The Major League Baseball Draft is arguably the most unique draft in all of sports.
For one, it is exceptionally long.
Most years, the draft continues until all teams are done making selections.
As odd as it sounds, that’s the way it goes.
As a result, the event typically lasts 40 rounds or more.
Perhaps the second-strangest element of the event is the fact that many selections are shots in the dark.
In leagues like the NBA and NFL, early first-round picks are expected to develop into stars, and if they don’t, they’re labeled as busts.
In MLB, however, only a small percentage of selections (even in the first round) end up becoming bonafide players at the Major League level.
For the players that do end up panning out, patience is key, as it usually takes prospects several years to break into the league after being selected.
These are just a few of the reasons why the MLB Draft is unparalleled and is perhaps the least mainstream draft in all of sports.
Now, like we said, busts are a bigger deal in other sports, merely because they are so common in baseball.
Prospects who don’t pan out are often forgotten.
But today, we’re going to talk about a few of the biggest draft busts in Boston Red Sox history.
Let’s get started.
3. Jay Groome
It might be too soon to call Jay Groome a bust, but he has certainly been disappointing.
He was drafted in the first round of the 2016 draft and has struggled to find his footing at the minor league level.
Mixed in with a Tommy John surgery, Groome has pitched to a 5.38 ERA over four seasons in the Boston farm system.
He is still just 22 years old, so it’s too soon to throw in the towel, but the expectations that were once very high for the lefty are now very low.
Groome is still a talented kid, though, and you can’t count him out with a breaking ball like this:
Jay Groome's Curveball is as advertised so far: pic.twitter.com/mxbWVp4Ykb
— Red Sox Gifs (@soxgifs) March 13, 2021
2. Craig Hansen
The Red Sox drafted Craig Hansen in the first round of the 2005 draft and gave him a four-year deal worth $4 million.
It did not work out.
Hansen showed flashes of exciting potential at the minor league level, pitching to a career 2.97 ERA down there, but his success did not translate to the Majors.
Over four seasons at the MLB level, he pitched to an ugly 6.43 ERA and 1.72 WHIP.
He has not played since 2012 and is likely done with his playing career at this point.
1. Frankie Rodriguez
The Red Sox drafted Frankie Rodriguez in the first round of the 1990 draft.
He came out of college as a two-way player with the ability to hit and pitch, but he transitioned primarily into a pitching role after being drafted.
The results were not good.
Like Hansen, Rodriguez was successful at the minor league level, but it was a different story in the Majors.
He pitched to a 10.57 ERA over half a season with the Red Sox before being traded away.
For his MLB career, he posted a 5.53 ERA over seven seasons.
Randomly thinking of Frankie Rodriguez of Red Sox from 90's.
I really wanted that kid to succeed.— 3030 (@jose3030) June 6, 2019
His last season came in 2001.
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