Every single year, thousands of baseball players around the world hope to hear their names called by one of the 29 major league baseball teams, giving them a small chance to reach the big leagues one day. And while there have been a number of guys who have been drafted in later rounds to make the Hall of Fame one day, these high draft picks are ones who their teams thought would pan out to become superstars. Sadly, for whatever reason, they wound up becoming one of the biggest MLB draft busts ever, instead.
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15. Josh Hamilton
This one comes with an asterisk because, after battling his drug and drinking problems early in his career, the former No. 1 overall pick in 1999 has gone on to enjoy a stellar career, including several All-Star appearance and a league MVP. The problem is, none of it came with the team that drafted him, the Tampa Bay Rays. For that reason, J-Ham has to be considered a major bust in the eyes of those who made the decision to take him first overall—although his career numbers and salary suggest otherwise.
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14. Josh Booty
A star athlete from Louisiana, the Florida Marlins had no hesitation in taking high school shortstop Josh Booty with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1994 draft. Turning down a football scholarship with the LSU Tigers to ink a $1.6 million deal with the Marlins, Booty was expected to be a cornerstone for the team. Hitting just .198 and striking out 621 times in his minor league career, it wasn’t any better when he got a chance at the major league level, as one would expect. On the senior circuit, Booty had just 30 plated appearances, striking out nine times and never hitting a home run in his big-league career.
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13. Tito Nanni
One of many on this list who never reached the major leagues, the Seattle Mariners struck out on former high school star Tito Nanni more than the guy did in his pro baseball career. Taken No. 6 overall in 1978, Nanni fanned an amazing 653 times and batted just .253 in seven pro seasons. Maybe even worse, the M’s chose him over 1988 NL MVP Kirk Gibson, who played 17 years in the big leagues, hit 255 homers and had one of the most remarkable postseason moments ever with his World Series walk-off against the Oakland A’s in 1988.
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12. Bill Bene
A hard-throwing pitcher who was taken with the fifth pick in 1988, when the L.A. Dodgers took Bill Bene, they believed to have a guy who would develop into a star for them—whether in the bullpen or rotation. Struggling with his control, though, Bene was actually forced to throw to mannequins for fear that he would injure a live batter and finished his career with an 18-34 record and a 5.45 ERA, all in the minors.
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11. David Clyde
As any baseball fan knows, a team could make a worse decision than drafting a pitcher from the Lonestar State, as Texas has produced plenty of future All-Stars and Hall of Famers. One of them wasn’t David Clyde, though. Taken No. 1 overall in 1973 by the homestate Rangers, Clyde made his MLB debut at just 18 years old after skipping the minors altogether. He had talent, but he never fulfilled it, lasting just five seasons in the bigs and posting an 18-33 record with a 4.63 ERA and finding himself out of the majors by 24 years old.
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10. Steve Chilcott
Another No. 1 overall selection out of high school, catcher Steve Chilcott seemed to be the dream prospect for the New York Mets in 1966. It’s too bad his pro career was shorter than a night’s dream, as he played just 22 games in Triple-A and never reached the major leagues due to chronic injuries. At 24 years old, after seven seasons in low-A ball, he retired after playing for three different organizations.
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9. Matt Anderson
When former No. 1 overall pick Matt Anderson made his MLB debut in 1997 with the Detroit Tigers, he showed a few flashes of why he was the top choice. Thanks to a high-’90s fastball, Anderson fanned 44 batters in 44 innings and posted a 3.27 ERA. Staying in middle relief for the Tigers until 2002, the right-hander tore a muscle that dropped his velocity and kept him from making the impact he might have otherwise, pitching just six more games after 2003.
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8. Kurt Brown
Taken No. 5 overall by the Chicago White Sox in 1985, California high school catcher Kurt Brown could never live up to the players taken ahead, or after, him. With the sixth pick in that same draft, some guy named Barry Bonds was selected—who happens to, all controversy aside, lead the majors in all-time home runs. Brown, on the other hand, never reached the majors and was out of pro ball by the age of 24 after seven seasons in the minors.
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7. Al Chambers
The No. 1 pick that the Seattle Mariners had eight years prior to their selection of Ken Griffey Jr. in that same spot didn’t turn out as well. Taken out of high school in 1979, the M’s tabbed outfielder Al Chambers as their next, young star before Junior arrived on the scene. Chambers didn’t pan out, though, as he played just three seasons in the majors, hitting just .208 with two homers and 11 RBI before being sent to the minors at 24 years old, where he stayed for good.
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6. Shawn Abner
Taken by the New York Mets first overall in 1984, Shawn Abner was an outfielder who the team really thought they could put alongside other young draft picks Darryl Strawberry and Billy Beane. That never happened, though. While Abner was as athletic as they come, he was never able to channel it, failing to reach the majors and finding himself out of the majors by the time he was 26, and out of pro ball altogether by 29.
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5. Dave Roberts
Coming out of the University of Oregon in 1972, third-baseman Dave Roberts bypassed the minors and went straight to the majors with the San Diego Padres. That wasn’t the best idea, though. While he had a productive 1973 season when he hit 21 homers and batted .286, he never had more than 10 home runs in a season afterwards, ending his MLB career in 1982 at 31 years old with as a career .239 hitter.
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4. Bryan Bullington
One of the more shocking No. 1 overall selections in MLB draft history, when the Pittsburgh Pirates chose pitcher Bryan Bullington in 2002 out of Ball State, many wondered why they elected going with players like B.J. Upton, Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder or Cole Hamels. Seeing how Bullington’s career didn’t amount to the success those players’ did, the question is asked even more. Bouncing around with four different teams, the right-hander last pitched in the majors in 2010, compiling a career record of 1-9 with a 5.62 ERA.
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3. Danny Goodwin
What makes Danny Goodwin’s career such a bust isn’t the fact that he didn’t produce, but that he has the distinction of actually being the No. 1 overall pick in two separate drafts. Chosen first in both 1971 and 1975, Goodwin, a catcher from Southern University, didn’t sign with the Chicago White Sox in ’71 in order to go to college. When the California Angels took him in 1975, they thought they were getting a polished player. Lasting just seven, unremarkable seasons, Goodwin left the majors in 1982 to play in Japan before enjoying success in the Atlanta Braves front-office.
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2. Brien Taylor
When most sports fans think about the New York Yankees, few imagine anything but success. But, believe it or not, the team struck out on their first pick in the 1991 MLB draft, when they selected Brien Taylor No. 1 overall. Considered as the best high school pitching prospect ever, Taylor injured his pitching arm in a fight during the ’93 offseason and he was never the same. He played in the minors but never reached the Bronx—or any other major league stadium for that matter.
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1. Matt Bush
The top overall pick in 2004, shortstop/pitcher Matt Bush from Mission Bay High School had the privilege of staying close to home, as the San Diego Padres made him their choice. That was about as good as it would get for Bush and the Padres, though. Not only did Bush struggle on the field, but he couldn’t keep it together in his social life, either, getting in trouble with the law, making him the worst draft decision in the history of MLB’s draft.
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