PERFECT GAME CROSSCHECKER'S DAILY TOP TEN LIST
WEEK 4: 2/26/2007 - 3/4/2007
 
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Thirty-four years after Houston Westchester High lefthander David Clyde was the No. 1 pick in the 1973 draft and debuted in the big leagues with the Texas Rangers three weeks later, he still remains the most dominant high school pitcher on record.

He was once listed in 14 different categories in the National High School Sports Record Book and still holds records for most career shutouts (29), single-season shutouts (13) and career strikeouts (842). Clyde struck out 327 batters in 1973, but the feat ranks only second on the all-time single-season list to unheralded Mississippi high school pitcher Randolph Salters, who struck out 366 in 1985 while winning a national-record 25 games. Salters was never drafted.

Led by Salters and Clyde, here are the 10 greatest single-season high school strikeout artists on record:
 
Top 10 Prep Season Strikeout Leaders
1. Randolph Salters, Mooreville (Miss.) HS 1985 366
2. *David Clyde, Westchester HS, Houston 1973 327
3. Kevin Waldrum, Millsap (Texas) HS 1997 290
4. Nate Wernette, Morley (Mich.) Stanwood HS 2003 272
5. Tommy Greene, Whiteville (N.C.) HS 1985 270
6. Russ Larson, Burlington (Iowa) HS 1974 269
7. Kevin Waldrum, Millsap (Texas) HS 1996 263
8. Lon Olejniczak, Decorah (Iowa) HS 1979 263
9. Brian DuBois, Reed-Custer HS, Braidwood, Ill. 1985 262
10. Ted Lair, Chickasha (Okla.) HS 1972 260
 
*Clyde struck out 251 as a high school junior in 1972, which ranks 11th on the all-time list.
-- Allan Simpson
 
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Historically, high school catchers selected in the first round have the poorest track record of reaching the major leagues of any demographic in the draft. From 1997-2006, here are the 10 high school catchers that were the highest-drafted players at their position. Of the 10, only three (Joe Mauer, Jayson Werth and Jeff Mathis) have reached the big leagues, and only one—Mauer, the reigning American League batting champion—has firmly established himself as a legitimate big leaguer.
 
Top 10 Prep Catchers Drafted, 1997-2006
1. Joe Mauer, Twins 2001 (1st pick)
2006 AL batting champion could set the historical standard for catchers offensively.
2. Neil Walker, Pirates 2004 (11th pick)
Recent news that Walker will switch to third base not good for the Pirates.
3. Ryan Christianson, Mariners 1999 (11th pick)
Looks like a career minor league type; hit .195-14-28 in Double-A last year.
4. Brandon Snyder, Orioles 2005 (13th pick)
Struggled offensively last year but is adjusting to catching after limited high school experience.
5. Jayson Werth, Orioles, 1997 (22nd pick)
Stopped catching in 2002; missed all of 2006 with an injury.
6. Max Sapp, Astros 2006 (23rd pick)
Drafted as much for his lefthanded power potential as for his position.
7. Hank Conger, Angels 2006 (25th pick)
A switch-hitter with power, Conger could move quickly with offensive success.
8. Scott Heard, Rangers 2000 (25th pick)
Out of baseball after four years and less than 1,200 pro at-bats.
9. Daric Barton, Cardinals 2003 (28th pick)
Lasted only two years as a catcher; missed most of 2006 but still a top hitting prospect.
10. Jeff Mathis, Angels 2001 (33rd pick)
Aside from Mauer, the only sure major league-level catcher on the list.
-- Allan Simpson
 
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
A total of 55 draft picks have played in the major leagues in the same year they were drafted, including lefthander Andrew Miller, Detroit’s first-round draft pick in 2006. It took more than a year—July 10, 2003 to be exact—for the first player from the 2002 draft to reach the big leagues. Following are the first 10 players from that year’s draft to play in the majors, with round indicated in parentheses:
 
First 10 Picks to Reach Majors, 2002 Draft
1. Kevin Correia, rhp, Giants (4) July 19, 2003
2. Khalil Greene, ss, Padres (1) Sept. 3, 2003
3. Zach Greinke, rhp, Royals (1) May 22, 2004
4. Lance Cormier, rhp, D’backs (4) June 19, 2004
4. Brad Halsey, lhp, Yankees (8) June 19, 2004
6. Adam Peterson, rhp, Blue Jays (4) June 24, 2004
7. David Bush, rhp, Blue Jays (2) July 2, 2004
8. John Maine, rhp, Orioles (6) July 23, 2004
9. Sam Narron, lhp, Rangers (15) July 30, 2004
10. B.J. Upton, ss, Devil Rays (1) Aug. 2, 2004
-- Allan Simpson
 
Monday, February 26, 2007
The draft-and-follow rule, which has been an integral part of the June draft since the January draft was abolished in 1987, will be phased out after this year as part of new draft rules that were incorporated in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, ratified in October. With a fixed signing deadline of Aug. 15 for all players, teams will no longer be able to control the rights to drafted players until a week before the following year’s draft in the case of drafted players who subsequently enroll in or return to junior college.

There were 59 big leaguers in 2006 that were originally signed to pro contracts as draft-and-follows, including a handful of early-round picks. Here are the 10 draft-and-follows that played in the majors in 2006 that were drafted the highest:
 
Top 10 Highest Drafted Draft-and-Follows
  Player,Pos,'06 Team Drafted by/Year (round)
1. Adam Loewen, lhp, Orioles Orioles ’02 (1)
2. Gerald Laird, c, Rangers Rangers ’98 (2)
3. Angel Pagan, of, Cubs Mets ’99 (4)
4. Joe Mays, rhp, Reds Mariners ’94 (6)
5. Reggie Sanders, of, Royals Reds ’87 (7)
6. Nick Masset, rhp, Rangers Rangers ’00 (8)
7. Gary Matthews, of, Rangers Padres ’93 (13)
8. Brandon Lyon, rhp, D’backs Blue Jays ’99 (14)
9. Dana Eveland, lhp, Brewers Brewers ’02 (16)
10. Rich Harden, rhp, Athletics Athletics ’00 (17)
-- Allan Simpson