The Phillies picked 17th back in 2002, after Larry Bowa's first season as Phillies manager yielded an 86-76 record. The draft was a good one: it included names such as Adam Loewen, Joe Blanton, and Jeff Francoeur. And also future stars Zach Greinke, Prince Fielder, Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton, James Loney, Denard Span, and many, many more names. But the Phillies settled on a 17 year-old left-handed high school starter in Cole Hamels.
Hamels may have been the Phillies best draft pick in the first round of our lifetime, along with Chase Utley in 2000. They also previously drafted productive Major League players such as Pat Burrell, Brett Myers, and Adam Eaton (yes – he was good at one point for the Rangers and Padres). But since 2002, the Phillies first round drafts have yielded nothing but disappointment.
Looking at the Phillies' first round picks the last several years, the Phillies have drafted pretty poorly:
- 2003: No first round draft pick (lost to Indians for signing Jim Thome)
- 2004: Greg Golson, outfielder
- 2005: No first round draft pick (lost to Yankees for signing Jon Lieber)
- 2006: Kyle Drabek, pitcher
- 2007: Joe Savery, pitcher
- 2008: Anthony Hewitt, shortstop
- 2009: No first round pick (lost to Mariners for signing Raul Ibañez)
- 2010: Jesse Biddle
- 2011: Larry Greene
- 2012: Shane Watson
Then came the promising J.P. Crawford in 2013 and Aaron Nola in 2014. As is Cornelius Randolph, selected in 2015.
Golson reached the Phillies as a pinch runner before being traded straight up for another first round disappointment in John Mayberry, Jr. Kyle Drabek was the centerpiece that landed the Phillies Roy Halladay, but Drabek battled injury after injury. Savery lost his fastball, became a first baseman, got his fastball back, and was a serviceable reliever for a while in the Major Leagues, but never reached the first round potential many felt he had. Hewitt was released by the Phillies in 2014 and was last seen playing for the Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.
Then came Biddle. The Phillies drafted the local Biddle with high hopes in 2010. It appeared that the Phillies were set for success for years to come. Biddle was to be the next Cole Hamels: the next high school student who would blossom into a front-line starter. Biddle was impressive enough through 2013 with high win totals an an ERA in the threes or lower. But, a freak hailstorm that hit the Reading area in 2014 seemed to be the beginning of the end for Biddle.
Biddle described what he thought was a concussion. But then-Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. seemed to indicate that it was not a concussion. Either way, Biddle was not the same afterward. Also battling elbow injuries, Biddle struggled mightily in 2014 and 2015, leading to the Phillies designating Biddle for assignment last week and his subsequent trade to the Pittsburgh Pirates today. After sitting out all of 2016 with Tommy John surgery, the Pirates will get a shot at Biddle.
But the poor drafts did not end there. Outfielder Larry Greene, the 2011 Phillies first round draft pick, announced retirement at age 22 last March, after failing to report to Spring Training. Greene announced he would be returning to baseball back in July, but never appeared in a game for the Phillies organization in 2015. His status for 2016 is unclear at this time.
In 2012, the Phillies drafted Shane Watson, a left-handed pitcher. Since the draft, Watson has been suspended 50 games for a second positive test of a drug of abuse, and then missed all of 2014 with shoulder surgery. Watson made two starts for the Gulf Coast League Phillies and nine for low Class A Lakewood. He combined for a 1-5 record and 4.65 ERA with a 1.74 WHIP.
These drafts ultimately cost Assistant General Manager Marti Wolever his job. Woever assisted Mike Arbuckle before taking over full control of the Phillies draft. While Wolever had some success in other rounds, drafting the likes of Ken Giles, Cody Asche, Jake Diekman, and Justin De Fratus, all Major League players on the Phillies in 2015, the lack of first round success was too hard for the Phillies to let Wolever continue.
The Phillies have high hopes for Crawford, Nola, and Randolph, and pick first overall in the 2016 draft this June. The Phillies cannot mess this up, or else we will see the effect of the draft for years to come. The pressure is on.
