Gautreau - IF, Tulane - San Diego Padres: His debut in 2001 and his 2002 season were nice, but it was all down hill after that. He is now a part of the Indians' farm system but his time has passed. Outcome: Miss.
15. Gabe Gross - OF, Auburn - Toronto Blue Jays: Gross was a QB on the Auburn football team but he had a better future in baseball. With the exception of 2002, his minor league numbers showed the signs of a future Major Leaguer. He had two stints in Toronto starting in 2004, but was traded to the Brewers in December of '05. His 2006 performance showed that he may have better future as a fourth outfielder. Outcome: Hit for making the Majors.
19. Mike Fontenot - IF, LSU - Baltimore Orioles: Fontenot emerged in 2003 as a top prospect with a season of: .325 BA, .399 OBP, .481 SLG, 12 HR and 66 RBI. He fell off somewhat in '04 and was traded to the Cubs in '05. He may have a future with the Cubs, but Eric Patterson might have something to say about that. Outcome: Miss.
23. John-Ford Griffin - OF, Florida State - New York Yankees: Griffin never batted under .400 while he played for the Seminoles, but I believe there were questions concerning his ability to hit with a wood bat. He had a nice debut in the NY-Penn League where he hit over .300 in 60+ games. He started off slowly in 2002 for Tampa but was promoted to AA Norwich midway through the season. He played only 18 games there before he was involved in the Jeff Weaver deal. He was sent to the A's and played two games for AA Midland. In January of '03 he was traded to the Blue Jays and saw a couple good seasons at AA New Hampshire and New Haven where he reached 22 and 30 homers. He was an International League All-Star in '05 and was called up for 7 games. He regressed this past season as a result of not being able to stay on the field. Outcome: Miss. He's defensively challenged even as a LF after suffering an arm injury in college. If he can stick in the Majors, it'll probably be as a platoon player in the AL as he'll switch between DH and LF.
25. Bobby Crosby - SS, Long Beach State - Oakland Athletics: Upon signing with the A's, Crosby immediately started at High-A Modesto and spent half of '02 there before a promotion to AA Midland. He showcased his hitting skills but not much in the way of power. In 2003, he exploded for 22 homers with Sacramento of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. In '04 he was a near unanimous AL Rookie of the Year after hitting 22 home runs. It's been hard for Crosby to finish the season as he's battled a number of injuries the past two seasons. Outcome: Hit, though he may become more of a one-hit wonder-type of player.
32. Mike Woods - IF, Southern - Detroit Tigers: Oft-injured, Woods is now out of baseball. He had a solid debut but injured his knee twice in 2002. He played 116 games in 2003 but helped little in the way of regaining his prospect status (though he was #30 in a weak Tigers system during the 2003/4 off-season. Outcome: Miss.
40. Richard Lewis - IF, Georgia Tech - Atlanta Braves: With the exception of his 2004 season, Lewis has been a major disappointment after his time as a top hitter for the Yellow Jackets. In 2004 he was an All-Star and the Southern League MVP in his debut in the Cubs system. Outcome: Miss.
41. Todd Linden - OF, LSU - San Francisco Giants: Linden made his Major League debut in 2003 after spending the majority of the season with AA Shreveport in the Texas League. He's been with the Giants in each of the three seasons after that, but never for a full season. He played in 60 games but had fewer ABs than he had in 2005; so did he really improve? Maybe his future is as pinch hitter. Outcome: Minor Hit.

48. Kelly Shoppach - C, Baylor - Boston Red Sox: I think most of us are familiar with Shoppach since he was a topic of discussion around here from 2005 to the 2006 trade deadline. While he was with Boston, Varitek blocked his path to being a Major League starter. He seems to have found a home in Cleveland as he was the backup catcher and appeared in 41 games. Had the trade to the Rockies gone through, he would probably be in a similar situation with Chris Iannetta. Outcome: To be determined? He did make the Majors (a plus) but I want to see what happens in '07.
54. Mike Rodriguez - OF, Miami-Fl. - Houston Astros: When I was going through this draft and came upon this guy I went, "Who?" He's been a decent organizational guy, but not much else. He'll probably get some form of Major League service, but nothing of what should be expected of a 2nd round pick. Outcome: Miss.
57. Dallas McPherson - IF, The Citadel - Anaheim Angels: McPherson showed he could hit for power and for average throughout his minor league career. As the 2005 season rolled around he was one of the top prospects in the game and was one of the major reason Troy Glaus was let go following the 2004 season. Like Crosby he's been plagued by a rash of injuries. He did hit an inside-the-park home run this past season. Outcome: Hit, but anymore injuries and he'll be a "what could have been."
62. Shelley Duncan - OF, Arizona - New York Yankees: Yeah, the Yankees were still in the habit of making bad draft choices. He doesn't hit for average but he has shown power at every level so far. He strikes out once every four ABs. Outcome: Miss. It'll be hard for him to see the Majors as Yankee.
    

Later Round Successes

Ryan Theriot - 3rd Round - IF, LSU - Chicago Cubs: Showed some talent in limited action this season.

Scott Hairston - 3rd Round - IF, Central Arizona College - Arizona D'Backs: Appeared in 101 games during the '04 season, but has been in the minors for the majority of the past two seasons.

Adam Stern - 3rd Round - OF, Nebraska - Atlanta Braves: This name also sounds familiar. Hasn't had too much success in the Majors but reaching the Majors is still pretty nice.

Jeff Keppinger - 4th Round - IF, Georgia - Pittsburgh Pirates: He's spent time in the Majors with the Mets in '04 and the Royals in '06. Was the minor leaguer sent to the Mets along with Kris Benson in '04.

Brendan Harris - 5th Round - IF, College of William and Mary - Chicago Cubs: He's played in 52 games between three teams since 2004.

Ryan Howard - 5th Round - IF, South West Missouri State (Now Missouri State) - Philadelphia Phillies: Hmmm? He and Mark Teixeira are the class of college hitters here.

Chad Tracy - 7th Round - IF, East Carolina - Arizona D'Backs: Tracy's established himself as a threat with the D'Backs. He's hit 55 homers in three seasons

Dan Johnson - 7th Round - IF, Nebraska - Oakland Athletics: A steady, unspectacular 1st baseman for the A's.

Chris Duffy - 8th Round - OF, Arizona State - Pittsburgh Pirates: He's contributed to the Pirates.

Kevin Youkilis - 8th Round - IF, Cincinnati - Boston Red Sox : The Greek God of Walks. Billy Beane's guy. He finally received a full-time gig with the Red Sox and had a nice season. He walked 91 times, but also struck out 120 times.

Luke Scott - 9th Round - OF, Oklahoma State - Cleveland Indians: Saw time in 2005 with the Astros. 2006 was much better as he received more playing time. He'll be 29 in June so there isn't much upside to wait for. It's more than likely he'll see a dip in numbers if he plays the same role next season.

Dan Uggla - 11th Round - IF, Memphis - Arizona D'Backs: Enjoyed a fine rookie season for the Marlins in '06.

Jason Bartlett - 13th Round - IF, Oklahoma - San Diego Padres: He's a singles hitter who started the majority of games at SS for the Twins in '06.

Jonny Gomes - 18th Round - OF, Santa Rosa CC - Tampa Bay Devil Rays: He finished 3rd in the '05 AL Rookie of the Year Voting. His average fell dramatically but he also increased his walks total.

Chris Shelton- 33rd Round - C-1B, Nevada - Pittsburgh Pirates: He debuted in '05 with a nice season for the Tigers and was blazing hot for the first month in '06. His production fell off and is currently back in the minors while the Tigers compete for the World Series.