TOP 15 MLB DRAFT BUSTS Of The 1980's!! - CAN'T MISS Prospects FALL Completely FLAT!!

Welcome to another edition of Humm Baby Busts and today we enter into the decade of the 1980’s, possibly the best decade ever for draft picks with names like Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas and Roger Clemens among many other superstars. However, there were also many major busts, many whom were taken ahead of some of the legends I just mentioned. Many of these high picks taken in the top 10 never even made the big leagues. So, let’s get into it today with the Top 15 MLB Draft Busts of the 1980’s.

Ty Griffin

#15 Ty Griffin – 1988, 9th Overall – Chicago Cubs

The 1988 MLB Draft was full of massive talent and the Chicago Cubs made the tough decision to pass on Robin Ventura, who was taken 1 spot later by the White Sox. The Cubs instead went with a switch-hitting second baseman out of Georgia Tech named Ty Griffin, with plans to move him to third base due to already having Ryne Sandberg at 2nd. Griffin, a 5-tool talent, had stolen 50 bases in a season, just being caught 4 times and had big power potential as well. He hit .322 for his college career with 22 homers and 127 total steals. After the move third base, he struggled, making 23 errors in 1989 with Double-A Charlotte and also hit poorly with a .231 average, and just 3 home runs. In 1990 his average dropped to just .209 and he had injury problems with bursitis in his throwing shoulder. Griffin was never able to really produce at a high level in the minors, although his speed still resulted in 94 career minor league steals. From 1993 to 1997 he played in the Independent Leagues aside from one year, 1995, in which he played in Double-A with the Cardinals organization, hitting .274 with 11 homers and 12 steals. Griffin never made it the big leagues, but has no regrets about his playing career and went on to be the head coach at Tampa Catholic High School for 10 years.

Drew Hall

#14 Drew Hall – 1984, 3rd Overall – Chicago Cubs

After losing 91 games in 1983, the Cubs had a chance to enhance their farm system with the 3rd overall pick in the 1984 MLB Draft. They passed over names like Jay Bell, Mark McGwire and Tom Glavine to select a left-handed pitcher named Drew Hall out of Moorhead State. He had just gone 9-1 with a 2.18 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 70 innings and was a member of the U.S. Olympic team. Unfortunately, his numbers fell drastically in the minor leagues, although he was serviceable. Hall went 10-7 in 1985 with a 4.67 ERA. He struck out 8.6 batters per nine but also walked 5.3 The following year in Double-A, he went 8-11 with a 3.58 ERA, good enough to be promoted to the big leagues. He started 4 games for the Cubs and went 1-2, giving up 12 runs and 10 walks in 23 innings. Hall was sent to the bullpen for the following year and struggled in the role until the Cubs traded him to the Rangers in a famous trade that sent Mitch Williams to Chicago. He was a serviceable relief pitcher for the Rangers in 1989 then the Expos in 1990 before spending the next four seasons in Triple-A before retiring. Hall had a career 5.21 ERA with a -1.2 WAR, but because he made the big leagues and had some moderate success as a reliever, he doesn’t come in too high on the list.

Terry Blocker

#13 Terry Blocker – 1981, 4th Overall – New York Mets

In 1981 with their 4th overall pick, the Mets went with a talented college outfielder named Terry Blocker. He had just completed a phenomenal year at Tennessee State, hitting .402 with 11 home runs, 11 triples and 34 steals in 35 attempts. In 119 college attempts, he was caught stealing just 3 times. He entered Low A in 1981 and was instantly electric, hitting .341 with 14 steals and 7 home runs in 36 games. The next year in Double-A, Blocker regressed some, hitting just .260 with 5 homers in 438 at bats, but he did steal 40 bases. His batting average improved over the next couple seasons, although his power never developed. Blocker was promoted to the big leagues in 1985 but went 1 for 15. The Mets never promoted him again despite a couple more solid seasons in Triple-A. He was traded to the Braves for Kevin Brown and got an extended shot in the bigs with 210 plate appearances, but hit just .212 with a .533 OPS and 1 single stolen base. 1989 was Blocker’s final pro season, and he hit .226 for Atlanta, but spent most of the year in the minors. Even his speed was gone at this point, as he stole just 4 bases all season long, but was caught 5 times.

In 1995, Blocker attended Spring Training as a replacement player with the Braves and made headlines after helping police track down the murderer of his teammate, David Shotkoski, who was shot by a man named Neal Evans during a robbery attempt in West Palm Beach. Blocker scoured through the worst parts of town, gathering information and ultimately discovering the name of the killer. Police made the arrest and offered reward money to Blocker, but he refused it, telling them to give the money to Shotkoski’s wife.

Mike King

#12 Mike King – 1980, 4th Overall – Oakland Athletics

In 1980 with their 4th overall pick, the Oakland A’s tried to save some bonus money and drafted a talented pitcher out of a Division II school called Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa. His name was Mike King. King dominated batters in his conference, winning the division’s Most Valuable Pitcher award, but he had never faced top level competition. He certainly deserved to be drafted after striking out 93 batters in 56 innings with a .47 ERA, but taking him 4th overall was a huge risk.

The A’s paid King only $35,000, the lowest bonus in the Top 25. Then, they made the baffling decision to throw him straight in Triple-A, where he would face seasoned hitters, many with big league experience. He went 0-4 with a 7.71 ERA, walking 31 batters in just 20 innings. The next year he was traded to the Cubs, who sent him to Single-A, where he should’ve been in the first place. With his confidence likely already busted, King went 1-3 with a 5.53 ERA in 11 starts, walking 41 batters in 49 innings. He was promoted to Double-A but was even worse with a 7.76 ERA. He ended up in the Yankees organization but never could completely solve his control issues. He was also not blowing too many hitters away, striking out just 5.4 batters per 9 throughout his minor league career. Ultimately, although King was a bust, I can’t put him too high on this list because he should’ve never been taken 4th overall and certainly should not have started his minor league career in Triple-A.

Donald Harris

#11 Donald Harris – 1989, 5th Overall – Texas Rangers

With the 5th pick of the 1989 Draft, the Texas Rangers went with a raw but toolesy Texas Tech outfielder, Donald Harris, ahead of potential picks like Frank Thomas and Mo Vaughn. Harris was a multi-sport athlete who was also an All-Southwest Conference Safety for the Texas Tech. As a baseball player, he hit .322 with 10 homers, and a .938 OPS. He also had tremendous speed, although likely due to a coaching decision, he didn’t steal a lot of bases. He also missed a lot of baseball due to his football obligations. After a solid stint in rookie ball in 1989, Harris was sent to Single-A in 1990, but struggled, hitting just .184. In Double-A in 1992, he hit just .227 with a low .278 on-base percentage and 11 home runs. He stole 9 bases but was caught 8 times. Despite these stats, the Rangers promoted Harris and he had successful call-up, going 3 for 8 with a home run. But this small sample size was deceiving and in 1992, he hit .182 with 15 strikeouts in 33 at bats. They gave him one last look in 1993, but Harris hit .197 and retired after two more seasons in the minors. After retiring from baseball, he continues to stay around baseball, attending various camps and youth leagues, where he serves as a mentor and motivational speaker.

Stan Hilton

#10 Stan Hilton – 1983, 5th Overall – Oakland Athletics

1983 was a somewhat slow draft, but it did produce one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history, Roger Clemens at #19. The A’s passed on Clemens and took a different right handed arm at #5 with Baylor University pitcher Stan Hilton. Hilton was among college baseball’s leaders in ERA and strikeouts, but his talent did not translate too well to the pros. In 1984 in High A with Modesto, he went 3-4 with a 4.95 ERA, only striking out 36 batters in over 56 innings. He was eventually promoted to Double-A in 1986, but in 19 starts, he had a 6.52 ERA, giving up 136 hits in 89 innings. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians and made it to Triple-A but did not show much improvement there and retired from baseball after the 1989 season, never having made it to the big leagues. He went on to become a professional pitching coach, coaching in the minor leagues as well as the independent leagues.

Willie Ansley

#9 Willie Ansley – 1988, 7th Overall – Houston Astros

From around 1985 to 1988, one of the most exciting and electric High School athletes in the country was named Willie Ansley and he dominated multiple sports at Plainview High School in Texas. His speed and agility were top notch and he had his choice of paths to take as graduation neared. His favorite sport was basketball, but he felt his best was football. He had a scholarship offer to play football for the Oklahoma Sooners and had committed to do so after meeting with head coach Barry Switzer. Then, the Houston Astros selected him 7th overall to play professional baseball after he hit .479 with 8 homers and 40 RBIs. For a $180,000 bonus, Ansley signed with the Astros and entered the minor league system as an outfielder. After a slow start in Single-A, Ansley got hot and after 103 games had a .309 average and .846 OPS and 53 steals. He was promoted to Double-A, but his numbers dropped there. His average dropped to .255 in 1990 then .232 in ‘91. He was not showing much power. He was finally promoted to Triple-A in 1993 and had a decent season, hitting .262 with 5 home runs and .390 on-base-percentage. It wasn’t enough to get him a big league promotion. During the minor league playoffs, he tore a ligament in his thumb and the Astros released him after the season. Ansley played some in the Mexican and Independent leagues before retiring and entering into coaching at Lamar High School, where he coached a young Anthony Rendon.

Monty Fariss

#8 Monty Fariss – 1988, 6th Overall – Texas Rangers

From 1986 to 1988, one of the brightest and hottest college hitters in the country played at Oklahoma State and his name was Monty Fariss. In 1988, the year he was drafted, Fariss was absolutely unstoppable, hitting .397 with 30 home runs and 114 RBIs in just 69 games. In 242 at bats, he struck out just 38 times. Fariss set a school record with a hit in 25 consecutive games and he had an incredible 1.368 OPS. Fariss looked like an absolute lock to be a future MLB superstar. The hype was real as he entered rookie ball and hit .396 with 4 home runs. The Rangers bumped him all the way up do Double-A, but that’s where Fariss ran into problems. In 49 games with the Tulsa Drillers, he hit just .224 with 3 homers in 17 games. In his first full season in Double-A in ‘89, Fariss had a decent .272 average but hit a mere 5 home runs in 497 at bats. In 1991, after a couple solid seasons in Triple-A, the Rangers promoted Fariss, but their expectations had fallen drastically after he showed very little power in the minors. He hit .258 with a home run in 38 at bats. The following season, after hitting just .217, the Rangers let Fariss go. He caught on with the Florida Marlins and hit .173 for them in their inaugural season. After two more seasons in the minors, Fariss was out of baseball with a career .217 average and -.2 WAR. Fariss moved back to Oklahoma and started a batting cage business. He was elected to the Oklahoma State Cowboys Baseball Hall of Fame.

Kurt Brown

#7 Kurt Brown – 1985, 5th Overall – Chicago White Sox

1985 was one of the strongest and most famous drafts of all time, producing talents like Will Clark, Barry Larkin, B.J. Surhoff, Bobby Witt, Rafael Palmeiro, Randy Johnson and Barry Bonds. One pick before the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Bonds out of Arizona State, the White Sox had a chance to do the same. Instead, they went with an 18-year old High School catcher named Kurt Brown, leading White Sox fans to play the “what if” game for years to come. Brown, who turned down a football scholarship to play at Long Beach State, was a pure hitter with a fantastic arm, but struggled out of the gate in the minors, hitting .205 with just 3 homers in rookie ball. He improved the next year, but not by much, hitting .234 in A-Ball. His progress was extremely slow as he played just well enough to hang around, but never showed big league talent. He didn’t play a full season in Double-A until 1990, when he hit .269 with 4 home runs. That same year, Barry Bonds won the MVP award and a Gold Glove with Pittsburgh. Brown played one last season in Triple-A in 1986 before retiring from baseball. He returned to school to earn his degree and entered into the finance world. He became the Vice President of First Montana Bank in 2020.

Jeff Jackson

#6 Jeff Jackson – 1989, 4th Overall – Philadelphia Phillies

In 1989, the Philadelphia Phillies had the rare opportunity to have the 4th overall pick in the MLB draft and there was a ton of talent to choose from including the powerful Frank Thomas out of Auburn, Chuck Knoblauch from Texas A&M and Seton Hall’s Mo Vaughn. The Phillies instead went with a High School kid who had just hit over .500 his Senior Year and had tremendous potential, Jeff Jackson. He had won the Gatorade Player of the Year award and was considered a premiere 5-tool talent. However, he was just 17 years and old and had immediate trouble against the professional pitching he faced in the minors. After a rough stint in Rookie Ball, he played his first full season in Low A in 1990 and hit just .198 with 3 home runs. He stole 12 bases but was caught 11 times. A lower draft pick would’ve already been released, but Jackson was promoted to A Ball in 1991 and continued to struggle, hitting .225 with just 5 homers. He reportedly felt some culture shock and isolation during his first couple years in the minors and was pressured heavily by the press, with one journalist calling him “Clueless Jeff Jackson.” The Phillies hung onto Jackson all the way through the 1994 season in which he hit just .177 in Double-A. Realizing he was not going to meet expectations, he was finally released and caught on with the White Sox organization for a season before entering into the independent leagues. He hit much better there and was given one more shot in affiliated ball with the Pirates in 1998. He hit .278 with a couple homers with their High A team, but that would be his final season of professional baseball. Jackson has since started a Sports & Entertainment Agency and written a book called “The Gift & The Curse: The Jeff Jackson Story.”

Bill Bene

#5 Bill Bene – 1988, 5th Overall – Los Angeles Dodgers

Back in the 1980’s, baseball cards of draft picks usually weren’t a thing. However, this Bill Bene card was fairly hot for a short while. Bene was taken 5th overall in the 1988 Draft by the Dodgers, the same team that also drafted Mike Piazza that year – with 1,390th pick. They also took Erik Karros with 140th. Luckily, those two worked out. The same cannot be said for Bill Bene, who had a lively arm that the Dodgers loved. Scouts saw his stuff and thought that he could be an elite arm, but needed some professional coaching to improve his control, which was absolutely terrible in college. It was a huge gamble to take him so high – and the Dodgers lost the bet. Bene went 5-0 in his professional season, but he must’ve gotten some solid run support, because he walked 45 batters in 65 innings and gave up 33 runs for an ERA of 4.55. The next year, in A-ball, the numbers started to become ridiculous and video-gamish in a bad way. In 27 innings, he struck out a decent 24 batters.. but walked 56. His ERA ballooned up to 12.64. In 1990 at Vero Beach, things really got out of hand as he walked 96 batters in 56 innings. The run support finally ended for Bene too, as he went 1-10 with an ERA of 6.99. If Bene wasn’t the 5th overall pick, he would’ve been released a long time ago at this point. Instead, he came back year after year, sometimes showing slight improvements in his control but never being able to consistently command the zone whatsoever. In 1994, still in the Dodgers organization, he walked 49 batters in 50 innings with a 6.04 ERA, strictly coming out of the bullpen at this point. Mercifully, the Dodgers released him. The Reds took a chance on him the next year with their Double-A team, but he walked 9 batters in 4 innings to end the experiment. He missed the ‘96 season and made a comeback attempt with the Angels in 1997, but the control just wasn’t there. Even at this point, he struck out 70 batters in 68 innings, but walked 66, going 0-4 with a 6.68 ERA. He was finally out of baseball, but continued to get busted even later in life, as he was arrested and sentenced to 6 months in jail in 2012 for operating a counterfeit karaoke business without paying taxes. Once a bust, always a bust.

Mark Merchant

#4 Mark Merchant – 1987, 2nd Overall – Pittsburgh Pirates

In 1987, the Pirates had the 2nd overall pick just after the Mariners, who used their 1st overall pick to take future Hall-of-Famer Ken Griffey Jr. With the 2nd pick, the Pirates went with another High School outfielder by the name of Mark Merchant. He was a speedy 5-tool talent who stole 48 bases in 49 attempts his Senior Year and hit .419 with 5 home runs. The Pirates hoped he would develop even more power in the minor leagues. In his first year in rookie, Merchant hit .265 with 3 homers and 33 steals in 50 games, a decent start. Then, halfway through the next season, he separated his shoulder diving for a ball, ending his season. He was only hitting .242 at the time with a couple home runs and the Pirates traded him to the Mariners, who now had both Griffey Jr. and Merchant, the top 2 picks of the ‘87 draft. However, Merchant didn’t do much better in the Mariners organization, putting up below average numbers for several years in the minors, while also battling multiple injuries. After hitting .244 with a .685 OPS in Double-A in 1992, the M’s released him. Merchant considered retirement but instead signed with the Reds and showed some signs of why he was originally drafted second overall. He hit .301 with 17 home runs in Double-A in 1993, earning a promotion to Triple-A. But he never made it to the big leagues. Merchant ended up in the Independent leagues and spent some time in the White Sox and Royals organizations, playing all the way through the 1998 season. “To be able to still have good success in Double-A, when I couldn’t run or throw like I used to, says a lot,” Merchant said. “I gave it everything I had. I played those last seven years with one arm and one leg.” After retirement, Merchant earned his real estate license and started his own business near Denver, Colorado.

Augie Schmidt

#3 Augie Schmidt – 1982, 2nd Overall – Toronto Blue Jays

During the late 70’s, a High School player named Augie Schmidt was already making headlines and was drafted by the Orioles in the 9th round of the ‘79 draft. Instead of signing with the O’s, Schmidt went to play college ball at the University of New Orleans and his draft stock only skyrocketed from there after he hit .352 with an OPS over 1.000 while playing elite defense at shortstop. In 1981 in over 200 at bats, he struck out just 16 times while walking 52. He had an advanced knowledge of the strike zone and was one of the finest pure hitters in the draft. In 1982, the Blue Jays took him 2nd overall. He hit well through the low levels of the minors, but once Schmidt hit Triple-A in 1984, on the verge of the big leagues, he hit a snag. In 46 games with Syracuse, he hit just .201 with a .280 on-base-percentage, but he did battle some injuries including a fractured wrist. He still put the ball in play, but without much authority. He didn’t hit a single home run despite crushing 14 his final season in college. “The aluminum bat helped me an awful lot,” he admitted.

The Blue Jays decided to move on from Schmidt and traded him to the Giants. With the Giants Double-A and Triple-A teams, he improved his average to .273 but still hit zero home runs. The Giants released him and he caught on with Twins for his final pro season in 1986 when Schmidt hit just .226 in A-Ball. After his career, he entered coaching and went on to become the head coach at Carthage College, where he has led the team to multiple division titles and championship runs.

Garry Harris

#2 Garry Harris – 1980, 2nd Overall – Toronto Blue Jays

The 1980 Draft had some phenomenal 5-tool talents available including Billy Beane, Darryl Strawberry, Kelly Gruber, and the player the Blue Jays took second overall, Garry Harris. While Billy Beane can also be considered a bust, at least he made it to the big leagues and wasn’t picked until #23. Harris was taken 2nd and had just hit .426 his Senior Year in High School with 16 steals in 16 attempts. Unfortunately, he was very raw and unproven against top level talent. The Blue Jays quickly found out he would likely not be their future shortstop as they had hoped. He made 54 errors in rookie ball, worse than any other player in the minor leagues. He hit .272 but with very little power to speak of. The next season in A ball, over a full season, Harris hit .253 with 15 homers, still struggling defensively. His average dropped again the next year to .235 then .224 in Double-A in 1983. Harris played poor defense, struck out too much, did not show much power and could not hit for a high average. His on-base-percentage was just .266. The Blue Jays released him after 1983 but in a creative move, they picked up Kelly Gruber from Cleveland in the Rule 5 Draft, which gave them another shortstop from the 1980 draft. Gruber worked out with the Jays and ended up becoming a staple in the Toronto lineup all the way through 1992, the year they won their first World Series. So, while Harris was a bust, the 1980 first round turned out okay for Toronto. As for Garry Harris, he went on to work for the city of San Diego for 25 years before retiring and becoming a do-it-yourself car mechanic. He spent most of his time with his family until passing away in 2022.

Shawn Abner

#1 Shawn Abner – 1984, 1st Overall – New York Mets

Coming in as my #1 Draft Bust of the 80’s is Shawn Abner. It was the 1984 Draft and the Mets were looking to build the best outfield in baseball. They already had Darryl Strawberry and Billy Beane was getting ready to get promoted. They identified Shawn Abner as an “all-around, can’t miss prospect.” So, the Mets took him as the #1 overall pick, ahead of USC star Mark McGwire. He hit for decent average in the minors but his power was lacking. In 1986 with the Double-A Jackson Mets, he hit .266 with 14 homers and a .739 OPS. The Mets decided to include him in a blockbuster 8-man deal that sent Kevin Mitchell to the Padres for Kevin McReynolds. With the Las Vegas Stars Triple-A team in ‘87, he hit .300 with 11 home runs and the Pads decided to give him a shot in the big leagues. Unfortunately, he was not very good at all, hitting .181 in 1988 and .187 in 1989. He didn’t even offer any power to offset the low batting averages. He was let go by the Padres and spent some time with the Angels and White Sox before spending the entire 1994 season in the minors with the Royals organization. He then crossed the picket line and joined the replacement players in 1995 Spring Training. He never played in the big leagues again. In 2020, he was sentenced to 4.5 to 23 months in prison for animal cruelty after leaving his dog at home for over a month, resulting in the dog passing away. Apparently, he didn’t ask any one to care for the dog while he was gone. Just for that terrible act and due to the fact that he was a #1 overall pick who had a -1.3 career WAR, I’m going to put Abner as my #1 bust of the 1980’s.

And that does it for today’s video on the biggest draft busts of the 1980’s; I hope you enjoyed it; I appreciate all the support! Look forward to more draft busts videos in the future as well as other interesting documentaries and countdowns as well. Have a wonderful day; hit that thumbs up and subscribe button; leave a comment down below and we’ll talk to you in the next one.

2024 MLB POWER RANKING - 30 TEAMS Quick Evaluations & My FULL Tier Power Ranking

30. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox do have Garret Crochet, a first round pick with an electric arm, moving into the rotation but he – some one who has never started an MLB game – will be their opening day starter. Apart from him, it’s full of reclamation projects and washed up pitchers trying to hang on. The lineup has a few exciting names like Luis Robert but none of them were able to save this team from 101 losses last year and this time, they have even worse hitters surrounding them. I don’t see how this team competes this year unfortunately.

29. Colorado Rockies

As usual, the lineup is not terrible with guys like Nolan Jones, Kris Bryant and Brendan Rodgers, but the pitching staff is absolutely terrible. Kyle Freeland gets lit up with regularity and he is the Rockies Ace now that their best two starters, Senzatela and Marquez. I don’t think Cal Quantrill will pitch very well in Denver and the bullpen doesn’t look like anything special either. The Rockies should score plenty of runs, but opposing teams will score even more.

28. Washington Nationals

The Nationals signed several players with problems who I don’t have a ton of confidence in like Joey Gallo and Nick Senzel to add to a lineup that wasn’t that great anyway. Their youngsters who have been promoted haven’t really shown much at the big league level, CJ Abrams will need a breakout year. The pitching staff right now looks very shaky aside from a new decent names, but they do have a strong farm system which might be give them a boost at some point this year, but the Nationals just don’t have the MLB talent to compete in 2024 as far as I can tell.

27. Los Angeles Angels

Obviously, the loss of Ohtani hurts big time and the Angels didn’t do much at all to replace him, just adding some utility players. They have Anthony Rendon, but he hates baseball and honestly, when you’re in your mid-30’s, it’s the love of the game that keeps you going at that point. I’ll be shocked if he plays in more than 50 games. Mike Trout’s still there and the lineup is so-so but the pitching staff to me looks questionable at best; the rotation wasn’t that great when they had Ohtani and now it’s that much worse. I like the Ron Washington hire and hopefully he can make a difference but I don’t expect much from this team.

26. Oakland Athletics

This is a young team coming off a horrific season, but I do think they have a chance to be much better this year, despite all the drama and lack of effort by the front office to put together a winning team. JJ Bleday looks ready to have a breakout season, Brent Rooker has 30+ home run power and they just signed J.D. Davis, who I think is going to have a great year. The rotation and pitching staff looks a lot more iffy with guys like Ross Stripling and Alex Wood, but the bullpen has some decent arms like Mason Miller, who can also start, and there are lots of up-and-coming options who can also contribute so all told, I think the A’s are going to be better than people think; not saying they’re going to be a playoff team or even a good team, but I don’t think they’ll be the worst team in baseball.

25. Miami Marlins

At #25 I’m going to put the Miami Marlins, who did make the playoffs last year but did nothing to capitalize on that this offseason. Sandy Alcantara is out for the season but the rotation is very young and could be decent this year with guys like Max Meyer, Ryan Weathers, AJ Puk, Jesus Luzardo – all guys with big potential, but unless 2 or 3 of those guys have big breakout seasons, I don’t know if the offense will be strong enough. Obviously they still have Luis Arraez, who’s great. Tim Anderson will need a big bounce back year and so will veterans like Josh Bell. The bullpen is very young and unpredictable; there’s some electric arms but also a lot of unproven guys so overall, the team has talent but I don’t think there’s enough proven MLB players in their prime to make this a winning team in 2024.

24. Kansas City Royals

The Royals are coming off a rough season, but they did a lot to improve; the entire bullpen has been shaken up and the rotation looks a lot better with Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo. Look for Bobby Witt Jr. to have a massive season; he might be in MVP talks this year. Adam Frazier and Hunter Renfroe add some more stability to the lineup as well and they have lot of exciting youngsters like Nelson Velasquez and others as well. So, overall, they’re still not great, but I see the Royals being a much better team this year and I got them ranked all the way up at #24.

23. Pittsburgh Pirates

Next up is the Pirates, who have been heading the right direction lately and their roster is starting to come together. They have a ton of young talent; names like Henry Davis and O’Neil Cruz for example. Ke’Bryan Hayes should be ready for a big year, and they brought back the veteran former MVP Andrew McCutchen, who provides leadership and can still play. The Pirates brought in Aroldis Chapman, and I think he will be huge for that bullpen. The rotation is okay with Mitch Keller and now Marco Gonzales; Paul Skenes is on the way although I’m not sure if he’ll make his debut this year or not, but the Pirates have a lot of talent; a solid mix of veterans and youngsters, but still not quite enough to put them much higher than this.

22. Boston Red Sox

At #21, the highest I could put them, is the Boston Red Sox. They still have some star names in the lineup like Rafael Devers and Trevor Story, although Story hasn’t played much the last couple years, he’s looking healthy and productive now. Triston Casas should be even better in 2024 after a great rookie season. They signed Tyler O’Neil, an exciting guy with big power potential. The offense has a lot of upside but the pitching staff is going to be the issue. Lucas Giolito is hurt and not sure when he’ll be back and the current rotation is decent at best, Bryan Bello is solid, but there’s no real aces there. The bullpen has some recognizable names but guys like Kenley Jansen and Chris Martin are up there in years so we’ll see how it goes; I like the lineup and the offense but I’m not sure the pitching staff is deep enough to bring this team back out of the basement.

21. Milwaukee Brewers

I didn’t expect put the Brewers this low but the pitching staff, which not long ago was their strength, really looks suspect. Even Devin Williams was recently injured and he’s out for a while. Woodruff is injured. And right now the rotation has guys like Jakob Junis and Joe Ross. They traded their best starter, parting ways with Corbin Burnes. The bullpen has some decent options but there’s no way it’s strong enough to make up for that rotation. I love the young talent in the lineup like Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick and of course they still have some guys like Yelich and Rhys Hoskins now, but I don’t see enough to rank them any higher than this.

20. Cleveland Guardian

I was really excited about the Guardians last year, especially their pitching staff, but they did very little to improve in the offseason. Their pitching staff, both the rotation and bullpen still looks solid, though, but the lineup needed reinforcements. This middle of the order is not bad with Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor but there’s not a ton surrounding them to help score runs for that staff. So, the Guardians have some talent but not enough to make it in the top half of this power ranking.

19. New York Mets

The Mets are a team with a lot of good names, but they had a real slow offseason and right Senga is injured. The J.D. Martinez pickup should help the lineup quite a bit, which already has of course Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte. Francisco Alvarez will hopefully have a big season. However, I don’t think the pitching is going to hold up, with Jose Quintana and Luis Severino at the top of that rotation. The bullpen looks solid with Edwin Diaz and company, but the rotation took such a huge hit from Opening Day last year until now; I’d be surprised if the Mets even finish above .500.

18. St. Louis Cardinals

Coming in at #18 is going to be the St. Louis Cardinals, who are in line for a big bounce back season after signing Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn to join Miles Mikolas fix the rotation. It’s not like they have the best rotation in the game now but it should hold up much better than last season, and they have youngsters like Jordan Walker and Masyn Winn ready to break out in 2024 and of course the amazing Goldschmit/Arenado combo, and overall a very potent lineup. I really do like their roster; the bullpen has some good options as well and I see the Cardinals being much much better in 2024.

17. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers are a team ready to break out with a ton of young talent, and I think they’ll probably be sneaking up mine and others power rankings as the season moves along. Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, Kerry Carpenter, Colt Keith, and others are going to have big years and the Tigers brought in some veteran talent like Mark Cahna and pitching help with Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty. The bullpen looks solid with Jason Foley and Shelby Miller among others. Overall, this team looks really solid and I’m expecting the Tigers to compete for an AL Central Championship.

16. Cincinnati Reds

At #16 I have the Cincinnati Reds, who I think had a phenomenal offseason, adding Candelario and pitching Frankie Montas and Nick Martinez and then some bullpen help as well to add to a team that was already up and coming and looking really impressive at times in 2023 with all that young talent – Spencer Steer, Jonathan India, etc etc. Unfortuantely, Noelvi Marte, one of their most talented youngsters, got hit with a PED suspension, but I think the Reds still have more than enough to compete again in 2024 and they’re on the verge of jumping into the top half of MLB teams.

15. Minnesota Twins

Up next, just ahead of the Reds, is the Twins, who lost a lot in Sonny Gray and didn’t make a ton of moves this offseason. They still have enough talent that I’d say they’re the favorites in the central, but the Tigers are going to be right there with them in my opinion. The lineup is still solid with Buxton, Correa, Kepler, etc. and Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan anchor a rotation that doesn’t look too deep with some injury prone guys like Chris Paddack in there. The bullpen has some strong names like Duran and Griffin Jax but also doesn’t run particularly deep and overall, I think the Twins took a step back in 2024, but they still got enough talent to rank somewhere in the middle of the pack.

14. San Francisco Giants

Just in the top half of MLB for now I’m putting my favorite team, the San Francisco Giants, after adding Blake Snell to that rotation, really fortifying by putting him alongside Logan Webb and Kyle Harrison. The lineup is much improved with big power in Jorge Soler and of course, the elite defensive third baseman Matt Chapman. Giants have a solid closer in Camilo Doval and some other solid bullpen arms, and are overall a well-rounded team that should have a much better 2024 with Bob Melvin at the helm. They don’t necessarily have top superstar MVP talent all over the place but they do have a reigning Cy Young Award winner now and another former one once Robbie Ray is back. So, for now, I’m putting them here but I’m hopeful they’ll slowly crawl up this list as the season progresses.

13. San Diego Padres

I debated putting the Padres below the Giants after they lost Juan Soto and Blake Snell, but they still have massive superstar talent with Manny Machado, Tatis Jr. and Xander Boegarts along with other really solid offensive guys like Jake Cronenworth. And, with the addition of Dylan Cease, the rotation isn’t that bad – they have Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove and a solid bullpen that got a lot of additions this offseason. They’re not near as stacked as they’ve been recently but for now, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and rank them just above the Giants, especially after their strong finish in 2023 in which they surpassed my Giants, but we’ll see how things go in 2024.

12. Chicago Cubs

Next up is the Chicago Cubs, a team I was pretty high on last year, I thought they would finish above .500 and they did, despite at that time people thinking they were not very good. This year, they look even better, with Bellinger back and Shoto Imanaga in the rotation alongside Justin Steel and Jordan Wicks. The bullpen looks better with some solid additions and I do think Michael Busch, who they got from the Dodgers, is going to have a nice year as well. The lineup could be a little stronger but overall, the Cubs look like a very solid team and should have another strong season in 2024.

11. Tampa Bay Rays

At #11 I’m putting the Rays, probably the most impressive team in baseball considering that they’re almost always competitive, in the pennant race and oftentimes in the playoffs despite a lower budget and not stacking their team with top free agent superstar talent. On paper this year, they look good but I wouldn’t say great. They got Zach Eflin and Aaron Civale in the rotation and a well-rounded lineup featuring Randy Arozarena and Harold Ramirez, but it doesn’t have a ton of thump. The Rays traded Tyler Glasnow for two solid Dodger prospects, one of whom, Jonny Deluca, broke his hand and will be out for a while. And the other, Ryan Pepiot, has great stuff but he’s relatively unproven. Several of their best arms are still recovering from injuries and surgeries, though, and I don’t really see a playoff team on paper, but the Rays are professionals at proving people wrong, so don’t be surprised if they jump higher on this list for my next power ranking.

10. Philadelphia Phillies

Just cracking the Top 10 I’m going with the Phillies, who brought back Aaron Nola, a key move for them to try and make it back to the playoffs, and back to the World Series. Their lineup is stacked with big names – Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm. The rotation looks solid although they could’ve used one more starter, and the bullpen looks better than it has in the past, although that is probably their biggest concern. Overall, this team looks great but the pitching depth is the one thing to worry about and it keeps them from being even higher.

9. Toronto Blue Jays

Coming up next is the Toronto Blue Jays, who have a ton of top talent returning in 2024, led by Vlad Jr, George Springer and Bo Bichette along with a good rotation with Jose Berrios and Chris Bassit, but they didn’t improve much in the offseason, losing Matt Chapman and Jordan Hicks and adding some veteran players who are I’m not sure are going to make a big impact. When I look at the Jays roster, obviously there’s a lot of good names, but there’s a lot of question marks with the pitching. I’m not too confident Alek Manoah is going to regain his form and I’m not convinced this team is going be better in 2024, although they clearly still have a ton of talent and that’s why they’re in the Top 10.

8. Seattle Mariners

Now getting into some of the top contenders, we have the Seattle Mariners, a team loaded with young talent that should be ready to explode in 2024 and send this team deep into October. They added a couple of Mitches with Garver and Haniger to make that lineup even more powerful. Julio Rodriguez is a superstar and the rotation is very solid with Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Luis Castillo. The bullpen should be good enough if they’re not overworked and they shouldn’t be if there’s no major injuries to the rotation and overall, the M’s look really good for 2024 and this could be their year.

7. Texas Rangers

At lucky #7 I’m going with the Rangers, even though just won the World Series, coming into 2024, they’re dealing with several injures including Degrom and Max Scherzer. Corey Seager recently had surgery and should be back soon but I’m not sure when he’ll be 100%. On the other hand, this is team that had good starting rotation depth so Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning should be able to hold it down, but I’m surprised they didn’t sign any healthy starters for 2024. Tyler Mahle was signed but he’s on the IL. The offense should be amazing with Marcus Semien, Aroldis Chapman, Seager, and the youngsters Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford, who I expect to be an absolute superstar. The bullpen is solid and overall, the Rangers still look very good and should be excellent again in 2024.

6. Arizona Diamondbacks

Up next is the National Leagues champs, the Arizona Diamondbacks who brought back Gurriel Jr and signed the powerful Eugenio Suarez to play third base. The rotation is still awesome with Zac Gallen, Merril Kelly, Brandon Phadt and now Eduardo Rodriguez as well. They have amazing young talent like Corbin Carroll combined with veterans like Joc Pederson who should fit right in with this group and they also have a formidable bullpen featuring Paul Seward and Kevin Ginkel among others. Look for the D-backs to be very good again in 2024.

5. Houston Astros

This team is absolutely stacked, but injury issues are my biggest concern with Houston. Luis Garcia had Tommy John, Verlander is starting the year on the IL and he’s in his 40s, Jose Urquidy is hurt, McCullers Jr. had surgery, so the rotation is banged up for real right now. Somehow, they still have enough names to get by with guys Framber Valdez, Christian Javier and Hunter Brown. That mostly homegrown lineup is still in tact with Altuve, Tucker and Bregman along with the exciting youngsters like Jeremy Pena. Obviously Yordan Alvarez is also there. They signed Josh Hader, who will likely the be the closer. So, this is a team that’s still very much loaded with talent, but a lot of that talent is getting older and health is a big x-factor with the Astros, as it is with every team, but I think especially so with the Astros, as well as my next team…

4. New York Yankees

To start the 2024 season, I have the New York Yankees at #4 due to their incredible roster, but they’d be even higher if I wasn’t so concerned with their famous injury bug. They signed Carlos Rodon last year and he missed most of the season and wasn’t that great when he did pitch. Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge should’ve been one the best offensive duos in baseball the last few years, but they’re consistently on the IL. That said, there are so many big names on this team – Juan Soto is a Yankee. Soto, Judge, Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, Alex Verdugo, Anthony Volpe – this lineup is absoultely stacked. The rotation added Marcus Strohman; again, durability and health is the biggest issue there and with pretty every name in the rotation including Nestor Cortes, who was hurt much of last year, but they all have massive talent. The bullpen has several solid names as well, and if the Yankees stay healthy, they can easily win over 100 games, but that’s a big if.

3. Baltimore Orioles

Next, the Baltimore Orioles come in at the highest they’ve ever been on one of my power rankings, third in all of baseball, after an incredible 2023 season. This year, they’ve made important additions including Corbin Burnes, who will be the Ace. Unfortunately, Kyle Bradish was recently injured and John Means is still dealing with an injury, so that definitely hurts, but Grayson Rodriguez is back and should be primed for his breakout season after a solid rookie campaign. And if they need to I think the O’s will be able to add almost any one they want at the trade deadline with all their young talent. Their lineup is absolutely amazing and only going to get better once some of their recent draft picks make it to the big leagues like Heston Kjerstad. For now, Adley Rutschman, Gunner Henderson, Austin Hays, Anthony Santander, Colton Cowser are all going to contribute among others; I can’t name them all, but this team is loaded. Craig Kimbrell was signed for the bullpen. And overall, the O’s look extraordinary; they’re very young but extremely dangerous and I expect them to have another big season in 2024.

2. Atlanta Braves

At #2 I’m going with the star-studded Atlanta Braves, who bring back a lineup with Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Marzell Ozuna and now former top prospect Jered Kelenic, who showed a lot of massive potential last season and should be healthy and ready to show what he can do this year. They brought back Adam Duvall as well, and as for the rotation, Spencer Strider, Max Fried and Charlie Morton will be joined by Chris Sale, who has had his injury history but he’s still a big name with great stuff and even if he struggles or can’t stay healthy, the Braves have some depth there with Reynaldo Lopez and Hurston Waldrep knocking on the door and some other young starting pitching options as well. The bullpen has names like A.J Minter, Raisel Iglesias, and now Aaron Bummer, and overall, I really see a strong, experienced group of guys here who will be favorites to win the division and possibly get back to the World Series, which of course they won in 2021.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

But to be perfectly fair, to start the year, I have the Dodgers in the #1 slot. This is a team that was already stacked when they signed the top 2 available free agents in Shohei Ohtani and Yamamoto. For now, Ohtani is going through a little something with the gambling interpreter situation but hasn’t been suspended or anything, so as of now, he’s in that lineup, which has nothing but future Hall of Famers, All Stars and rookie sensations. Betts, Ohtani and Freeman all have MVP’s on their shelves. Teoscar Hernandez was added to provide even more power. The rotation has major injury issues, but the Dodgers just replenish what they lose, adding Yamamoto, James Paxson and Tyler Glasnow. I do think their young guys like Bobby Miller and Gavin Stone are going to be much better this year; they really have great stuff. Nick Frasso and Kyle Hurt are also options to start if needed. Kyle Hurt is going to be sick whether he starts or comes out of the pen; his stuff is electric. Evan Phillips, Joe Kelly and co. are also in that pen and overall, the Dodgers are as stacked as usual and, as of now, have to come in at #1 on my 2024 entry level power ranking.

Top 15 MLB Draft BUSTS Of the 1990's!!.. Where Are They Now?!? Some LITERAL BUSTS For Crimes!!

Welcome back to another edition of Humm Baby Busts and today we’ll go back to the MLB Drafts of the 1990’s and talk about some of the major busts from these amazing drafts that produced future Hall of Famers like Chipper Jones, Scott Rolen, Roy Halladay and the recently elected Todd Helton. Alex Rodriguez was also taken first overall in 1993 and hit 696 bombs but his Hall of Fame chances aren’t looking too great. But there were also extremely promising players taken high in the first round who looked like can’t-miss future superstars but just couldn’t quite make it as an MLB player. So, let’s jump right into this list, starting at #15.

15. Chad Mottola – Cincinnati Reds (5th Overall/1992)

To start today’s list, we have some one who I feel like never got a full chance to prove himself, but as a 5th overall pick who hit just .200 in the bigs, I had to put him on the list. During the 1992 MLB draft, the Yankees draft room broke out in celebration when the Reds took outfielder Chad Mottola out of Central Florida, allowing the Yankees to take a young future Hall of Famer named Derek Jeter at #6. One Reds scout, Gene Bennett, begged the front office to take Jeter, but he was overruled. Mottola was a monster in High School hitting .573 with 14 homers his Senior Year, leading to him being drafted by the Orioles in 1989. He instead went to college and hit .329 with 14 homers and an OPS over 1.000 his Junior Year with UCF. He also had great speed and a high baseball IQ. It’s hard to blame the O’s for taking such a polished and talented young player. He continued to show amazing potential in the minors, hitting .280 with 21 homers in High A in 1993. He continued to play well in the years that followed but by 1995 and 1996 when Mottola was ready for his opportunity in the bigs, he was blocked by a crowded Reds outfield that included Reggie Sanders, Curtis Goodwin, Eric Davis, Vince Coleman, Mike Kelly and Eric Anthony. He got his first taste of MLB in 1996 anyway, but hit just .215 in 79 at bats. Then, the Reds signed Deion Sanders & Ruben Sierra for the ‘97 season. Mottola spend that entire year in the minors despite hitting .317 with a .363 on-base and .839 OPS. He was traded to the Rangers early in 1998 but was never promoted to the big leagues with them. He signed with the White Sox for the 1999 season and tore it up in Triple-A, hitting .321 with 20 homers but did not get a promotion. He was even better in 2000 with the Blue Jays Triple-A team in Syracuse, crushing 33 bombs with a .309 average, taking home the International League MVP. He was promoted but given just 9 MLB at bats. He was traded to the Marlins the next year and again, was stashed away in the minors where he hit .295 in Triple-A, but was given just 7 MLB at bats. He continued to hit well in the minors, showing impressive power, but was only given sporadic opportunities in the big leagues. At the end of his career, he only had 125 big league at bats and hit just .200 with 4 homers, but he was never given a single extended opportunity to prove himself. In over 1800 minor league games, he hit .280 with 249 homers and a .796 OPS. So, although Motolla is considered a bust, he comes in as the lowest one on today’s list. Motolla became a coach after his playing career and is currently the hitting coach of the Tampa Bay Rays.

14. Paul Wilson – New York Mets (1st Overall/1994)

In 1994, the New York Mets had the first overall pick and went with a player who was considered the best pitcher in college baseball, Paul Wilson. Wilson was good enough in High School to get drafted by the Pirates but he opted to attend college and his draft stock skyrocketed when he dominated at Florida State, striking out 163 batters in 143 innings while walking just 32 with a 2.08 ERA his Junior Year. The Mets hoped he would rise through the system along with 2 other promising arms, Jason Isringhausen and Bill Pulsipher, to become one of the best 1-2-3 combos in baseball – a regular Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. After going 0-7 his first year in the minors, the Mets pushed him hard in 1995 and he pitched 186.2 innings. He pitched well, completing 8 games and going 11-6 with a 2.41 ERA, but was overused and experienced tendinitis. He was rushed to the big leagues the next season and was already damaged goods, going 5-12 with a 5.38 ERA, striking out just 6.6 per 9. He blew out his shoulder and barely pitched over the next 3 seasons and missed all of 1999. He made a commendable comeback with the Rays and started 30 games in 2002, but went 6-12 with a 4.83 ERA. After 3 seasons with the Rays and 3 with the Reds, he retired with a 40-58 career record and 4.86 ERA. He’s not one of the biggest busts on the list, having managed a 7-year big league career but as a first overall pick, he has to make the list. Earlier this year, 30 years after his last pitch at Florida State, Wilson decided to return to FSU to complete his degree.

13. B.J. Garbe – Minnesota Twins (5th Overall/1999)

Next, we go to the 1999 Draft with B.J. Garbe, the Gatorade High School Baseball Player of the Year, who was taken 5th overall in a first round that included 6 future All Stars, a future MVP in Josh Hamilton and a future World Series MVP in Josh Beckett. Most scouts ranked B.J. Garbe as the second best High School position player after Hamilton. He was incredibly strong with a quick bat that made consistent contact. He was known as a kid with superior strike zone knowledge with the potential to turn into a big power hitter who limits strikeouts. He looked fantastic in Rookie Ball, hitting .316 with just 34 strikeouts in 192 at bats. Unfortunately, the next year in A Ball, he hit just .233 in 133 games. Garbe could work the count and limit strikeouts, but the power was not developing as the Twins had hoped. After a couple more similar seasons, he was promoted to Double-A in 2003 and hit .178 with just 3 homers in 225 at bats. In 2004 it was more of the same, with Garbe hitting just 3 home runs again. He was traded to the Mariners for 41-year old veteran Pat Borders. He never made it above Double-A there and ended up with the Marlins organization for one last season in 2006, when he hit .184 with, once again, 3 home runs. At least he was consistent. Garbe retired and pursed his passion for beer by opening up and becoming CEO of a brewery called Tin Pin Brewing in his hometown of Moses Lake, Washington.

12. Geoff Goetz – New York Mets (6th Overall/1997)

In 1997, the New York Mets had the 6th pick and just missed out on several future All Stars such as J.D. Drew, Troy Glaus and Vernon Wells. So, they went with a High School strikeout machine named Geoff Goetz out of Tampa, Florida. He could hit and pitch at a high level and was known as Florida’s Mr. Baseball. Geotz was the highest High School player drafted out of Tampa since Gary Sheffield was taken also 6th in 1986. Unfortunately, despite still striking out a good number of hitters in the minors, Geotz struggled with his control. In 1998 in Single-A, he walked 4.6 batters per 9 innings and ended the season with a 6-8 record and a decent 4.2 ERA. He then became an answer to a trivia question when he was traded, along with Preston Wilson and Ed Yarnall, to the Florida Marlins for Mike Piazza, who would go on to hit one of the most dramatic home runs in Mets history during the first game in New York after 9/11. With the Marlins organization, Goetz was moved to the bullpen and showed huge improvement in limiting hits and runs. His walk rate was still a concern, but he had an ERA under 2 for back-to-back season and looked on track to make his big league debut in 2002. Then, just before he would’ve been promoted to Triple-A, he tore his labrum throwing a warm up pitch. The Marlins removed him from the 40-man roster and he missed all of 2003. He signed with the Yankees for 2004 and between Single and Double A, he limited runs with a 2.33 ERA, but also walked 19 batters in 27 innings, striking out just 12. He ended up in the independent leagues for a couple years then retired, never having made it above Double-A. He is now Senior Vice President at a consulting firm in the Tampa Bay area.

11. Antone Williamson – Milwaukee Brewers (4th Overall/1994)

With the 4th overall pick in 1994, the Brewers selected what looked like a safe pick – a strong power-hitting 3rd baseman who hit over .370 with 29 home runs during his final two seasons at Arizona State – Antone Williamson. He was a natural hitter who played the game hard and slid by diving into the base head first like Pete Rose. Williamson quickly showed massive potential at the plate, hitting .309 with 90 RBIs and an .852 OPS in Double-A in 1995. He had a 22-game hitting streak that season, the longest in the entire minor leagues. The Brewers thought he could hit in the big leagues, but wanted him to keep working on his defense at third base. Unfortunately, injury issues started to pile up and Williamson had to have shoulder surgery before the 1996 season, causing him to miss the first 10 weeks. He also continued to struggle defensively and the Brewers moved him to the first base. They added him to the 40-man roster after the 1996 season. In 1997, with Triple-A Tucson, he hit .286 in over 83 games with a .824 OPS and more walks than strikeouts. Although his power had never developed like they hoped, the Brewers saw enough to promote him to the big leagues. He hit just .204 in 24 games with no home runs. It would be his only big league stint. After that, Williamson struggled to stay on the field and after 2 more subpar seasons in the minors and one year in the independent leagues, Williamson called it a career.

10. Marc Newfield – Seattle Mariners (6th Overall/1990)

In the 1990 MLB Draft, the Seattle Mariners front office was extremely excited to be able to draft High School phenom Marc Newfield with their 6th pick. He was considered one of the best hitting High School prospects in the country and continued to swing a hot bat in Rookie Ball, winning the 1990 Arizona League MVP by hitting .313 with 6 homers in 51 games. In 1991, he hit .296 between High-A and Double-A with a .384 on-base-percentage. His baseball card became a hot seller, expected to increase in value from about $1.75 to over $50. In 1992, he played in just 45 games until he needed toe surgery, ending his season. But in 1993 he came back strong, hitting .307 with 19 homers in Double-A, earning a call-up to the bigs. In 66 at bats, he hit just .227 with a homer. In 1994, he tore it up in Triple-A again, this time hitting .349 with 19 homers and an OPS over 1.000. He got 38 more big league at bats but then the season ended due to the strike while he was hitting just .184. He had hit at every level except MLB. In 1995, he was hitting .188 for the M’s when they traded him to San Diego. He hit better there, but never got close to realizing his full potential. Newfield ended up with the Brewers, where things went downhill. He was arrested in 1996 for drug possession with intent to distribute and did not hit well in Milwaukee for parts of 2 seasons. His career ended after 11 minor league games in 1999. He had a career MLB WAR of -1.6. After his career, he has kept a low public profile, but still loves watching baseball and offer private hitting instruction.

9. Kurt Miller – Pittsburgh Pirates (5th Overall/1990)

In 1990, the Pittsburgh Pirates took a high school arm out of Bakersfield, California named Kurt Miller. He was 6’5” and over 200 lbs and had an incredibly live arm. He pitched well his first couple seasons in the minors, including a 2.5 ERA in 1991. About a year after he was drafted, the Pirates shipped him off to the Rangers for big league veteran Steve Buechele. Miller continued to look decent until he hit Triple-A and struggled going 7-13 with a 6.88 ERA, now in the Marlins organization. Desperate for starting pitching help, the Marlins promoted him anyway and he went 1-3 with a 8.1 ERA in 4 starts. He wasn’t much better for the next 2 seasons in Triple-A. He did pitch out of the Marlins bullpen in 1996, making 26 appearances, but to the tune of a 6.8 ERA. Miller never could get hitters out with consistency at the big league level and was sent to the Cubs. He finally had a breakout year in the minors in 1998, going 14-3 with a 3.81 ERA, but only pitched 4 innings in the big leagues that year. In 1999, he struggled to stay healthy and effective and ended up out of baseball by 2000.

8. Jeff Granger – Kansas City Royals (5th Overall/1993)

In 1993, one of the finest college arms in the country had to be Jeff Granger, who had just broken Roger Clemens’ Southwest Conference strikeout record. Granger struck out 21 batters in one game. He also went 15-3 with a 2.62 ERA his Junior Year and was the starting QB for the Texas A&M football team. The Kansas City Royals snagged him 5th overall in the draft. They had no plans to be patient with Granger and, incredibly, after just 7 minor league starts in Low A, they promoted him to the majors. He gave up 3 hits, 2 walks and 3 runs in his only inning of work. The next season, he threw 140 innings in Double-A, going 7-7 with a 3.87 ERA and also made 2 unspectacular starts for the Royals in May. After a poor season in Double-A in 1995, he was moved to the bullpen for ‘96 and pitched well in Triple-A, with a 2.34 ERA and 25 saves in 45 appearances with his best strikeout stuff since college. Unfortunately, he was traded to the Pirates and the geniuses over there tried to make him a starter again in Triple-A. He struggled in the roll and then the same thing happened with the Rangers organization in 1998. Pitching for the Oklahoma Redhawks, he went 4-8 in 19 starts with a 4.67 ERA. The Brewers sent him back to the bullpen in 1999 but by now it was too late, and Granger was hit hard and also struggled with his command. He was out of baseball after the 2000 season. He went on to become a financial advisor for J.P. Morgan.

7.Jeff Austin – Kansas City Royals (4th Overall/1998)

In 1998, the Kansas City Royals used their 4th overall pick to select an impressive starter out of Stanford, Jeff Austin, who went 12-4 with a 3.11 ERA that season. He had good but not overwhelming strikeout stuff, but the Royals liked his college experience and took him over high school arms like C.C. Sabathia and Mark Prior. Austin’s minor league career started off hot in 1999 when he started the season 5-1 with a 3.13 ERA with opponents batting just .230 off him. He made his league’s All Star Team, but struggled a bit in the second half. In 2000, he made it to Triple-A but went 7-9 with a 4.48 ERA. The Royals sent him to the bullpen in 2001 and his velocity seemed to improve but the overall numbers weren’t great. He was promoted to the big leagues and had a 5.54 ERA in 21 appearances. He wasn’t much better in 2002 and the Royals shipped him off to Cincinnati. With the Reds, Austin gave up 27 runs in just over 28 innings. He ended up in the independent leagues before retiring on July 4th, 2005. He got a degree in English from Stanford and became a full-time pitching coach there in 2008 and 2009. He moved on to a management position for Google, but continued to work part time as an assistant coach at San Jose State.

6. B.J. Wallace – Montreal Expos (3rd Overall/1992)

Next up we have B.J. Wallace, the Ace for Mississippi State in ‘91 and ‘92. He struck out 10.25 batters per 9 innings in 1992 with a 2.69 ERA. He walked just 35 batters, showing tremendous command. Wallace also made headlines during the 1992 Olympics in Spain when he struck out 14 batters in a game against Italy. He made his minor league debut in 1993 with High A West Palm Beach and pitched well, going 11-8 with a 3.28 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 137.1 innings. It would be his only decent season. Injuries limited him to 8 starts in 1994 in Double-A. He was put on the 60-day disabled list and missed all of 1995. Wallace made 12 starts and 3 relief appearances for the Phillies High A team in Clearwater in 1996 going 3-4 with a 6.68 ERA before calling it a short and disappointing professional career. He got into coaching after his career, but also had some run-ins with the law. In 2011, at the age of 40, he was arrested along with his wife for first-degree manufacturing of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. In other words, they were cooking methamphetamine in a lab inside their home, which they shared with their 3 kids. The kids were turned over to their grandparents. According to Wallace’s college pitching coach, Ron Polk, “B. J.’s had a tough life. He had to work hard to become the pitcher that he did, and when he got released, it was a blow to him. I just don’t think enough people reached out to him. But people make their own breaks, so I can’t feel too sorry for him.”

5. Corey Myers – Arizona Diamondbacks (4th Overall/1999)

In 1999, the Diamondbacks had their first top 10 pick in franchise history and surprisingly went with a local High School kid out of Desert Vista High School in Phoenix named Corey Meyers. He played shortstop and catcher and was a 5-tool talent ranked by Baseball America as the #1 non-pitcher High School prospect in the country. During his Junior year, he hit .482 with 15 homers and 41 RBIs and during one stretch, accomplished the near impossible by hitting 5 homers in 5 straight at bats. The next year, his power improved even more and he broke his High School division’s home run record. Myers planned to attend Arizona State to be teammates with his brother Casey, but after getting picked 4th overall, decided to go pro. He was not a terrible hitter in the minors, but didn’t tear it up either. He had some issues defensively at shortstop and was moved to third base and later first. In 2002 in High A, he hit .290 with 13 homers and a .793 OPS then the next season hit .290 again in Double-A with a .784 OPS. By now, Myers had been moved to catcher and earned a promotion to Triple-A, where he responded with a .295 average and 7 homers in 57 games. As a catcher, his pitchers loved him and his teams won most of the games he was behind the dish. Unfortunately, he was never promoted to the big leagues and in 2005, his numbers dipped as he hit just .239 with 4 homers in Triple-A. He played with the Angels system after that for a couple years and put up average numbers, but was never promoted. Myers played a few games in the independent leagues and retired after 2007. He returned to Arizona State and coached the softball team before becoming assistant head softball coach at Auburn. He is now the owner of a baseball training company, CM3 Sports Enterprises, LLC.

4. Calvin Murray – San Francisco Giants (7th Overall/1992)

Calvin Murray was a such a highly touted prospect that he was drafted in the first round not once, but twice – first by the Cleveland Indians in 1989, then by the San Francisco Giants in 1992. After not singing in ‘89, Murray went to college at Texas and hit .351 with 47 stolen bases during his Junior year. The Giants took him ahead of future superstars Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon. Murray was known as a guy who could fly, play elite defense and hit for average. The Giants also thought he could develop some big power. Unfortunately, while he could certainly run and play defense, he struggled to hit consistently at the professional level and lingered in the Giants farm system for 7 years. He did show improvement, however, and in 1998, hit .293 between Double-A and Triple-A. He had his breakout minor league season in 1999 when he hit .334 with 23 home runs and 42 stolen bases for the Fresno Grizzlies. Giants fans, myself included, thought we had a future All-Star who just took a little more time than normal to develop. Unfortunately, that year in Triple A was the last time he would show that kind of talent. In 2000, he hit .242 with 2 homers for the Giants with 9 stolen bases. In 2001, the Giants decided to just put him in the lineup for an extended period and really find out what they had. He hit .245 with 6 homers in 326 at bats, certainly not horrible but not particularly good either. The Giants traded him to the Rangers, he bounced around a bit for a few years and was out of baseball after 2005. Murray had a .231 career MLB batting average with 8 homers in 633 at bats and 22 stolen bases. He’s a name I remember well because he was in the system for so long, but never worked out at the big league level.

3. Brooks Kieschnick – Chicago Cubs (10th Overall/1993)

Long before Shohei Ohtani, there was a young up and coming player named Brooks Kieschnick who baseball fans all believed was the next Babe Ruth – a player who could both pitch and hit an an elite level. He is the only player to have won the Dick Howser Trophy – given to the best college baseball player of the year – twice. For the Texas Longhorns, Kieschnick hit .360, crushing 43 home runs and driving in 215 runs. As a pitcher, he went 34-8 with a 3.05 ERA, earning a reputation as a legitimate two-way player who could be drafted as either a position player or pitcher – or both. In the 1993 MLB Draft, he was taken 10th overall by the Chicago Cubs, who decided that his offense, especially his power, was more important than his pitching and, hence, used him as a position player. The decision seemed like the right one as he moved through the minor leagues, hitting for power and average every step along the way. In 1995, he hit .295 with 23 home runs and a .370 on-base percentage for the Triple A Iowa Cubs. He was called up to the big leagues in 1996 and had an amazing debut performance, hitting his first big league homer and going 10 for 29, good enough for a .345 batting average. All signs pointed towards Kieschnick being a regular for the 1997 Cubs. However, he was reportedly “stunned and dejected” after being sent back to to Minor League camp during the last week of 1997 Spring Training. He was eventually called up but hit just .200 in 90 at bats. The next year, the Devil Rays claimed him in their expansion draft, but never promoted him to the big leagues. He ended up signing with the Reds in 2000, but went 0 for 12 with 5 strikeouts. However, he did have a bit of a resurgence with the Brewers in 2003 and 2004 as Kieschnick took up pitching again and was a decent arm coming out of the bullpen. He also seemed to hit better in his role, with a .300 average in 2003 with 7 bombs. However, he never played in an MLB game after 2004. He now owns Dispersion Group, a medical device distribution company in San Antonio.

2. Josh Booty – Florida Marlins (5th Overall/1994)

In 1994, the still brand new Florida Marlins thought they struck gold with an amazing athlete named Josh Booty, a two-way player who was so good in football, several D1 programs offered him scholarships. As a baseball player, he hit .429 with 25 steals and 12 homers and was the starting shortstop for the U.S. Junior Olympic National Team. He chose baseball and struggled to make contact in the minors. In 1995 in A ball, he hit just .187, striking out 130 times. The next year, he set a Midwest League record with 195 strikeouts. He hit just .206. His numbers were so poor, he would’ve been released if he was just another minor leaguer, but as a 5th overall pick, the Marlins kept pushing him closer to the big leagues. In Triple-A, he hit just .210 with 166 strikeouts but did smash 20 homers, and that was enough for the Marlins to promote him to the bigs. He had a hot start, going 3 for his first 5, but then hit just .158 in 1998 before leaving the game of baseball. He could never figure out how to hit a curve ball. Booty returned to football at LSU and made it to the NFL. After his football career, he started Big Dreams Ventures, a consulting and marketing company.

1. Brien Taylor – New York Yankees (1st Overall/1991)

At #1 is by far the consensus best player in the 1991 MLB Draft, Brien Taylor. At that time, Taylor was considered possibly the best High School pitcher of all time. The Yankees took him first overall and eventually signed him for at the time an insane $1.55 million. Taylor hired Scott Boras as an advisor. Boras said in 2006 that “Brien Taylor, to this day, is still the best High School Pitcher I’ve seen in my life.” He had a fastball that touched triple digits and struck out 213 out of 264 batters while walking only 28. No one could touch him. In his first year in the Minors, 1992, he pitched well, striking out 187 batters in 161 innings with a 2.57 ERA in High A Fort Lauderdale. The next season, in Double A, he went 13-7 with a 3.48 ERA – nothing insanely impressive but certainly good enough to expect he would make his big league debut in 1994. Then, on December 13th during the off season, there was the fistfight heard ‘round the baseball world. Brien Taylor, defending his brother, got into a fight and severely injured his shoulder. He need major surgery and missed the entire 1994 season. By the time he returned, he had lost 8 miles per hour off his fastball and completely lost his command. The Yankees were forced to keep him in Single A while he tried to work it out, but his numbers were absolutely atrocious. He went 0-5 with an 18.73 ERA and walked a ridiculous 43 batters in 16 innings. The Yankees eventually had no choice but to release him. After baseball, he worked for UPS, then as a beer distributor. Later, he was arrested and charged with cocaine trafficking and spent over 3 years in prison. It’s insane to think what would have had he never got into that fistfight as Taylor was on the fast track to the big leagues with some of the best stuff any pitching prospect has ever had.

EPIC BACKFIRES! The 10 WORST MLB PROMOTIONS & P.R. DISASTERS!!!

As in nearly any customer-driven business, finding unique ways to bring in more clients has been a major goal for team owners since the beginning of professional baseball. This has included several amazing ideas such as bobblehead giveaways, ticket discounts, special theme nights. However, there have been a few promotional ideas that went a little too far – and some that were nothing more than straight up bad publicity stunts. Today, we will be ranking the 10 worst and most embarrassing publicity stunts, giveaways and P.R. disasters in MLB history - some of these are absolutely unbelievable, including several poorly thought out giveaways and wild theme nights that led complete catastrophe. I have two dishonorable mentions, the first that only failed to make the list because it didn’t actually come to fruition.

Dishonorable Mention #1: The Spider-Man II Bases

Believe it or not, back in 2004, Bud Selig, the then-commissioner of Major League Baseball, planned on introducing a promo that would put advertisements on the actual field of play – in this case – the bases themselves. MLB had come to an agreement with Sony Pictures to display the logo of their new film, Spiderman II, on the bases of MLB games during a weekend series in June to promote the upcoming release. And it would’ve happened too, if the fans and players themselves didn’t completely reject the idea. Even politicians and former commissioners blasted Selig and he eventually canceled the promotion. I’m sure there were plenty of Spiderman II advertisements throughout the ballparks that month, but at least they weren’t on the bases themselves. Of course, now that advertisements are on the uniforms, it might be only a matter of time before this terrible idea comes back to the forefront.

Dishonorable Mention #2: Scrap Metal Day at the Polo Grounds

This one comes in as a mention, because it was a promotion for a good cause, even though it came with an epic backfire. It was September 26th, 1942. American troops were fighting overseas in World War II, but it was a regular day as far as baseball goes as the season was winding down and the New York Giants were taking on the Boston Braves the Polo Grounds. Both teams had already been eliminated from the postseason. The New York Giants decided to put on a special promo for a Double-Header that would soon regret. To help with war effort, the team offered free admission to any child who came to the ballpark with any kind of scrap metal, which could be recycled and used to help build ships, planes and other equipment. The result was a ballpark full of 10,000 kids, many unsupervised, who had lugged 250 lbs of precious metal into the ballpark. By the 8th inning of the second game, many of the kids were restless, as the Giants were getting ready to wrap up the sweep, leading 5-2. After Warren Spahn recorded the final out of the 8th, some kids thought the game was over and rushed the field in an effort to meet their favorite players such as Mel Ott and Jonny Mize. More kids followed in their footsteps and things quickly got out of hand as a mob of youngsters took over the Polo Grounds. At the umpire’s request, the game was forfeited right then and there, and the Braves were given the win. Since Warren Spahn completed the game, he was given a complete game but not a win since the Braves victory was by forfeit, making Spahn perhaps the only pitcher to ever throw a complete game but not get a decision.

Now, let’s get to the Top 10...

10. Celebrity Spring Training Appearances

I decided not to include Michael Jordan or Tim Tebow’s attempts at a career in pro baseball career in the Top 10, even though many fans considered them publicity stunts. I believe both players gave it 100% and did relatively well considering they’d been away from the game for so long. Had they been promoted to the big leagues despite hitting around .200 in the minors, I would’ve probably had to include them on the main list. However, I will include the many non-professional athletes who got an opportunity to play in Spring Training. While this can fun and entertaining if done right, such as Will Ferrell playing for 10 different teams in one day back in 2015, I’m generally not a huge fan of it, especially when it goes on for more than 1 day, such as the case with country music legend Garth Brooks, who was given 22 at bats with the Padres in 1999, going 1-for-22. Incredibly, he got to come back in 2000 with the Mets and went 0 for 17 and then made another appearance with the Royals in 2004. Apparently, he really did have friends in low places. Other celebrities who got some playing time include Kevin Costner, Tom Selleck, Bruce Hornsby and Billy Crystal. It kind of bothered me that guys who only played in High School at best get to play in MLB Spring Training because of their fame elsewhere. Don’t get me wrong though, if each team ever invites a YouTuber to represent them in a game, I’m ready to go!

9. Vuvuzela Giveaway Night

The Vuvuzela is a small and typically inexpensive instrument that can produce a very loud, monotone note. With all respect to the communities and people who enjoy this instrument, it can be extremely annoying, especially when multiple vuvuzelas are being played at once. It has been such a problem that the NCAA permanently banned them in 1987. They’ve also been banned at a variety of sporting events and venues around the world, which makes it all the more puzzling how the Florida Marlins thought it would be a good idea to actually give out Vuvuzelas to the fans as stadium giveaway in 2010 before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. 15,000 fans had vuvuzelas and many of them buzzed away throughout the entire baseball game. Marlins President Dave Samson received complaints in the form of e-mails and text messages throughout the game, including one from special assistant Jeff Conine, who said he was getting a headache. The players had to wear earplugs just to get through the game. "That was the worst handout or giveaway I've ever been a part of in baseball," second baseman Dan Uggla said. The noise was so bad, it caused confusion between the umpires and managers when discussing lineup changes. One player was called out by Umpire Tom Hallion for batting out of order, but Freddie Gonzalez had told him about the switch – he just couldn’t hear him. Gonzalez was ejected for arguing the call. “It was the most uncomfortable baseball game I’ve ever been a part of,” said Hallion.

8. The White Sox Wear Shorts

Long-time MLB owner Bill Veeck was known for his wild and crazy promotional ideas throughout his career. Some were brilliant and others not so much. For example, he had helped design some new uniforms for his Chicago White Sox players one off-season that included actual shorts instead of baseball pants. He had the players try them on as part of a fashion show before the season, but no one thought they would actually wear them in a regular season game. Then, on August 8th, 1976, Veeck ordered his club to wear the special unis for the first game of a Double-Header against the Royals. The Royals ended up losing the game, perhaps because they were so distracted laughing at and making fun of the White Sox. The uniforms became the laugingstock of baseball, but at the same time, some players actually liked them. The White Sox ended up wearing them for 2 more games that season before retiring the idea forever. They won all three games that they wore the infamous shorts, and Veeck determined the gag had run its course.

7. Ball Night at Dodger Stadium

August 10th, 1995, was just another normal day with various MLB games on the schedule, including one at Dodger Stadium between the Dodgers and Cardinals. The Dodgers were holding a special giveaway – a free baseball to commemorate their recent Rookie of the Year winners. A total of 25,000 were given out. It sounded like a harmless enough giveaway, but remember – baseballs are made to be thrown, and if drunk baseball fans get angry – well, they’ll probably throw something. And sure enough, after some egregious calls on the field by the umpires, the fans began throwing their baseballs onto the field. In the 7th inning, the game had to be delayed as hundreds of baseballs littered the field. After a long delay collecting the balls, the game resumed, but in the 9th inning, after Raul Mondesi began arguing a strike 3 call that was clearly off the plate, a shower of baseballs came raining onto the field again. Both Mondesi and manager Tommy Lasorda were ejected for arguing. Once again, the field was cleaned up and play resumed. Reportedly, there were no warnings from the P.A. Announcer to stop throwing baseballs onto the field, but if you’re watching this and you were at that game, please let us know in the comments section, along with any more details you can offer. Almost immediately after the game resumed for the second time, one fan in the bleachers couldn’t help himself and fired another baseball onto the field. The umpires immediately ended the game, which went to the Cardinals, who had a 2-1 lead. It remains the most recent forfeit in MLB history and set a precedent that when giving away baseballs, they should be given out as the fans are leaving, not entering.

6. Turn Ahead The Clock Night

In the early 1990’s, teams started a popular promotion of wearing throwback uniforms just like the ones worn back in the 40’s or even earlier. Fans loved the look of the old uniforms and many players enjoyed them too. Then, in 1998, the Seattle Mariners decided to do the opposite, and put on a fun promotion wearing uniforms from the future, designed in large part by Ken Griffey Jr. It would’ve been a one and done promotion that every one forgot, but then in 1999, the promo went MLB-wide. All but 8 teams took the field wearing some of the ugliest uniforms in MLB history - wild unis with cut off sleeves, untucked jerseys, and wacky logos. Teams even changed their names, such as the Mets going by the Mercury Mets. The logos were completely outlandish and the names and numbers printed in different directions than they would traditionally be. The consensus opinion was that they looked hideous.

The worst part might have been that the uniforms were supposed to represent 2021, a year that has already come and gone . These uniforms were so out there, they should’ve picked a year at least 100; maybe 200 years in the future. At the end of the day, the uniforms were completely panned and the promo was a total failure, although I have to give them props for at least going all out with it.

5. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

This might be controversial to include as it was a very recent promotion that was met with both major criticism and major support, but I can’t imagine the Dodgers organization felt satisfied after all was said and done. It was during the 2023 season when the Dodgers scheduled the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to receive a Community Hero Award at their annual Pride Night game. The Sisters, according to Wikipedia, are a street performance movement that uses drag and religious imagery to satirize issues of sex, gender, and morality and fund-raise for charity. The invite was heavily criticized by religious groups along with many fans and politicians, leading the team to dis-invite the group. Then, criticism came just as, if not more heavily, from other fans and politicians who supported the Sisters. Supporters of the LGBTQ community and organizations such as the Los Angeles LGBT Center demanded the Dodgers re-invite them. So, the Dodgers did just that, making another about-face, re-inviting them, which of course lead to more backlash from the religious community among others who believed the Sisters to be an anti-Catholic hate group who mocked religion and performed acts that would not be considered family-friendly. Even some Dodgers players, such as Clayton Kershaw and Blake Treinen criticized the inclusion of the Sisters while MLB player Trevor Williams said it was a violation of the team’s discrimination policy. Social media buzzed with videos and debates over the entire situation and thousands of Catholics and supporters protested outside of Dodger Stadium during the event. Regardless of whether you support the decision to invite this group or not, I would say its pretty obvious that the Dodgers definitely didn’t mean to spark such a massive controversy and piss off about half their fan base along with some of their own players, and they would probably have never invited the Sisters in the first place if they could do it all over again.

4. Wet T-Shirt Night at Fulton County Stadium

Speaking of events that aren’t so family friendly, in 1977, a struggling Major League team known as the Atlanta Braves determined that any publicity is good publicity and in order to lure in some extra male fans to the stadium, decided to actually have a Wet T-Shirt Night at Fulton County Stadium. Attendance did increase some as 11,451 fans showed up to watch the Braves take on the Cubs. Beginning in the 6th inning, it was announced that registration was open for the Wet T-Shirt Contest which would take place following the game. Fans could watch as the beautiful Georgia girls signed up for the contest and then after the Braves got destroyed 13-4, the competition went on as planned, with 43 women participating. They were hosed down as men, women and children looked on. As it turned out, the woman who won was a the daughter of a preacher. I’m sure that didn’t go over well. I won’t judge any one who enjoys a good wet t-shirt contest, but is an MLB game, which is supposed to be a family-friendly event, the best venue for one? I think not. Since it occurred in the late 70’s, before the social media era, the backlash was not nearly as strong as it might be today, but several fans voiced their displeasure at the event, which definitely crossed a line.

3. Eddie Gaedel

And coming in at #3 is another invention of the great Bill Veeck, who purchased the St. Louis Browns in 1951 and came up with some wild innovations and publicity stunts to compete with the local St. Louis Cardinals, the better and more popular team at the time. By far, his most famous decision, and the craziest and biggest publicity stunt in MLB history, was to sign Eddie Gaedel, a 3’7” 60 lb professional performer Veeck found through a booking agency. He was issued a uniform with the number 1/8 and popped out of a paper-mache cake in between games of a doubleheader to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the American League. It was seen at first as one of Veeck’s more mild stunts and the sponsor of the promotion was disappointed. Little did they know what was going to happen in the second game of the Doubleheader. In the bottom of the 1st inning, Browns manager Zack Taylor sent up the little man to pinch hit. He had been added to the active roster, and the umpires had no choice but to let him hit. Even the Browns players had no idea Gaedel would actually play in the game. Pitcher Bob Cain laughed at the absurdity of the situation and the catcher had to catch from his knees. Gaedel walked on four pitchers and bowed to the crowd on his way to first in one of the wildest scenes in MLB history. The A.L President voided the contract the next day because Veeck was making a mockery of the game.

2. Disco Demolition Night

In 1979, Mike Veeck, the son of the aforementioned Bill Veeck and Chicago White Sox front office promotion manager, came up with a crazy idea. Like father, like son. In Mike’s case, it was not a publicity stunt, rather a promotion that allowed fans to enter the ballpark for just 98 cents if they brought a disco record along with them. The records would all be destroyed in-between games of a doubleheader, officially ending the disco era. Veeck was hoping for at least 20,000 fans as compared to their regular attendance of 5,000. Over 50,000 people showed up with records in hand and many more leapt fences and gates to enter the ballpark during the game. The boxes that fans were supposed to put their records in overflowed and many took them to their seats. Records along with other dangerous items were being thrown around the stadium and the game had to be halted several times. The records were indeed blown up, but they left a huge hole in the playing field, which would’ve made the next game difficult to play even if thousands of fans didn’t storm the field, which they did. They set fire to the field, pulled up bases, destroyed equipment, and took over the stadium. The rioters overwhelmed security and the best could try was to put on the scoreboard “Please return to your seats.” It wasn’t too effective. The second game had to be forfeited by the White Sox and to this day, Disco Demolition Night is one of the most infamous and disastrous promotions of all time.

1. 10-Cent Beer Night

It was 1974 and in an effort to improve attendance, the Cleveland Indians decided to hold 10-Cent Beer Night, offering 10 oz beers for just 10 cents with no limit on the number of purchases. What could possibly go wrong? To make matters worse, this promotion occurred in a game between the Indians and Rangers, two teams that had just gotten into a bench clearing brawl a few days earlier, and Indians fans were in a rowdy mood already. Over 25,000 fans showed up to 10-Cent Beer Night, more than double that was expected. Almost immediately, it was apparent there were going to problems. A woman ran out on the field, flashed the crowd, then tried to kiss the umpire. Later, a naked man ran on to the field and slid into second base. The next inning, a father and son ran out on the field and mooned the fans. The stadium started to look like a warzone as fans began randomly setting off firecrackers. Fans threw items like hot dogs onto the field and other naked people started appearing throughout the stadium. Gunpowder and marijuana smoke covered the entire ballpark. By the 7th inning, all the sober fans had already departed, leaving an army of extremely drunk belligerents who stormed the field, armed with knives and clubs formed from portions of the stadium they tore apart. Both Indians and Rangers players grabbed bats and the war was on in one of the most unbelievable scenes in the history of the game. Eventually the players escaped to the safety of the clubhouse and the uncontrollable beasts destroyed the field and stadium for 20 minutes until the police were able to restore order. The Indians were forced to forfeit the game and several players and umpires were injured. The Indians actually had the guts to hold another 10-Cent Beer Night that season, but this time with a 2-Beer per person limit.

Matt Bush - #1 Overall Pick To FELON To MLB Reliever... EPIC BUST Or MLB REDEMPTION Story??

In October of 2015, Matt Bush – a former first overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft, was released from prison. At that point in time, he was considered to be one of if not the biggest and most disappointing draft bust in the history of the game. A string of poor decisions, alcohol abuse and severe anger issues destroyed his once promising career and he never made it above Double-A. But Matt Bush, against all odds, returned to professional baseball and as recently as the 2023 season, nearly 20 years after he was taken first overall, Bush was still continuing his career, with appearances in both Triple-A and the big leagues. Today, we’ll look back at the life and career of Matt Bush and answer the question – should he still be considered one of the biggest busts of all time – or should he be more associated with an incredible redemption story and unlikely success? This might be hard for many people to accept after hearing about some of his horrible crimes, but it’s an incredible story nonetheless.

Matt Bush was born on February 8th, 1986 in San Diego, California. Growing up, he played a variety of sports including baseball and soccer. Bush was a natural athlete and developed an extreme talent for baseball, learning to pitch and hit at a high level. He was a stand-out player at Mission Bay High School, where he pitched and played shortstop. He was a 5-tool player who had a particularly strong arm and played near flawless defense. He also hit .450 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs. As a pitcher, he was lights out with a .74 ERA. Bush could hit mid-90’s regularly and had a deadly curveball. As the 2004 MLB Draft approached, he was one of the hottest names available, although he had committed to San Diego State.

His hometown team that he grew up following happened to have the first overall pick in 2004. There were other more seasoned players available, such as college players Justin Verlander, Jared Weaver and Stephen Drew. However, Drew and Weaver were represented by Scott Boras, and the Padres feared the demanded bonus would be too high. Verlander was one of the best college arms available and his bonus was expected to be north of $5 million. So, the Padres decided to save money and go for Bush, who signed for a $3.15 million bonus, saving the Padres a couple million dollars, but ultimately costing them much more than that in the long run.

Bush was drafted as a shortstop, the highest drafted since Alex Rodriguez. He was set to begin his professional career in Rookie Ball with the Arizona League Padres. But just one week after the draft, before he could even take the field, Bush was arrested in Peoria, Arizona for getting into a bar fight and allegedly biting a bouncer who was trying to escort him out of the establishment. Prosecutors decided not to file felony charges but Bush was suspended by the Padres. After returning, he was able to play in 29 rookie league games, but hit just .192 with zero home runs. In 2005 for the Single-A Fort Wayne Wizards, he continued to struggle, hitting .221 with 2 home runs in 453 at bats. He had a slugging percentage of just .276. In 2006, a broken ankle limited him to just 22 games.

At this point in time, it looked like Matt Bush was a clear bust – he had been arrested off the field and was not producing on the field. But, he still had an incredible arm and the Padres decided to try him out as a pitcher. In 2007, through 7 appearances, he dazzled, striking out 16 batters in 7 2/3rds inning with a 1.17 ERA, walking just 2. Unfortunately, he tore a ligament in his pitching arm and needed Tommy John surgery, sidelining him for all of 2008. It was during his recovery time when Bush got into another altercation off the field. Bush was accused of a drunk assault involving players of a High School Lacrosse team. A witness said that Bush threw a golf club, picked up and threw one of the players and hit the other, yelling “I’m Matt Fucking Bush!” He then drove his Mercedes over a curb, driving away from the campus. Articles were coming out calling him the worst #1 overall pick of all time. The Padres gave up on him and traded him to the Blue Jays for “future considerations.”

The Blue Jays put him on an immediate “zero tolerance” policy. He was sent to Dunedin, Florida, the home of the Blue Jays Spring Training facility and rookie league team. Just like with the Padres, before he even threw a pitch for the Jays organization, he found trouble off the field. At a party, some one drew markings on his face as a joke as he was passed out drunk. After awakening, he blamed a 23-year old woman and went into a rage, throwing a baseball just passed her head then banging on her car window and she tried to get away. The Blue Jays found out about the incident and immediately released him for “failing to comply with the team guidelines that were set out for him.” He missed the entire 2009 season, making it two full seasons he had not appeared in a professional baseball game.

Somehow, he got another opportunity in 2010 as the Tampa Bay Rays signed him to a Minor League Deal. He appeared in just 10 games in 2010 in Rookie League and High A, but still had a powerful arm, leading to 20 strikeouts in 13 innings. In 2011, finally completely healthy, he pitched in 26 games for the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits and averaged 13.8 strikeouts per 9 innings. He had some control issues, leading to a 4.83 ERA but the Rays saw enough to add him to the 40-man roster and planned to send him to Triple-A to begin the 2012 season. He would be given every opportunity to make his big league debut in 2012. That’s when his worst off-the-field incident occurred, effectively ending his professional baseball career.

During 2012 Spring Training, Matt Bush got behind the wheel of a Dodge Durango he borrowed from teammate, Brandon Guyer. Bush, driving with a suspended license, went on a drinking binge that led him to hit a pole in Sarasota. He kept driving anyway and sidewiped a car in Venice. He left the scene of that accident and headed back towards Port Charlotte. He was kicked out of an adult dance club for trying to climb up onto the stage. By this point he was completely wasted. Bush left the club in the Durango and was on a collision course with 72-year old Tony Tufano, who was riding his Harley Davidson after spending the day babysitting his granddaughter. According to a witness, Bush hit the motorcycle, knocking Tufano off, then just kept driving, running over his head with the back wheel. Tufano ended up in intensive care with life-threatening injuries. Without the helmet, he would have been killed instantly.

Tony Tufano

Matt Bush fled the scene and later claimed he thought he had run over the bike, not the man’s head. Tufano, who was a marathon runner, broke 10 of his 12 ribs on the right side and fractured 8 vertebrae. His right lung collapsed and his brain was bleeding. Somehow, he survived the crash. If he hadn’t, Matt Bush might still be in prison today. As it was, Bush was arrested on multiple DUI-related felonies and held in Charlotte County Jail on $440,000 bail. He was sentenced on a plea deal to 3 ½ years in prison with no probation afterwards. The Tufano family also sued Bush and Brandon Guyer $5 million. It was settled out of court for $200,000. It appeared that the professional baseball career of Matt Bush was over and he would now be known as the biggest first overall draft bust in the history of the game.

That is, until his name popped up again 3 years later in baseball news. He had apparently been released from prison and gotten a job at Golden Corral. It was there, in the Golden Corral parking lot in Jacksonville, Florida, where Matt Bush held a showcase for scouts of the Texas Rangers. His arm was still incredibly lively, but would the Rangers be willing to take a flyer on Bush after everything that had happened? Incredibly, the answer was yes and on December 18th, 2015, the Rangers signed him to a minor league deal. The Rangers GM Jon Daniels said, “Unlike some who have been accused of different crimes, or have had stuff happen in the past, Matt is not running or hiding from this. He has been extremely accountable, extremely remorseful.” Even Tufano showed support for Bush, saying he was happy to see Bush was getting back into baseball.

He was sent to Double-A Frisco and accompanied by his father who would supervise Bush and try to make sure he stayed out of trouble. In 12 appearances, he impressed, striking out 18 batters in 17 innings with a 2.65 ERA. The Rangers saw enough and called him up to the big leagues and about 12 years after being drafted first overall, Matt Bush made his big league debut, retiring the heart of the Blue Jays lineup to finish the game. A couple days later, there was a major fight in the Rangers Blue Jays game, but Matt Bush was not involved – it was the famous Roughned Odor vs Jose Bautista fight that led to a bench clearing brawl. Bush made 58 appearances for the 2016 Texas Rangers and went 7-2 with a 2.48 ERA and one save. He stayed out of trouble off the field and continued to pitch well out of the bullpen for Texas in 2017, striking out 58 batters in 52.1 innings, this time picking up 10 saves. Over the next few years, he struggled with injury issues and had to have a second Tommy John surgery, but Bush stayed out of trouble and pitched well enough to keep a roster spot, although he did have to pitch in Triple-A at times.

In 2022, he was having a great season with a 2.95 ERA through 40 appearances, striking out 11 batters per 9 when he was traded to the Brewers, where had a 4.3 ERA. In 2023, the Brewers released him after a rough start to the year and he returned to the Rangers organization, assigned to the Triple-A Round Rock Express. In 9 games there, he had a 2.13 ERA with 16 strikeouts and 2 saves. Bush had successfully quit his drinking habit and had no off-the-field issues since his release from prison, although his anger issues might not be completely resolved.

On September 30th, 2023, the Rangers selected Bush’s contract and added him to the MLB Roster. He became a free agent after the season. As of now, Matt Bush has appeared in 217 big league games and has 227 strikeouts in 211 innings. For some one drafted nearly 20 years ago, the fact that he’s still active and contributing as an MLB pitcher makes it hard to call him a complete bust, unless of course you’re a Padres fan. Similar to Josh Hamilton, there’s no telling what kind of career Bush could have had if he had not had off-the-field issues, but all the signs indicate he could’ve been an elite relief pitcher had he not spent 3 years locked up, not to mention all the time missed due to suspensions. The good news is after serving his time, Bush has quit drinking and from all appearances, is nothing like the young knucklehead who yelled “I’m Matt Fucking Bush!” and drove away from the scene of a horrible accident in which a man was almost killed. So, for me, although the bust label certainly fits as a #1 overall pick with just a 1.7 career WAR, I look at Matt Bush more of a redemption story than a bust. That’s why I decided to leave him off of my upcoming Top 15 Busts of the 2000’s video – after all, he’s not even retired yet. From the entire 2004 First Round, only Bush and Justin Verlander remain active. That’s a pretty good accomplishment for some one whose career was considered completely over 10 years ago.

TOP 15 CONTROVERSIAL MLB Postseason Moments!!

Welcome another Humm Baby countdown and today we’re in the middle of October – MLB Playoff time – and what better time to talk about some of the craziest and most controversial moments in MLB Playoff history. Everything is amplified in October and players are more focused and determined than at any other point in the year. So, it’s no surprise that sometimes there will be wild and controversial plays that might involve a player going full bush league to help their team win by any means necessary, an umpire completely blowing a call or a fan getting a little too involved. This list is composed of individual postseason plays that were wildy controversial, not controversies that emobodied the entire playoff or World Series – just individual plays. So, without further ado, let’s talk about 15 of the most controversial playoff moments in MLB history.

15. Trea Turner Called Out

The Washington Nationals were facing elimination in Game 6 of the 2019 World Series, but had a one-run lead with a runner on 1st and Trea Turner at the plate. Turner hit a slow dribbler back to the mound, and hustled down the line to try to beat the throw. That’s when things went nuts.

The throw took Yuli Gurriel’s glove towards the baseline and Turner inadvertently knocked it and the ball away. He was called out for runner’s interference, much to the dismay of Nationals manager Dave Martinez, who wanted to protest the call, but because it was a judgment call, a protest was denied. Luckily for the Nats, Anthony Rendon homered later in the inning, but that didn’t stop Martinez from continuing to argue and cuss at the umpires until they finally threw him out of the game. The Nats ended up winning the game and World Series anyway, which is why this one comes in at the bottom.

14. Obstruction

Only one MLB postseason game has ever ended on an obstruction call and it happened in Game 3 of the 2013 World Series between the Cardinals and Red Sox. The series was tied at 1 game apiece and Game 3 was taking place at Busch Stadium. It was the bottom of the 9th inning and the winning run was just 90 feet away for St. Louis with 1 out. That’s when all hell broke loose.

Even though no Cardinals player ever touched home plate, third base umpire Jim Joyce determined that obstruction had taken place at third by third baseman Will Middlebrooks, who inadvertently impeded Allen Craig from running home as Craig tripped over the body of Middlebrooks as he took off from third towards home plate. Replay shows that by the rulebook, Jim Joyce was correct in this call, but that didn’t make the Red Sox feel any better about it. What did make them feel better about it was winning the World Series a few days later despite the loss Game 3 loss.

13. The “Phantom Tag”

The 1999 ALCS was extra intense as it was between the rival New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The Yankees were up 3-2 with one out in the 8th, but the Red Sox had Jose Offerman on first place and John Valentin at the plate. Valentin grounded the ball to Chuck Knoblauch, who reached out to tag Offerman then throw to first for the double play. Problem is, he never got close to actually touching Offerman.

Any potential Red Sox rally was eliminated by this terrible call by the second base umpire Tim Tschida and the Yankees went on to win the game, taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, which they won the following night. The Yankees went on to win the 1999 World Series against the Atlanta Braves.

12. Fan Interference Against Altuve

In top of the 1st inning of Game 4 of the 2018 ALCS, the Red Sox, who had a 2-1 lead in the series, jumped out to 2-0 lead over the Astros. But then, Jose Altuve stepped up to the plate with a runner on and crushed an opposite field shot over the right field wall. Mookie Betts tried to make the leaping catch, but couldn’t do it – possibly due to some fans also trying to make the catch. Joe West decided that they interfered with the play and called Altuve out.

This call became extremely controversial as the fans don’t appear to reach out into the field of play – rather Betts is reaching into the stands to try to make the play. Per the rulebook, if a player’s glove reaches over the fence and into the stands, provided the fans are not reaching out into the field of play, there is no interference. The fans are obviously eager to catch the baseball but they appear to be waiting for the ball to come to them and not reaching out, at least not into the field of play. Either way, the call by Joe West stood and the home run that was wasn’t. Altuve was called out and the Astros did not score in the inning. They ended up losing the game that night by 2 runs – the same amount of runs that would’ve scored on the Altuve drive. The Red Sox wrapped up the series the following night and went on to the win the World Series.

11. The Utley Slide

In the bottom of the 7th inning of Game 2 of the 2015 NLDS, the New York Mets had a 2-1 lead but the Dodgers were threatening with two men on including Chase Utley at first. Howie Kendrick hit what looked to be a potential double play ball when Chase Utley, coming in hot from first, had other ideas.

Utley took out Ruben Tejada with a slide you would only see in the playoffs these days, when desperation is at its maximum. Tejada sustained a broken leg in the play, which Mets fans saw as dirty and clear interference. Unfortunately for them, the umpires disagreed and the run that scored on the play counted, tying the game. The Dodgers went on to score 3 more runs and won the game 5-2. They ended up winning the series 3 games to 2.

10. The “Renfroe Assist”

It was Game 3 of the 2021 ALDS and the Rays and Red Sox were deadlocked in the 13th inning at Fenway Park. Yandy Diaz was at first base when Kevin Kiermaier crushed a ball that looked like it might go out. Instead, it went off the wall – for what should have been an easy RBI base hit giving the Rays the lead as Diaz was running on the pitch. Instead, the ball went off outfielder Hunter Renfroe and over the fence, making it a dead ball. But shouldn’t the run still score since the outfielder caused the ball to go over the wall? Let’s take a look at the play.

The umpires ruled that Diaz had to return to third base and Kiermaier was given an automatic double. After the internet did its research thanks in large part to Jeff Passan, it was determined that the umps got the call right since Renfroe never had possession of the ball and did not mean for it to go over the wall. The rules state that if the ball accidentally ricochets off an outfielder, the hitter and any runners on base are awarded just two bases. So, since Diaz was on first when the ball was hit, he can only advance as far as third base. Rays fans were irate and Kiermaier called the play a “backbreaker.” The Red Sox went on to win the game in the bottom of the 13th on a Christian Vasquez walk-off homer, taking a 2-1 lead in the series. They won Game 4 as well to advance to the ALCS.

9. The 2012 Infield Fly Rule

During the win-or-go-home 2012 Wild Card Game, the Cardinals were up 6-3 but the Braves were fighting back. With one out in the 8th, the tying run, Andrelton Simmons, stepped up for Atlanta and hit a pop up to short left that fell in for a hit just short of left-fielder Matt Holliday – that is, until the umpire decided inexplicably to call Andrelton out due to the “infield fly rule.”

The Braves and their fans flipped out and the game was delayed 19 minutes as arguments ensued and trash was thrown on the field. The infield fly rule should only be called on a pop up that an infielder can reasonably and routinely catch so that said infielder won’t let the ball drop, allowing an easy double play since the runners had to hold up. This did not look like such a play – but umpire Sam Holbrook, who is no stranger to controversy – made the infield fly rule call and the Braves failed to score in the inning. St. Louis won the game 6-3 and the Braves went home.

8. Ball-In-The-Hand

For this one, we go back over 50 years to the 1970 World Series. It was Game 1 between the Reds and Orioles. The game was tied at 3 in the top of the 7th with the Reds threatening. Bernie Carbo was at third base and Ty Cline hit a weak chopper in front of the plate. Carbo broke for the plate.

Orioles catcher Elrod Hendricks definitely tagged Carbo with his glove before he touched home. The problem was he was holding the baseball in his other hand, not with the hand he tagged him with. Per the rulebook, that should not be an out, but umpire Ken Burkhart made the safe call. MLB replay would not exist for another 40 years or so – so there was nothing the Reds could do. That run was the game winner for the Orioles and and they went on to win the series, becoming 1970 champs.

7. Pierzynski Reaches First

Coming up next is a horrific umpire blunder during Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS. The White Sox and Angels were tied in the 9th inning in Chicago when A.J. Pierzynski swung and missed at strike 3 to end to the inning. Replay shows that the catcher made a clean albeit low catch to secure the strikeout, but after A.J. started to walk towards the dugout, he suddenly took off for first base as the Angles jogged off the field.

Incredibly, home-plate umpire Doug Eddings declared Pierzynski safe at first. Pablo Ozuna pinch ran and stole second then was driven in by Joe Crede to give the White Sox a walk-off win, tying the series. The Angels never recovered and went on to lose the next three games in Anaheim. The White Sox went all the way, winning the 2005 World Series.

6. The Hip-Check

The Dodgers were looking good in the 1978 World Series with a 2-1 lead in the series and 3-1 lead in Game 4. The Yankees were threatening, however, with 2 men on and Lou Piniella at the plate. He hit what looked to be a double-play ball to Bill Russell at shortstop. The out was recorded at second, but before the ball could get to first, Reggie Jackson’s hip got in the way.

Arguments continue to this day over whether or not Jackson intentionally deflected the ball, but the ruling at the time was that it was accidental and the Yankees rally was allowed to continue and Munson scored on the play, making it 3-1. They went on to tie the game then win it in extra innings. The Yankees kept the momentum going with a 12-2 win in Game 5 and a 7-2 win in Game 6 to take the Series.

5. A-Rod’s Glove Swat

It was Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series with the Red Sox needing a win to force a Game 7. They had a 4-2 lead in the 8th with one out and Derek Jeter on first base. Up stepped Alex Rodriguez with a chance to tie the game. Instead, here’s what happened.

A-Rod appeared to actually swat the ball right out of pitcher Bronson Arroyo’s glove. This doesn’t feel fair at all, but is it actually against the rules? Well, per section 6.,1 of the MLB Umpire Manual, “While contact may occur between a fielder and runner during a tag attempts, a runner is not allowed to use his hands or arms to commit an obviously malicious or unsportsmanlike act.”

After Red Sox manager Terry Francona argued the call, the 6 umpires got together and changed the call from safe to out. The Yankee fans flipped out and began to throw trash on to the field, but most agree the call turned out correct as replay shows A-Rod intentionally slapping Arroyo’s hand to free the ball. The Red Sox went on to win the game, the series and then the World Series.

It wasn’t the only bush league moment of A-Rod’s career – in 2007 in a game against the Blue Jays, he yelled “I Got It” as a baserunner to cause a pop up to fall. Needless to say the Jays were not amused.

4. Hrbek Takes Down Gant

It was Game 2 of one of the greatest World Series in the history of the Game as the Twins and Braves, two last place teams from 1990 went toe to toe in the 1991 Fall Classic. The Twins were up 2-1 in the 3rd when Ron Gant picked up a two-out base hit, sending Lonnie Smith to third. After Gant rounded first and the ball briefly got away, pitcher Kevin Tapani tried to throw him out as he retreated back to first base. Gant was back in time until first baseman Kent Hrbek decided to remove him from the base and tag him out.

Power-hitter Dave Justice would’ve been up with two men on but instead, the inning was over as the umpire ruled Gant out, saying his momentum pulled him off the bag.

The Braves ended up losing the game in 3-2 and the Twins eventually won the 1991 World Series in 7 games, still their most recent World Series Championship although they’re in a battle right now with the Astros in the ALDS.

3. The Maier Play

It was the bottom of the 8th inning of Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS and the Orioles were looking to take a 1-0 lead in the series, leading 4-3 in the bottom of the 8th. That’s when Derek Jeter hit a deep fly ball to right-field. Tony Tarasco was squaring up to make the catch on the warning track when the unbelievable happened.

A 12-year old kid named Jeffrey Maier stuck his glove over the wall to catch the ball and take it right out of Tarasco’s glove. Tarasco immediately argued the play, but it was called a home run and this occurred before instant replay so nothing could be done about it. The right-field umpire Rich Garcia had a great view but somehow completely missed this play and the Yankees ended up winning the game on a home run by Bernie Williams. They went on to win the A.L Championship and 1996 World Series. The Orioles tried to protest to call after the game but were denied as it was considered a “judgement call.”

2. Dekinger Blows the Call

It was 1-0 Cardinals in the 9th inning of Game 6 of the ‘85 World Series. The Royals had Jorge Orta at the plate trying to reach base and get something going. He succeeded with a slow groundball, although after checking out the replay, he should not have.

Don Dekinger, an excellent MLB umpire for nearly 30 years, blew the call and Orta was determined safe even though Todd Worrell clearly beat him to the bag. The Cardinals were unable to move past the mistake and get out of the inning. The Royals rallied to score twice, winning 2-1 and then crushed the Cardinals in Game 7 11-0 with Dekinger calling balls and strikes. The Cardinals were obsessed all night with the strike zone and the manager Whitey Herzog and pitcher Joaquin Andujar were ejected. The momentum in the Series clearly shifted after the blown call and the Royals won it all in ‘85.

1. The Bartman Incident

No list of postseason controversies would be complete without the Bartman incident. This play goes back to October 14th, 2003 during a critical Game 6 of the NLCS between the Cubs and Marlins. The Cubs were up 3-0 in the 8th with a 3-2 lead in the series when Luis Castillo of the Marlins hit a high pop-up towards the stands down the left field line. Mosies Alou thought he might have a play.

Because Alou dived into the stands, no fan interference was called, but Alou made sure to throw a temper tantrum in front of the massive crowd of 39,577 fans to make sure every one knew he thought he could’ve caught it if not for a fan trying to make the play – just like every fan in the vicinity was trying to make the play. His reaction, in my opinion, set the stage for the immediate meltdown of the Chicago Cubs. Pitcher Mark Prior threw a wild pitch, shortstop Alex Gonzalez booted a potential double play ground ball, and the Marlins bats woke up as the Cubs allowed 8 runs to score.

Cubs fans at first were a bit patient with Bartman who meant no harm as they had a 3-0 lead, but once the game got away, they turned on Bartman, who had to be escorted out of the stadium for his safety. He needed police protection at his home after his name and information was published online. No one was rooting harder for the Cubs in Game 7 than Bartman, but unfortunately they couldn’t win it for him. The Marlins won the game and went on to win the World Series.

Top 15 Managers in MLB HISTORY...

Welcome to another Humm Baby Baseball countdown and today we’ll be countdown my top 15 Managers in MLB History. This is a very tough ranking as it’s not always clear who is most responsible for great teams – is Miller Huggins the reason the ‘27 Yankees were so good? Or maybe it had a little something to do with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig among other great players. Well, for that example, the Yankees struggled before Huggins and then struggled again after – even with Ruth and Gerhig still in the lineup. While managers can only be great if they have great ballplayers to work with, a poor manager will still lose more games than they win even with great players. Knowing how to manage a bunch of MLB players with huge personalities and egos as well as keeping a team motivated through a long grueling MLB season are as important as knowing when to pinch hit, when to make a pitching change and what order to put the lineup in. The best managers are the ones who can stick around for decades, keep the team chemistry positive, help lead their teams to multiple championships and simply bring out the best in their players. Some one who is not a natural leader probably won’t last long at being an MLB Manager. So, here we go with my Top 15 MLB managers of all time – considering their win-loss record, championships, longevity as well as what their players had to say about them. Before we get into the Top 15, here are 5 honorable mentions..

Honorable Mentions

Terry Francona

He is currently approaching 2,000 career wins as the manager of the Cleveland Guardians and has proven himself to be one of the greatest manager of all time. Tito had an average at best start to his managerial career with the Phillies but got a second opportunity with the Red Sox in 2004 and led the team to a World Series ring, breaking the Curse of the Bambino . He led the team to a 2nd World Series title in 2007 and finished his Red Sox managerial career with a 744-552 record before heading to Cleveland where he has won 4 division titles and one pennant along with three manager of the year awards.

Earl Weaver

Weaver is 6th all time with a .583 winning percentage as manager of the Baltimore Orioles for 17 seasons. He didn’t quite reach 1,500 wins much less 2,000 which is why he didn’t make the main list but Weaver was an early version of the modern day manager – he believed in pitching, defense and the three-run home run. He wasn’t as focused on small ball and his strategy paid off as Weaver led the Orioles to 4 American League pennants and a World Series Championship in 1984. And he was notorious for his epic rants and meltdowns when the umpiring was not on point.

Lou Piniella

With over 1,800 wins, Piniella definitely deserves a mention. He is a two-time manager of the year award winner and led the Mariners to a franchise record 116 win season in 2001. Sweet Lou was hired as manager of the Reds in 1990 and took them to the World Series, where they swept the A’s. He managed of 21 seasons all told with 7 playoff appearances, managing the M’s, Reds, Yankees, Devil Rays and Cubs.

Jim Leyland

Another name I just couldn’t find room for in the Top 15, Leyland is one of the few managers to win a pennant in both the N.L and A.L. - and he was the skipper for the Marlins when they won their first World Series in 1997. He led the powerful early 90’s Pirates teams to 3 straight N.L. East titles although they couldn’t get past the NLCS. He repeated that with Detroit, winning 3 straight A.L. Central titles but failed to win it all, although his Tigers did reach the World Series in 2012, but were swept by the Giants. Overall, Leyland was a tough but fair manager who won over 1,700 games along with 3 manager of the year awards.

Bill McKechnie

A former deadball era player, Bill McKenchie was one of the early great managers of the game and would’ve been close to #1 on this list 100 years ago. Known as “Deacon” for his quiet & unassuming demeanor and regular participation in the church choir, McKechnie became the first manager to win a World Series with two separate teams – the Reds and the Pirates. He is 16th all time in Wins and also led his teams to 4 pennants. He was the manager of the Boston Braves in 1935 when Babe Ruth played his final season, a terrible season all around as Ruth lasted only a month before retiring and the Braves lost 115 games. Overall, McKechnie still had a great managerial career with a .524 winning percentage.

Now, let’s get into the Top 15.

15. Bucky Harris

Bucky Harris

At the young age of 27, Bucky Harris was hired by the Senators to be a player-manager and he led the team to a World Series Championship. He picked up the nickname “The Boy Wonder.” Harris went on to manage 29 seasons, the 4th most in MLB history, wining 2,158 games along with three pennants and two World Series. He won the second title with the Yankees in 1947. He was one of the earliest managers to deploy relief pitchers on a regular basis, not expecting every starter to pitch all nine innings. He was also a great player’s manager, which likely stemmed from managing guys older than he was at the start of his managerial career. “If you can’t play for Bucky, you don’t belong in the major leagues,” said Joe DiMaggio. His won-loss percentage was just .493 and he was fired multiple times, which is normal for most long-time managers. Still, Bucky Harris had a managerial career that got him into the Hall of Fame.

14. Tommy Lasorda

Tommy Lasorda

With 1,599 wins, Tommy Lasorda didn’t quite reach 2,000 but no one can deny he is an absolute legend. He managed the Los Angeles Dodgers for 20 years from 1976 to 1996, with an amazing ability to get the most of his young talent. During his tenure, nine Dodger rookies won the Rookie of the Year Award. Lasorda’s managerial career started off with back-to-back NL Championships in ‘77 and ‘78. He had a career .526 win/loss percentage, four pennants and two World Series rings – one in 1981 and the other in 1988. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame a year after his retirement and in 2000 he managed the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team to a gold medal. He is in the Top 5 All-Time MLB Managers for the longest tenure with the same team – 21 years as the Dodgers manager and then went on to become Vice President of the team. All told, as a player, manager and front office executive, Lasorda spent over 70 years as a part of the Dodgers organization. According to Orel Hershiser,when playing under Lasorda “Every day was do or die. There was no small day in Tommy Lasorda’s life.”

13. Leo Durocher

One of the most larger-than-life characters in baseball history, Leo Durocher won over 2,000 games as manager of the Dodgers, Giants, Cubs and Astros. His fiery personality and banter with the umps, front office and MLB Executives led to his nickname – “The Lip.” However, despite the controversies, he knew how to manage and in 1941, he led the Dodgers to their first pennant in 21 years. Later, he left to manage the rival Giants and led them to an almost impossible 13 ½ game comeback in late 1951, leading to the famous Bobby Thomson Shot Heard ‘Round The World. Later, his Giants swept the Indians in the ‘54 World Series. He retired with the second most wins in National League managerial history. Based on the amount of years he managed, only one World Series title is a little low, but with overall winning percentage of .540 and over 2,000 wins, Durocher is definitely one of the best managers in MLB history.

Dusty Baker

12. Dusty Baker

Coming in at #11 is the great Dusty Baker, who beats out Durocher after winning his first World Series title in 2022 with the Houston Astros. Baker now has 2,149 wins - 8th all time – and also has a .540 winning percentage. He has won the Manager of the Year award three times including his debut managerial season in 1993 when he led the San Francisco Giants to 103 wins, but due to the lack of a Wild Card that year, the Giants missed out on the playoffs because the Atlanta Braves won 104. From 2008 to 2013, he managed the Reds and they made their first 3 postseason appearances since 1995. In fact, Baker took every team he managed to the postseason at least once – the Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals and Astros. The players he manages have only positive things to say about Baker, who will go down as one of the greatest managers ever.

Bruce Bochy

11. Bruce Bochy

Even before leading the San Francisco Giants to three World Series Rings in 5 years, Bruce Bochy was a great manager for the Padres, leading them to four division titles in 12 years, many of which he had to manage a very young team in a rebuilding process. He won over 900 games with the Padres then over 900 with the Giants, becoming the only manager to win at least 900 games with two separate teams. During the 2010, 2012 and 2014 seasons, he led the Giants to a World Series ring each run despite being underdogs in every single playoff series. This even-year streak ended in 2016 when the Giants lost to the Cubs in the NLDS. Bochy eventually retired but then returned in 2023 to manage the Texas Rangers and, as of this recording, he has led the team to a 59-42 record to lead the American League West. Bochy has 2,062 wins and counting and has improved his career win-loss percentage to .499, still just short of .500, which is the only reason he comes in this low. Based on his performance in Texas, however, he could be moving up very quickly.

Casey Stengel with some of his players

10. Casey Stengel

Coming in at #10 is the legendary Casey Stengel, who led the Yankees to the World Series 10 times in 12 years, although obviously guys like Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford may have had a little something to do with it as well. Before he took over the Yankees, Stengel managed the Brookyln Dodgers and Boston Braves, never finishing above 5th place and at the end of his career, he managed a terrible New York Mets expansion team, losing over 100 games each year. Neverthless, his time with the Yankees can’t be ignored and he led several powerhouse Yankee teams to the Fall Classic, winning an unprecedented five consecutive World Championships. In total he led the Yankees to 7 World Titles and 10 A.L. Pennants. Unfortunately, when not managing those stacked Yankee teams, he has a .397 winning percentage, which is why he comes in a little lower than you might have expected. Incredibly, his years with the Yankees still bump his overall percentage up to .508 and when combined with his colorful personality and legendary quotes, Stengel still belongs in the Top 10.

Miller Huggins

9. Miller Huggins

Huggins began his managerial career during the final four years of his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He was credited with helping fix a young Rogers Hornsby’s batting stance. In 1918, he took over a struggling New York Yankees team and helped turn them into champions, leading them to three World Series rings. He was a master at the fundamentals and drilled these principals into the minds of his players. He was also instrumental in several trades and transactions that helped build the Yankee juggernauts of the 1920’s, even though many of his trades were unpopular at the time. He was a great motivator and knew how to handle big personalities. “He was the only man who knew how to keep me in line,” said Babe Ruth. He took the Yankees to the World Series in 1926, ‘27 and ‘28, winning it all in ‘27 and ‘28. He passed away before the end of the season in 1929. Even with Ruth, Gerhig, Tony Lazzeri and other greats, the Yanks finished in 3rd place in 1930. Even though he won just 1,413 games due to his death at just 51 years old, Huggins had a career .555 winning percentage with 6 pennants and 3 world titles.

8. Connie Mack

Imagine a manger from the 1960’s still managing today. That would equal 7 decades of managing Major League Baseball – something only one man has ever done. Connie Mack started out his managerial career in the 1890’s and his final season was 1950, totaling 7 separate decades. He managed for a total of 53 years, including 50 with the Philadelphia Athletics. Because of the sheer number of games he managed, Mack easily comes in at #1 all-time in wins with 3,731. The downside is he’s also #1 in loses with 3,948. Still, Mack is an all-time legend, famous for wearing his trademark business suit standing tall in the A’s dugout for 50 years. He led them through 2 dynasties which included 9 pennants and 5 World Series titles. He was also manager through a few rough patches which might have resulted in a firing had he not been a partial owner of the team. At one point, the A’s had 10 consecutive losing seasons. As a manger, he was easy-going but did demand his players follow a code of conduct, making sure his players composed themselves as professionals on and off the field and demanded that they judge others as an individuals and never on the basis of race or religion. He managed until the age of 87. Overall, Connie Mack is very hard to rank because he has a losing record but he did win his share of games and championships and is certainly #1 as far as longevity.

Joe Torre

7. Joe Torre
After an 18-year playing career that included an MVP and 252 home runs, Joe Torre went on to manage five different teams for nearly 30 years, winning a 5th best all time 2,326 games. His first managerial stint did not go too well with the Mets and after five losing seasons from ‘77 to ‘81, he was fired. Things went better in Atlanta in 1982 when he took the Braves to the playoffs for the first time since 1969. Unfortunately, after finishing in 2nd in ‘83 then 3rd in ‘84, he was fired, moving to the broadcast booth for a few years until the Cardinals hired him as manager in 1990. He never made the playoffs and was fired midway through the ‘95 seasons. It was at this point that the Yankees made the surprising choice to hire him to the dismay of most Yankee fans. He had never won a playoff game in 14 years as manager. As it turned out, he hit his stride in New York and won the Manager of the Year Award in 1996, kicking off a Yankee Dynasty that included 12 consecutive postseason berths and 4 World Series Championships in 5 years. He led the Yankees to 6 pennants in 8 years and 10 AL East Championships in 12 years. He finished his managerial career with the Dodgers, winning the N.L. West in 2 out of 3 seasons. Although it’s true he didn’t become a winning manager until he had a stacked roster, he did a great job of handling the big personalities along with the high pressure media and fans of New York.

“He’s a great manager,” said former Yankees third baseman Scott Brosius. “There is more to it than who to pitch and play. It’s managing people, the press… and Joe does that all great. Players follow the tone set by the manager, and Joe is the calming influence of this team.”

Despite his early struggles with the Mets, Braves and Cards, he finished his career with a .538 winning percentage.

Walter Alston

6. Walter Alston

He might be the only Hall of Famer who struck out in his only career MLB at bat. That’s because, of course, Walter Alston was inducted for his managing career with the The Dodgers, who had never won a World Series Championship until Alston came on board. Once the quiet and unknown Alston took over the team in 1954, improvements were immediate and in 1955, the Dodgers won it all. They returned to the Fall Classic in 1956, losing in 7 games to the Yankees. Year after year, the Dodgers brought him back on a one-year contract and he ended managing the team for 23 seasons, in both Brookyln and Los Angeles. He led the Dodgers to seven pennants and their first four World Series titles – the majority of their seven overall rings. Even after the retirement of Sandy Koufax in 1966, the Dodgers stayed competitive, wining at least 85 games in each of Alston’s final 8 seasons as manager, leaving the franchise is great shape for his replacement Tommy Lasorda. He won over 2,000 games and had an excellent .558 winning percentage. Alston had an easy-going and calm demeanor, never yelling at or embarrassing his players.

"Walt treats his players like men," said former Dodgers outfielder Dixie Walker. "If he feels a player isn't doing his best he doesn't fine him or cuss him out or sit down and talk with him. He just won't play him anymore."

The strategy seemed to pay off for Walter Alston, who was instrumental in making the Dodgers a top quality franchise they continue to be known as today.

Bobby Cox with the Blue Jays

5. Bobby Cox

Bobby Cox is one of just four MLB managers with over 2,500 wins and he was at the helm for the Atlanta Braves teams of the 90’s and 2000’s, leading them to 14 consecutive division titles. Unfortunately, they won just 1 World Series in 1995, which is why he doesn’t come in even higher. He started out as a manager in the Yankees minor league system before the Braves hired him in 1978. He made some improvements to the poor Braves teams of the late 70’s and early 80’s but was eventually fired before moving on the manage the Blue Jays, who had just finished dead last in 1981. He turned the team around, improving year after year until finishing in 1st place in 1985. He returned to the Braves as General Manager in 1986 but when no manager could get the job done on the field, he hired himself as manager in 1990 and took another last place team to the playoffs in 1991, this time all the way to the World Series, where the Braves lost in extra innings in Game 7 to the Twins in one of the greatest Fall Classics of all time. Known as a players manager, Cox treated his players with respect while instilling a winning attitude.

“He was the single greatest influence on me as a player, in terms of teaching the game, respecting the game, carrying yourself the right way on and off the field,” said former Braves pitcher Tom Glavine.

Cox also has a big league record 158 ejections, creating entertainment for the crowd while defending his players.

Sparky Andreson with the Reds

4. Sparky Anderson

Sparky Anderson managed for 26 consecutive seasons, first with the Reds from 1970 to ‘78 and then from 1979 to 1995 with the Detroit Tigers, compiling an impressive .545 winning percentage and 2,194 total wins. Before starting his managerial career in Cincinnati, the Reds were a good team, winning around 85 to 90 wins per season until Sparky arrived and immediately propelled them to a franchise record 102 wins in his first season. The Big Red Machine made the playoffs in 4 of his first 5 seasons there and won it all in ‘75 and ‘76. They re-broke that franchise record of 102 wins with 106 in 1975. In fact The Reds, who’ve been around since 1869, have won over 100 games in a season just 3 times – all 3 with Sparky as manager. He is hands down the best manager in Reds history, but was mysteriously fired after the 1978 season in which the Reds won 92 games and finished in 2nd place, just 2 ½ games out of 1st. The Tigers immediately began negotiating a deal to hire Anderson despite having already hired a new manager, Less Moss. They fired Moss 1/3rd into his first season after a deal was struck with Sparky, not for under performance but simply because they had gotten Sparky. The Tigers quickly improved as a team and won it all in 1984, which is still their most recent World Series championship. Sparky Anderson posted a winning record in 19 of his first 20 seasons as manager and other than managing some horrible 1990’s Tigers teams, his resume is absolutely stellar.

"He was great at handling great players. He knew the guys to slap and he knew the guys to kiss,' said Bill Gullickson, former Tigers pitcher.

Anderson retired after the 1995 season and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.

Tony La Russa as manager of the Oakland A’s

3. Tony La Russa

La Russa has managed an MLB team in 6 separate decades and is second all-time in wins behind Connie Mack with 2,902 wins. He won over 50% of his games with every team he’s managed – the White Sox, A’s and Cardinals and has a career .536 winning percentage with a 70-58 postseason record. He started out as a minor league manager in the White Sox system before landing the job at the big league level in 1979. From there, the White Sox slowly improved, eventually winning 99 games in 1983, winning the A.L. West. He then headed to Oakland in 1987 to try to improve another struggling team who had finished with a losing record for 7 straight years. He got them to .500 in ‘87 then a World Series in 1988. In ‘89, they won it all, sweeping the Giants in the Battle of the Bay World Series. The A’s won 3 straight A.L. Championships under La Russa, who later managed several great Cardinals teams, leading them to two World Championships – one in 2006 and another in 2011. The Cards finished in 1st place under La Russa 7 times and made the postseason 9 times. He later came out of retirement in 2021, returning to the White Sox, who finished in 1st place in the A.L. Central. Unfortunately, his last tenure with the Sox didn’t go completely smoothly and there were some controversial moments for La Russa, such as calling out his own player for hitting a home run in garbage time with a 3-0 count and a decision to intentionally walk a batter with a 1-2 count. He retired permanently following the 2022 season with 6 pennants, 3 World Series rings and despite the controversies towards the end, is one of the greatest managers in the history of the A’s, Cardinals and MLB in general.

John McGraw

2. John McGraw.

I wanted to go with the great Giants manager John Mcgraw at #1, but he fell just barely short. McGraw managed in 5 different decades and 2 different centuries, beginning his managerial career in 1899 as a 26-year old player-manager of the 19th century Baltimore Orioles franchise. He was one of the most aggressive managers of all time, with one goal in mind – winning at all costs. He loved to steal, hit and run and put the pressure on the opponent. His leadership skills were immediately evident with the Orioles and one year with the Cardinals and after his move to the Giants in 1901, he became one of the greatest managers in the game, turning the Giants into an absolute powerhouse, winning 106 games in 1904, winning the pennant but not playing the World Series because McGraw and the Giants ownership believed the A.L. to be an inferior league. After winning 105 games in 1905, McGraw and the Giants played this time against the Philadelphia Athletics, winning it 4 games to 1. He led the Giants to 3 straight pennants from 1911 to 1913, back-to-back World Series titles in ‘21 and ‘22 and a total of 10 pennants and 3 World Series Championships. McGraw is third all-time with 2,763 wins but his winning percentage of .586 is higher than both and better than any manager with over 2,500 wins. His leadership skills are undeniable and McGraw is in contention as a the greatest manager ever.

Joe McCarthy with Lou Gehrig

1. Joe McCarthy

However, I had to go with Joe McCarthy at #1. Although he comes in 9th all time with 2,125 wins, no manager could claim a better winning percentage - an incredible .615. In fact, Joe McCarthy never had a losing season in his 26-year managerial career. "Never a day went by when you didn't learn something from Joe McCarthy,” said Yankee great Joe DiMaggio. He started out as the manager of the Cubs and took them to the World Series in 1929. William Wrigley Sr., in one of the worst moves of his professional life, fired McCarthy partway through 1930, blaming him for losing the ‘29 series. In 1931, McCarthy was hired by the Yankees, who had only won 3 World Series titles despite getting Babe Ruth in 1920. Under McCarthy, the Yanks went on an absolutely incredible tear, winning eight A.L. pennants and seven World Series rings in 12 years, including four straight appearances in the Fall Classic. He used a low-key approach, rarely arguing with umpires and staying in the dugout for most of the game, even when making a pitching change. He wore no number on his jersey, but had the heart of a teacher, knew how to develop talent and how to handle big personalities like Babe Ruth, who was not a huge fan of McCarthy since the Bambino wanted to be manager. McCarthy won the Manager of the Year award the first year of its existence and went on to win two more. He finished his career managing the Red Sox to 96 wins in 1948 and 1949 before resigning midway through the 1950 season. Overall, he was a winner everywhere he went and based on the resume, the fact that he never had a losing season and has the best winning percentage with over 2,100 wins, I had to put McCarthy at #1.

Why The EEPHUS Pitch Is So Effective! - The HISTORY Of This Tantalizing & Ultra SLOW Pitch!!

The rainbow pitch – moon ball – parachute – skyscraper - but most famously known as the Eephus Pitch – it is a rare but effective pitch that can catch even the greatest MLB hitters off guard and make them look completely foolish. If you’ve ever played slowpitch softball, you’ve faced a similar pitch and likely weren’t overly challenged by its high arc and extremely low velocity. However, when accustomed to triple-digit blazing fastballs, 90 mile per hour changeups and devastating sliders, an unexpected 35 mile per hour blooping rainbow can be quite challenging – and even if a hitter does hit it well, they have to provide all the power.

Rip Sewell

The pitch was first popularized by Rip Sewell, who played mostly for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 30’s and 40’s. Earlier in his career, Sewell had a wide variety of pitches he threw ¾ armslot including a sinker and sharp slider, most effective against lefties. After a hunting accident in 1941, Sewell had to alter his pitching motion. He was forced to pitch straight overhand. While working on this new motion, he began experimenting with a new pitch – a tantalizing high arcing slow ball that rises as high as 20 feet and descents over the plate on a downward slant. Sewell unveiled it during an exhibition game against Detroit Tigers hitter Dick Wakefield. According to Sewell, Wakfield “started to swing, he stopped, he started again, he stopped, and then he swung and missed it by a mile. I thought every one was going to fall off the bench; they were laughing so hard.” Sewell knew he had a found a new weapon.

Sewell had great control of the pitch but umpires had trouble with it. Umpire Lee Ballanfant said

“Now that damned blooper pitch Rip Sewell used to throw was the hardest thing to judge. You’re supposed to call the ball as it comes over the plate, but what do you do if it comes straight down? He just pushed it up there; wasn’t hard enough to break a pane of glass. It was the damnedest thing you ever saw; I missed a lot of calls. It sure looked big coming up there, and sometimes they’d pop it up because their timing was off.”

The most impressive thing about the way Sewell threw the pitch is that he used the same motion as if he were throwing his fastball. He put three fingers on the ball instead of four and let it come off his fingertips with an extremely massive amount of backspin. Sewell’s teammate Maurice Van Robays came up with the name “Eephus pitch,” and it stuck.

Although Sewell is credited with popularizing the pitch, an earlier pitcher who was known to use it was Bill Phillips, a Reds pitcher whose repertoire included the blooper ball from 1890 to 1903. Another pitcher, Bobo Newsom, one of only 29 players to play Major League Baseball during four different decades, began experimenting with the pitch and starting to throw it in games around 1945, although he mostly threw it to entertain himself and the fans. Sewell, on the other hand, used it frequently – sometimes up to 20 times during a single start.

His most famous use of the pitch came during the 1946 All Star Game. At the plate was perhaps the greatest hitter of all time, Ted Williams. Williams challenged Sewell to throw in the Eeephus pitch. Sewell obliged and Williams fouled it off. Even knowing it was coming, the best he could do – at least on the first one – is foul it off. However, Sewell motioned to Williams that he would give him one more shot at the pitch. On the second Eephus of the at bat – something Sewell would not normally do but this was an exhibition game – Ted Williams smoked one over the right field wall for a home run. It was the only home run Sewell ever game up using the Eephus Pitch.

From the 1940’s onward, the Eephus pitch became part of baseball lingo and although extremely rare, it’s always exciting to see how a hitter will handle the pitch. In the 1970’s, pitcher Steve Hamilton, a side-arming relief pitcher started to throw an occasional Eephus, which got dubbed the “Folly Floater.” In a 1970 game, he threw one to Tony Horton of the Cleveland Indians and the pitch was fouled off. Horton dared Hamilton to give him one more and Hamilton agreed. Horton still couldn’t do much with it, popping it up. He crawled back to the dugout in shame.

However, it is a pitch that must be used rarely – and it’s probably best, especially if a power hitter is at the plate, not to use it in the most critical situations. That brings us to the Bill “Spaceman” Lee, who pitched in the big leagues from 1969 to 1982 and is still pitching today at 76 years old for the famous Savannah Bananas. He had always been a finesse pitcher who induced soft contact and groundballs, but after a shoulder injury during a Red Sox-Yankees brawl in 1976, he had to rely on the slow stuff even more. He developed an Eephus pitch that had various nicknames including “Spaceball” and “Leephus” pitch. Lee was pitching during a game that can’t get more critical – Game 7 of the World Series. It was 1975 and the Red Sox had a 3-0 lead over the Reds with a runner on and Tony Perez at the plate. Lee threw his famous moon ball and it was absolutely blasted over the green monster to put the Reds within a run. Later, the Reds scored two more runs and won the game 4-3.

Another pitcher from the 70’s and early 80s, Dave LaRoche, who mostly threw a fastball and slider, would mix in a high blooper Eephus that became as La Lob. He usually found success with it but there were plenty of exceptions. It is definitely a pitch that flirts with disaster. During the 1980’s, Pascual Perez, who pitched mostly for the Braves and Expos, was known to throw an Eeephus pitch once or twice per game. It almost always caught batters by surprise, but on July 19th, 1988, Astros slugger Glenn Davis may have had the pitch in the back of his mind. When Pascual threw it to him, Davis double-clutched and blasted it out of the ballpark.

Dave LaRoche

A more recent pitcher who had his own version of the Eephus pitch was Orlando Hernandez, known as “El Duque,” who pitched from 1998 to 2007, for the Yankees, White Sox, D-Backs and Mets. He started to throw the pitch at around 50 MPH in 2002, though he had trouble getting the strike call. On August 26th, he tried the pitch against the powerful Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod took it for a ball. Then, Hernandez made a huge mistake by attempting to throw it again. Rodriguez was expecting it, waited on it and obliterated it for a tape-measure home run.

There have also been incidental incidents where the Eephus pitch was accidentally thrown. The Big Unit Randy Johnson, the hard-throwing Hall of Fame lefty, would be the last pitcher you would expect to unleash an Eephus pitch. But in July of 2008, facing San Francisco Giants outfielder Fred Lewis, Johnson was distracted by a loud horn that went off in McCovey Cove just as he was preparing to release the pitch. The result was a beautiful, high arcing Eephus pitch that dropped in for a strike.

Many knuckleballers like R.A. Dickey would inadvertently throw an occasional Eephus when their knuckler doesn’t move and dance around like its supposed to.

Bill “Spaceman” Lee

In even more recent years, seeing some version of an Eephus pitch is becoming somewhat common due to the more frequent use of position players coming in to pitch during the late innings of blowout games. The position players are likely instructed to avoid injury by not throwing too hard, not doing anything fancy and just getting the ball over the plate. The result is some of the most entertaining Eephus pitches in history, such this one by Brock Holt which was clocked at 31.1 miles per hour, the slowest pitch ever officially recorded in the pitch-tracking era. It does seem, from a fan’s perspective without digging into the advanced stats, that position players who are lobbing in slow pitches have more success than would be expected and usually complete innings without too much damage. This tells me again that hitters have trouble quickly adapting to extremely slow pitches.

Even now however, it’s not only position players who use the Eephus. Other active pitchers known to have thrown the pitch include Fernando Abad, Yu Darvish, Rich Hill, and even Clayton Kershaw.

Another occasional Eephus thrower is Zack Greinke. During a 2023 Spring Training game, Zack Greinke threw an Eephus pitch when he and his catcher were having trouble communicating pitch selection because of technical issues with the pitchcom system. Instead of letting time run out, Greinke threw an Eephus pitch, which ended up being a ball anyway. The Eephus pitch is always fun to see and you never know when one is coming. And despite a few massive bombs off it, it can be very effective. It also sets up a followup fastball which in theory would be very tough to hit due to the extreme difference in velocity.

According to sabermetrician James LeDoux, whose study on the success of the Eephus pitch I will link in the description,

batters make contact with this pitch about as often as every other pitch, making contact with the eephus just 0.33 percentage points more often than an average pitch. The quality of this contact, however, tends to be lower. Despite making contact with this slightly more often, for example, it becomes a hit almost 11% less often. Despite its slow speed, the Eeephus pitch manages to hold its own.

https://jamesrledoux.com/projects/eephus/

The study does seem to debunk the theory that fastballs thrown after an Eephus are more effective than a typical fastball. This, in my mind, would be due to the fact that an Eeephus pitch is so incredibly slow that it has no effect on a hitter’s frame of reference in terms of velocity. Nevertheless, the pitch itself has been thrown occasionally since the 1940’s and is the only pitch where the baseball fan who is watching has time to gasp, process that an Eephus pitch was thrown, wonder what is going to happen, enjoying the suspense, all as the ball makes its long journey into the sky then down towards the plate.