Lighthearted entry today covering an interesting
topic (to me): the 1971 MLB draft.
Now, how the hell did I get on this topic. Well, you want to talk about a rabbit hole? Actually it wasn’t too bad. It started by looking at baseball cards on Ebay and specifically one entitled “Baseball ReDraft 1971”.
It’s an interesting theme for a card: who would you choose in the top four given the benefit of hindsight? Since I was 5 in 1971, it really struck a chord with me as the guys on the card were stars while I was growing up. So that card made me look up the 1971 draft to see if I agreed (I take issue with Hernandez being #4). Looking at the MLB draft for 1971 also took me down memory lane as the players in that draft I remember from seeing play or collecting their baseball card or because they have ridiculous names (like Biff Pocoroba who was drafted in the 17th round by the Braves and had a 10 year career).
We always hear about those who slipped in the draft
and made it big (most famously in the NFL with Tom Brady getting drafted in the
6th round ,199th overall and the 7th QB
selected). In baseball, with technically
48 rounds in the draft (not all the teams even went that deep), those who got
passed up and made it, occur more frequently, but not as often as those in the
top 10 who turn into busts. As I take a stroll through the list, I’ll be
tossing out some of each!
The top 14 are filled with misses except for Frank
Tanana at 13 by California who threw from the left side and was a force to be
reckoned with when starting after Nolan Ryan. Whew, tough combo.
Tom Veryzer was taken at 11 and had a 12 year
career, but only played regularly in six seasons and was traded several times.
Not an awful utility man, but not a top 15 draft pick either.
Jim Rice comes along at 15 and he’s definitely well
positioned on the card as #3 overall. The two in front of him, drafted in the
second round with picks 29 and 30, were also great hitters but played the much
more important 3rd base position.
Larry Herndon was picked at 54 and had a 14 year
career that included winning the World Series with the Tigers in 1984. Didn’t
help out the Cardinals who drafted him though. I was still very much into the
Tigers in 1984 and listened to most of their games on the radio, even during the
day in my senior year in high school.
Dennis Lamp was taken at 62 by the Cubs, who wish
they took Ron "Louisiana Lightning" Guidry instead who went 3 picks later.
There was a long talent drought then until Warren
Cromartie was taken at pick 143, but Dave Freisleben, who was taken at pick 96,
is a name I always knew growing up, at least since his rookie card in 1974. You
see, that was the year the San Diego Padres were garbage and were being sold to
a businessman who was going to move them to Washington. Freisleben was a rookie
in the Padre system and appeared with three other players on a rookie pitchers
card. Some of his cards, and other Padre players, had the team name replaced
with “Washington Nat’l League”. Ray Kroc, yes, the McDonald’s owner, stepped in
last minute and bought the Padres and kept them in San Diego.
Then we drop all the way to pick 278 where Dave Bergman was drafted by the Cubs (his favorite team) in round 12, right out of high school. Bergman opted to go to college at Illinois State and was drafted again in 1974 by the NY Yankees. He had a 17 year career including also being a member of the 1984 Champion Tigers.
Not much else talent wise was selected until Keith Hernandez at pick 776. Ron Wrona, Rick Wrona’s (one of three Cubs catchers in 1989 when they won the division) father, was selected by the Dodgers at 788.
Joe Theisman was drafted with pick 764 by the Twins, but he was also drafted by
the Dolphins, though he opted to play in the CFL with Toronto for $50k a year.
Joe wasn’t the only QB drafted in 1971. Steve
Bartkowski, who would eventually be taken #1 by the Falcons in 1975 just ahead
of Walter Payton, was drafted out of high school by the Royals at #699.
James Van Der Beek was taken at pick #570 by the
Washington Senators, the father of the James Van Der Beek that you know from
Dawson’s Creek.
But what happened to some of the other guys in the draft? Players like: Otis Zagorski, Hiawatha Roberson, Walt Rzepiennik, Steve Kooshkalis and Don Stackpole, the last player taken in the draft at #794. I bet they have stories too.
