The Most Disappointing Prospects of All Time

From SABR member Steven Goldman at Baseball Prospectus on June 7:

Back in March, I began running down a list of the most disappointing prospects of all time (part one, part two, part three), setting out to chronicle an in-no-particular-order top 50. In honor of draft week, I am resuming the series after a long hiatus.

As with the first three segments, the emphasis here is not on wasted draft picks, but player who were, ironically, good picks, who showed promise early on in their professional careers and were acclaimed as top prospects, but who failed to follow those accolades with major-league success. They have been a mix of draft and pre-draft players, from a period when success came down to raw scouting ability and money, but mostly the former.

In each of the three segments, I have nominated a current player whom I believe now qualifies for this list, or is at least well on his way to carving out a place on it. Though this installment adds only a half-dozen players to the list, I have not broken with the practice. Unlike previous choices, I don’t expect today’s selections to be controversial.

Read the full article here: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=14162



Originally published: June 9, 2011. Last Updated: June 9, 2011.