C Kelly Shoppach, Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh
Pirates)
Shoppach, a
2nd round pick of the Red Sox in 2001, caught Matt Garza’s no hitter
for the Tampa Bay Rays on July 26, 2010. He has played for the Red Sox,
Indians, Rays, Mets, and Mariners. The Red Sox traded Shoppach in 2006 in a
trade that brought Coco Crisp to Boston. Shoppach has a .224/.312/.413 career
batting line. High strikeout rates have plagued him throughout his major league
career. He has struck out in 33.6% of his major league at-bats.
1B Dan Johnson, Scranton-Wilkes Barre Railriders (New York
Yankees)
Dan Johnson
was a 7th round pick of the Oakland As in 2001. Red Sox fans will
most remember Johnson from his game tying home run in the bottom of the 9th
inning while playing for the Rays against the Yankees in the last game of the
2011 season. The home run pushed the game to extra innings and the Rays took
the Wild Card ahead of the collapsing Red Sox. Johnson has played for the As,
Rays, Yokohama Baystars, and the White Sox. A career .237/.338/.412 hitter,
Johnson epitomizes the Quad-A player. Too good for the minors, but not good
enough to play everyday in the majors.
2B Danny Espinosa, Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals)
The
Washington Nationals selected Espinosa in the 3rd round of the 2008
draft. In 2011 and 2012, Espinosa started at 2B for the Nationals. He earned
3.2 WAR and 3.4 WAR, but most of his contributions came on defense. He has a
career strikeout rate of 27.1% and a career walk rate of 7.3%. Even good
defense could not offset his career batting line of .230/.303/.396.
SS Mike Fotenot, Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays)
The Orioles
drafted Fotenot 19th overall in the 2001 draft. The 2001 draft
featured Joe Mauer and Mark Prior as the top two picks and produced a number of
major leaguers. Fotenot has played for the Cubs, Giants, and Phillies. In 2005,
Baseball America named him the #7 prospect in the Orioles system. He has a
career batting line of .265/.332/.401. Fotenot had his best season in 2008,
when a .353 BABIP drove his batting average to.305/.395/.514 in 284 plate
appearances.
3B Andy LaRoche, Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays)
LaRoche,
the brother of Nationals 1B Adam LaRoche, was drafted by the Dodgers in the 39th
round of the 2003 draft. His draft stock fell due to signability concerns.
Baseball America ranked LaRoche as the 19th best prospect in
baseball in 2005 and 2006. In 2007, LaRoche fell to 31st overall. LaRoche
has played for the Dodgers, Pirates, As, and Blue Jays. Injuries hindered
LaRoche early in his career and he has never regained his top-flight status.
LF Jason Michaels, Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals)
Michaels, a
4th round pick of the Phillies in the 1998 draft, has played for
Philadelphia, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Houston. Philadelphia traded Michaels
to Cleveland in 2006 for reliever Arthur Rhodes. The acquisition of Michaels
freed up the Indians to send Coco Crisp to the Red Sox in the Kelly Shoppach
trade. In 2629 career plate appearances, Michaels has 59 home runs. A .344
BABIP in 2005 helped him have the best hitting year of his career;
.304/.399/.415. Playing center field for the Phillies in 2005, he was worth
15.7 defensive runs above replacement according to UZR.
CF Corey Patterson, Scranton-Wilkes Barre Railriders (New
York Yankees)
The Cubs
selected Patterson 3rd overall in the 1998 draft. After the 1998 and
2000 seasons, Baseball America named him the best prospect in the Cubs system.
BA also named him the 16th best prospect in all of baseball in 1998,
3rd in 1999, and 2nd in 2000. Patterson’s talent,
however, never translated to the majors. His 20.7% K rate and 4.6% walk rate
and .252/.290/.400 career numbers are all mediocre at best. He has played for
the Cubs, Orioles, Reds, Nationals, Brewers, Blue Jays, and Cardinals.
RF Jeremy Hermida, Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians)
Hermida,
the 11th overall pick of the 2002 draft, has played for the Marlins,
Red Sox, As, Reds, and Padres. BA ranked him the #1 Marlins prospect from
2003-2005. BA named him the fourth best prospect in all of baseball in 2005. In
2008, Hermida played in 142 games and posted a .249/.323/.406 batting line,
earning a total of 0.1 WAR. He hit 17 home runs, but also struck out in nearly
25% (24.7%) of his plate appearances.
DH Matt LaPorta, Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians)
The Brewers
selected LaPorta with the 7th overall pick in the 2007 draft. The
Brewers traded him to the Indians before he reached the majors. Baseball
America ranked him the best prospect in the Brewers system in 2007 and the 23rd
best prospect in baseball. In 2008, after the trade to the Indians, LaPorta was
the second best prospect in the Indians farm system and #27 overall. He has hit
.238/.301/.393, as this article from FanGraphs argues http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/is-matt-laporta-quad-a/
that LaPorta’s major league struggles stem from an inability to hit curveballs,
a necessary component to major league success.
C Bobby Wilson, Scranton-Wilkes Barre Railriders (New York
Yankees)
Wilson, an
Angels draft pick in the 48th round in 2002, has caught a no-hitter.
Wilson was behind the plate for Ervin Santana’s no-hitter in 2011. Wilson
played for the Angels from 2008-2012. He played primarily as a backup catcher,
hitting .208/.272/.321 in 447 plate appearances over his career. He has 34
career walks and 76 strikeouts. His defensive statistics suggest that Wilson is
a serviceable catcher.
IF Alberto Gonzalez, Scranton-Wilkes Barre Railriders (New
York Yankees)
Gonzalez
went undrafted and signed as a free agent with the Diamondbacks in 2002. He has
played for the Yankees, Nationals, Padres, Rangers, and Cubs. The owner of a
.239/.275/.315 batting line. Gonzalez has 4 career home runs. He has played
every defensive position except pitcher or catcher, but his poor hitting has
prevented him from settling at a single position.
1B/OF Shelley Duncan, Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays)
The son of
famed Cardinals pitching coach, Dave Duncan, Shelley was drafted 61st
overall by the Yankees in the 2001 draft (a common draft among the Daisuke
All-Stars). Duncan has hit .226/.305/.419 over the course of his career, while
playing for the Yankees, Indians, and Rays. He has 43 home runs in 997 plate
appearances and a 24.4% K rate. Like Dan Johnson, Duncan has settled into a
role as a Quad-A player.
OF Chris Dickerson, Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles)
The Reds
drafted Dickerson in the 16th round in 2003. Baseball America named
him the best athlete in the Reds system from 2005-2007, the defensive
outfielder from 2004-6, and fastest baserunner 2006-2007. Dickerson has earned
4.1 WAR with a career line of .263/.340/.408 playing for the Reds, Brewers,
Yankees, and Orioles. Since his .275/.370/.373 performance in 2009, Dickerson’s
walk rate has plummeted and his strikeout rate has increased.
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