Rate the #1 Picks 1990-1999

[TigerD]

1990 Tony Clark OF 2nd overall.
1991 Jason Thompson LHP
1992 Rick Greene RHP
1993 Matt Brunson SS
1994 Cade Gaspar RHP
1995 Mike Drumright RHP
1996 Seth Greisinger RHP
1997 Matt Anderson RHP 1st overall
1998 Jeff Weaver RHP
1999 Eric Munson C 3rd overall

Found an interesting article about Matt Brunson.

http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2006/05/17/news/sports/sports01.txt

[JonBenke]

I would love to know how this group is ranked on potential, day of the draft, as oppose to how they all panned out, or more notably - did not.

[JonBenke]

1991 Jason Thompson LHP
Hey -- maybe this is where Verlander gets the Jason from?

[redshark63]

Found an interesting article about Matt Brunson.

http://enterprise.southofboston.com/articles/2006/05/17/news/sports/sports01.txt

Thanks TD.

Article seems to be from this past spring...

http://enterprise.southofboston.com/content/articles/2006/05/17/news/sports/sports01.jpg
Matt Brunson hopes to rekindle major league interest while with the Rox

Matt Brunson
By Bob Stern, Enterprise staff writer

BROCKTON — The year was 1993, and scouts flocked that spring to Cherry Creek High School in Englewood, Colo.

The baseball team that year had a stud in the infield. The kid could hit, run, throw, field — basically do it all. Scouts sat in the stands and took their notes and each game the youngster played was more impressive than his last.

When baseball's amateur draft rolled around that summer, Matt Brunson was high on everyone's list. The Tigers, choosing ninth that year in the draft, quickly called out his name.

As it turned out, that might have been the worse thing that could have happened to Brunson.

"I think I got down there and wasn't mature enough yet," said Brunson, who quickly signed with the Tigers and reported to their camp at Lakeland, Fla. "I wasn't ready for guys coming up to me and wanting to go here, wanting to go there and really being focused.

"I didn't get a shot at big league camp so I didn't have anyone mentor me or take me under their wing and show me what to do and what needed to be done to play at the big league level. I felt I was just thrown to the wolves and forced to grow up at 18 years old."

Sure, there are guys who have done it — Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Derek Jeter.

But they're exceptions. Brunson was the rule.

He had the talent to play with the best in the country, but not the maturity. All eyes were on him in the Tigers' organization, but he struggled on the field and quickly fell out of favor with the team.

His first two years in the organization, he flip-flopped between Lakeland, Fla., and Fayetteville, N.C., two of the club's Single-A teams. Brunson never hit higher than .222 at any stop, and the club quickly gave up on him, trading him to the Marlins.

His stint with the Marlins wasn't much better. He spent 1996 with Single-A Brevard County, hit .205 and was released. Three years after being a first-round draft pick, Brunson was out of baseball.

"I look at it that this is the way things were supposed to happen," Brunson said. "I wasn't supposed to get to the major leagues right out of high school. I wasn't supposed to do the things I did early in my career. It's supposed to happen later, when I was a little more mature and able to accept it a little bit better."

For many, that could be where the story ends. For Brunson, it was merely an introduction to what he hopes will be a fascinating novel.

He's back in baseball now, playing second base for the Brockton Rox and his eyes are squarely set on playing in places he dreamed about when he was 18 years old in Colorado.

"I just think I was a little too young, immature," said Brunson. "I was able to learn a lot, but at the same time I didn't know what to expect from the game of baseball at a professional level.

"I was just a little too young at the time. My body hadn't matured out. I wasn't mentally as sharp as I am now or physically as strong as I am now. It just took some time.

"It's been a dream of mine to play in the big leagues since I first got drafted in 1993," he added. "Things didn't work out the first time around and, fortunately, I've gotten another chance to work my way back in there. I'm hoping that with hard work, a lot of dedication and a little bit of good luck, I'll be playing in some major league park soon."

If he does, he's taking a hard road to get there. Following his release from the Marlins when he was 21, Brunson went back to college, but played football this time.

He enrolled at the University of Northern Colorado, a Div. 2 school, but quickly saw he could play at a higher level.

Brunson left there to go to a junior college where he earned his two-year degree, and then started at wide receiver for two years at the University of Colorado where he was a teammate of Patriots tight end Daniel Graham.

"I had feeling the last two, three weeks of the season that I didn't really like getting hit that much," said Brunson. "In Big 12 football, those guys are pretty intense.

"I just came to the realization that even if I do get a chance to play NFL football, I wouldn't be able to play it for a very long time."

So he's giving baseball another shot. Last year, at the age of 30, he played with Yuma of the Golden Baseball League and hit .284 with 32 stolen bases.

This year, he'll bat leadoff for the Rox.

"We have a stud," said Rox manager Chris Miyake. "Of all the newcomers, I'm the most excited to see him play."

Brunson is a year older now, and his window for playing in the big leagues is closing. However, it's not completely shut. He says he's heard from scouts of several major league teams who are still intrigued by him, but it's a matter of proving he still has the skills he showed at 18 to go with the maturity of being 31.

"They said they would send guys out to look at me," said Brunson. "Once you're tagged as a No. 1 pick, people still wonder what is this guy doing, especially if I'm back in the game. They're eager to see how my skills are and how I match up.

"I've got another chance. I'm still young and I feel I can still offer something to this game. It's just a matter of finding somewhere to play and see where my skills are at."

Brunson hope is that of many in independent baseball. Have a good season, display some talent for the scouts, sign with a major league organization and begin the climb up their minor league ladder.

That was his hope at 18 and it's still his hope at 31.

"It's going to be a crapshoot, but I'm willing to play those odds," he said. "I think I have a lot to offer somebody. Last year was the beginning, and this is just the continuation to try to get to where I want to be.

"It's a start, but you have to start somewhere. I couldn't have a seven-year layoff and expect to jump right into the minor leagues. It's not going to happen. I need to prove to people I can still play this game."

Then he paused and reflected on a baseball career that could have been, but maybe will be again.

"It will be one great story," he said. "Hopefully, I'll write a book someday. It will be unbelievable."


================================================

As a follow-up to the article - Brunson hit .222 with Brockton in 17 games, then went to Newark and hit .286 in 60 games w/ 16 swipes.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/Matt-Brunson.shtml

[TigerD]

While you can't always help with injuries, the Tigers had some bad luck with injuries to Matt Anderson and Seth Greisinger. That would continue with Matt Wheatland and Kenny Baugh in the 2000's.

[kitna2furrey]

Clark, Weaver Andersen..that order

[tigerbomb13]

Look at how sad that list is and think about the last three drafts we've had: Verlander, Maybin, and Miller. What a difference! I think a lot of that is luck though. The pick just fell into our lap.

I think if Matt Bush was available to us at #2 in '04, and Randy Smith was still our GM...um...I really don't want to think of that actually.

[Sparks4Ever]

B 1990 Tony Clark OF 2nd overall.
B- 1991 Jason Thompson LHP
F 1992 Rick Greene RHP
F 1993 Matt Brunson SS
F 1994 Cade Gaspar RHP
F 1995 Mike Drumright RHP
D 1996 Seth Greisinger RHP
F 1997 Matt Anderson RHP 1st overall
B+ 1998 Jeff Weaver RHP
D- 1999 Eric Munson C 3rd overall

Matt Anderson gets an F for Randy drafting a closer with the first pick.

[Oblong]

J.U.S.T.I.N.