Phillies Draft History : Studs, Thuds and Duds

PHILLIES “THUDS” IN THE FIRST ROUND

Adam Eaton – 1996 – Snohomish H.S. (Snohomish, WA) – Rd 1, Pick 11

After three years and a 36-34 minor league W-L, Eaton was traded to San Diego. After several years more, he found his way back to Philadelphia. All he managed was a 14-18 overall W-L and a 6.10 ERA in 1178.2 career innings. Sporting a 1.630 career WHIP with the Fightins, he was gone in two years – though he did pitch with the 2008 team before being sent out, and was honored with a World Series ring.

Wayne Gomes – 1993 – Old Dominion – Rd 1, Pick 4

For being the 4th overall pick in 1993, so much more was expected from Gomes. In five seasons as a Phillies reliever, he pitched in 288 games, notched 28 saves, and had a 27-21 career W-L, with a 4.42 ERA. Not exactly what you want out of a Top 5 overall pick.

Lonnie Smith – 1974 – Centennial H.S. (Compton, CA) – Rd 1, Pick 3

Although he did contribute strongly as a rookie to the 1980 World Series champions, and would later find some success with the Cardinals and Braves, Smith’s four seasons in Philly were pretty unremarkable overall. He stole 60 bases in 196 games while batting for a nice .321 average. “Skates” saw the most action in that 1980 season, appearing in 100 games while hitting .339 with 33 stolen bases. Even the SB numbers lose their luster when you consider the era they were accumulated in, and era wherein the running game was much more featured on Astroturf than it is in today’s game.

Gavin Floyd – 2001 – Mt. St. Joseph’s H.S. (Baltimore, MD) – Rd 1, Pick 4

Floyd’s three seasons in Philly were nothing short of a disaster. The ability of the Phillies to flip him to the White Sox in acquiring Aaron Rowand in trade is the only reason he isn’t on the ‘Duds’ list. The righty had a 6.96 ERA in 19 career starts for the Phils, and his 10.4 H/9, 1.7 HR/9, 5.3 BB/9, and 1.739 WHIP as a Phillies pitcher are just plain awful. Floyd is still hanging around the big leagues as a reliever with Toronto after moving through five organizations over 13 seasons.

Tyler Green – 1991 – Wichita State University – Rd 1, Pick 10

Once touted as the future ace of the Phillies’ 1990’s rotation, Green’s 4+ seasons did feature an NL All-Star appearance in 1995. But with an overall 18-25 W-L and a 5.16 ERA in 68 career starts, there wasn’t much else to celebrate.

Pat Combs – 1988 – Baylor University – Rd 1, Pick 11

Combs would go 17-17, with a 4.22 ERA in 54 career games over four seasons in Philly. At one time he was the Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Year, but he simply never lived up to the hype generated from his time with AA Reading and AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Combs and Green could have been a nice 1-2 1990’s combination. Instead, they are twin “Thuds” here.

Next: PHILLIES DRAFT HISTORY: THE DUDS