1st Round
- Drew Meyer - SS, South Carolina - Texas Rangers: The former Gamecock All-American, Meyer was the first college position player taken in what now looks like a lackluster draft for college hitters. It's been hard for Meyer to find time on the field and when he has, the results haven't always been great. His best season was in 2003 when he split time between the Cal League and the Texas League. He repeated the TL in 2004 and only played in 59 games. He spent the first half of 2005 in AA (with nice numbers) before a promotion to AAA Oklahoma. He played a career-high 95 games in 2006 and saw a promotion to Texas. During the 2004 Rule 5 Draft, every team bypassed him. Outcome: Miss.
- Khalil Greene - SS, Clemson - San Diego Padres: As a junior, Greene was chosen in the 14th round by the Cubs. Feeling unsatisfied, Greene returned for his senior season. He established a number of records for Clemson and his draft stock rose dramatically. A year later, he played in 20 games for the Padres. In 2004, he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Jason Bay. The last two seasons haven't been as nice as 2004 and he saw action in the 2006 playoffs off the bench. Outcome: Hit, though I am (and a number of others, no doubt) disappointed in his play the last two years.
- Russ Adams - SS, North Carolina - Toronto Blue Jays: Adams steadily improved his performance in the minors before a call-up in 2004. He lacked the range to be a true SS but didn't move to 2B until this season (and even then he split time between the two positions). 2005, his first full season, was nice despite a .256 BA. He showed great discipline at the plate, but spent time in AAA for the Blue Jays in 2006. Outcome: A hit for making the Majors.
- Nick Swisher - OF, Ohio State - Oakland Athletics: Yeah, this was the "Moneyball" for Billy Beane. This was the guy Beane would fly across the country to watch live. He was the guy who Beane wasn't; he was Lenny Dykstra. Dykstra's demeanor, that is. What Swisher lacks in BA he's made up for in homers. He also knows how to take a walk, but he's been better at K'ing more at this point in his two-year career. Outcome: Hit.
- John McCurdy - SS, Maryland - Oakland Athletics: Another one of Beane's picks, but this one hasn't panned out well. McCurdy has stalled at High A for three seasons and lacks the plate discipline that the A's prefer. Outcome: Miss.
- Jeremy Brown - C, Alabama - Oakland Athletics: One of the bigger stories in "Moneyball," Brown is certainly nothing like Michael Lewis tried to portray him as (outside of the body image). He played five games for the A's this season. Outcome: Miss.
- Mark Teahen - 3B, St. Mary's - Oakland Athletics: Carlos Beltran. Yeah, Teahen was involved in that three team deal in 2004. He became a fixture in Kansas City the following season and had a nice season for the team this year. Outcome: Hit. But what is in store for his future as Alex Gordon is rounding third base to the Majors?
2nd Round
- Michael Johnson - 1B, Clemson - San Diego Padres: Though Johnson was drafted in 2002, the negotiations went sour over money and he returned for his senior year at Clemson. As a fifth-year senior, the Padres controlled his rights as a draft-and-follow. He signed right before the deadline in 2003. Johnson has maintained the home run stroke he showed while at Clemson for the most part but he's been plagued by injuries at every stop along the way. He reached AA this year but played in fewer games than the previous two seasons. Outcome: Miss. Injuries really hurt him.
- Jeremy Reed - OF Long Beach State - Chicago White Sox: Reed reached top prospect status after a sensational 2003 between High-A and AA. He hit .333 for half a season at the lower level and .409 at the higher one. In 2004 Reed was having a decent season at AAA Charlotte before he was involved in the Freddy Garcia trade with the Mariners. He spent all of 2005 in Majors with the Mariners and had an unremarkable rookie season. In 2006, Reed broke his thumb and missed the entire second half of the season after being placed in the 60-day DL. Outcome: Hit.
- Fred Lewis - OF, Southern - San Francisco Giants: It's been a steady improvement for Lewis on each rung of the ladder. While a dip in batting average has occurred each of the last two seasons, Lewis has put up better numbers in other categories. Home runs have increased, and his triples have been constant for the most part. He knows how to steal a base with 121 in five seasons. He played 12 games for the Giants this past season. Outcome: I can't call this a miss and I can't call it a hit just yet. If he doesn't see significant playing time in 2007 then he'll be a miss.
- Steve Stanley - OF, Notre Dame - Oakland Athletics: Steve Stanley retired from baseball seven games into his 2006 campaign. He had a great 2004 when he hit .419 in 36 games with AA Midland before a promotion to AAA Sacramento. He struggled there and began 2005 back in Midland where he had a decent season. He retired for family reasons. Outcome: Miss, but he really knew how to work the strike zone.
- Chris Snyder - C, Houston - Arizona Diamondbacks: Snyder started his Minor League career off at High-A Lancaster after a nice stint as a Cougar. In 60 games there he hit nine homers and drove in 44 runs. In 2003 he returned to Lancaster for half of the season before a promotion to El Paso. He struggled offensively for 53 games and began 2004 there as well. He did pretty well there and played in 29 games for the D'Backs. He spent all of 2005 with the D'Backs though he wasn't great offensively. He settled into a platoon with Johnny Estrada in 2006. Outcome: Hit.
- Pat Osborn - 3B, Florida - Cleveland Indians: He's reached AA Akron but 2006 was a repeat year. There's still a chance he could make the Majors. Outcome: Miss.
- Curtis Granderson - OF, Illinois-Chicago - 3rd Round - Detroit Tigers: What a way to spend your first full season in the Majors! Unfortunately, he and the Tigers were unable to win the World Series.
- Jeff Baker - 3B, Clemson - 4th Round - Colorado Rockies: Let's see what he'll do in 2007, but this was certainly one of the better picks of the draft.
- Ryan Spilborghs - OF, UC-Santa Barbara - 7th Round - Colorado Rockies: The Rockies continue to make good picks in the later rounds. What exactly is his role in 2007?
- Ryan Shealy - 1B, Florida - 11th Round - Colorado Rockies: A product of circumstance, Shealy probably would already be a big hit in the Majors if Helton hadn't been in his way. A mid-season trade in 2006 sent Shealy to the Royals. 2007 should be interesting for him.
- Paul McAnulty - 1B, Long Beach State - 12th Round - San Diego Padres: He's played in 38 games for the Padres.
- Chris Denorfia - OF, Wheaton College - 19th Round - Cincinatti Reds: Denorfia emerged after a solid 2005 in the minors and performed quite well for the Reds in 2006.