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07/13 05:00 CDT The White Sox and Rays -- 2 division leaders -- also had the
top 2 picks in baseball's draft
The White Sox and Rays -- 2 division leaders -- also had the top 2 picks in
baseball's draft
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Baseball Writer
The Chicago White Sox took shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the first pick of the
amateur draft this past weekend, and Tampa Bay selected shortstop Grady Emerson
one spot later.
Yes, both those teams are currently in first place.
Pro drafts --- even those with lotteries --- generally start with some of the
weakest teams from the previous season. But because baseball doesn't conduct
its draft until the middle of the ensuing season, sometimes the teams picking
at the top have already made impressive strides. The White Sox lost 102 games
last year and Tampa Bay dropped 85. Now they're in contention --- and adding
possible help for the future via the draft.
Here are a few teams that actually reached 90 wins the same year they had the
top pick:
2008 RAYS (97-65)
This was Tampa Bay's fourth No. 1 pick in a 10-year span, and the Rays haven't
had one since. Starting in that 2008 season, which ended with a World Series
appearance, Tampa Bay became a lot more successful. The Rays didn't take full
advantage of that final No. 1 pick, selecting infielder Tim Beckham when Eric
Hosmer and Buster Posey went later in the top five.
2024 GUARDIANS (92-69)
Cleveland won the draft lottery, then proceeded to win the AL Central. The
Guardians drafted Travis Bazzana, who made his big league debut earlier this
season.
1984 METS (90-72)
The Mets began their mid-1980s rise in '84, finishing 6 1/2 games out of first
place in the NL East with Dwight Gooden winning Rookie of the Year honors. New
York would peak two years later with a World Series title, but this draft pick
--- outfielder Shawn Abner --- never played for them.
1977 WHITE SOX (90-72)
Chicago's rise in 1977 --- from 64 wins to 90 --- was short lived. But the
White Sox drafted a keeper that year in Hall of Famer Harold Baines. He'd go on
to play more than two decades in the major leagues and was part of division
champions in Chicago in 1983 and toward the end of his career in 2000.
Trivia time Cholowsky, of UCLA, became the school's first No. 1 overall draft pick since Gerrit Cole in 2011. But there was another UCLA star, drafted in the first round, who has been worth even more wins above replacement than Cole. Who was it?
Comeback of the week The Mets led 9-4 and, according to Baseball Savant, had a 94.2% win probability after Juan Soto's three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth against Kansas City on Tuesday night. The lead didn't even last until New York's next at-bat. The Royals scored five runs in the fifth, then added seven more in the seventh on their way to a 16-12 victory. Then on Sunday, the Mets blew a two-run lead in the ninth and lost to Boston 3-2 in 10 innings. Meanwhile, the rival Yankees swept three straight in Washington, coming from behind in the eighth inning or later in each game.
Performance of the week Toronto's Dylan Cease had a no-hit bid broken up in the ninth inning of a 10-0 win over San Francisco on Wednesday. He finished with 11 strikeouts and one hit allowed in eight-plus innings. Honorable mention: Kansas City's Tyler Tolbert went 5 for 6 with a homer in that big comeback victory over the Mets. He tied a major league record with hits in 12 straight plate appearances.
Trivia answer Chase Utley, drafted with the 15th overall pick in 2000, was worth 64.6 WAR according to Baseball Reference. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Trivia time Cholowsky, of UCLA, became the school's first No. 1 overall draft pick since Gerrit Cole in 2011. But there was another UCLA star, drafted in the first round, who has been worth even more wins above replacement than Cole. Who was it?
Comeback of the week The Mets led 9-4 and, according to Baseball Savant, had a 94.2% win probability after Juan Soto's three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth against Kansas City on Tuesday night. The lead didn't even last until New York's next at-bat. The Royals scored five runs in the fifth, then added seven more in the seventh on their way to a 16-12 victory. Then on Sunday, the Mets blew a two-run lead in the ninth and lost to Boston 3-2 in 10 innings. Meanwhile, the rival Yankees swept three straight in Washington, coming from behind in the eighth inning or later in each game.
Performance of the week Toronto's Dylan Cease had a no-hit bid broken up in the ninth inning of a 10-0 win over San Francisco on Wednesday. He finished with 11 strikeouts and one hit allowed in eight-plus innings. Honorable mention: Kansas City's Tyler Tolbert went 5 for 6 with a homer in that big comeback victory over the Mets. He tied a major league record with hits in 12 straight plate appearances.
Trivia answer Chase Utley, drafted with the 15th overall pick in 2000, was worth 64.6 WAR according to Baseball Reference. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
