Turning Back the Clock on the Draft

As recently as 2001 with the selection of Jayson Nix, the Rockies have learned to consistently draft well. Not to say they haven’t drafted well before 2001 – Todd Helton (1995), Jake Westbrook (1996), and Jason Jennings (1999) all panned out to be great draft selections. Knowing what we know about the past now, let’s take a look and see who the Rockies could have drafted over the past 19 selections.

1992 – Jason Giambi, infielder. The Rockies could have had him in his heyday. Instead, he went to the A’s. Though he made history, he could have helped the Rockies and the Blake Street Bombers to a World Championship instead of the A’s and Yankees.
1993 – Scott Rolen, third baseman. Rolen is working his way up the list of baseball’s greats. With nearly 350 career home runs, 1,978 career hits, and a lifetime .282 average, Rolen could have filled the void the Rockies have had at third base for years.
1994 – Nomar Garciaparra, shortstop. Nomar had an incredible career, and with Castilla, Galarraga, Walker, and Bichette, he could have bolstered a lineup that could have been among the best we’ve seen in baseball.
1995 – Todd Helton, first baseman. I think history speaks for itself here.
1996 – Jake Westbrook, pitcher. Had the Rockies not let go of him, he would have helped Colorado’s rotation with a 78-78 career record, and a 4.33 career ERA in 245 games.
1997 – Jayson Werth, outfielder. How good would Jayson Werth have looked in a Rockies uniform? People are still saying it today, before he left for Washington. He has 128 career home runs (At Coors, that could be doubled), a .270 career average, and nearly 500 lifetime RBIs.
1998 – Barry Zito, pitcher. He’s a workhorse for the Giants now, and would have made a nice addition to the Rockies’ rotation.
1999 – Albert Pujols, first baseman. Jason Jennings was good, no question, and he helped a struggling rotation for years. Carl Crawford, who the Rockies could have taken, was the prized free agent in the 2010 offseason, and could have provided a lot of stability over a long time in the outfield, but Albert Pujols is Albert Pujols. He wasn’t taken until the 13th round at No. 402 overall, and very few teams were interested in him. The Rockies could have had him for cheap.
2000 – Chase Utley, second baseman. Any question why Chase Utley would have been a good pickup in 2000? Anyone?
2001 – Dan Haren, pitcher
2002 – Cole Hamels, pitcher. The Rox could have also had Matt Cain, but Hamels has been the more dominant pitcher since 2006, when they both came into the league. Jeff Francis was very good, but Hamels could have been all that much better.
2003 –  Andre Ethier, outfielder. They could have had Nate Schierholtz as well, but Ethier has had the more impressive career. He could have been a nice anchor in right field.
2004 – Jared Weaver, pitcher. I love Chris Nelson and think he’s going to be a great player for the Rockies in years to come, but Jared Weaver could have provided some power in the Rockies’ rotation – just look at his start this year.
2005 – Troy Tulowitzki, shortstop. Gonna let history speak for itself here again…
2006 – I’m going to let you decide who you would have wanted here – Evan Longoria at third base or Tim Lincecum on the mound? Personally, I would have liked Longo, but I’d like to hear from you.
2007 – Jason Heyward, outfield. He could have been a nice addition to a solid outfield, and provided a lot of pop from his bat the Rockies need.
2008 – Danny Espinosa, infield. Espinosa has proven to be a nice pickup for the Nationals, and might have helped the Rockies with their current fluid second base situation.
2009 – Mike Trout, outfield. Tyler Matzek may prove to be a good draft pick for the Rockies, but Mike Trout is big-league ready now and is by far the best prospect in the Minors right now.
2010 – Zack Cox, first base. We haven’t exactly seen how the 2010 draft prospects have panned out, but even though Cox was taken one pick ahead of the Rockies pick, Cox would have been the favorite to take over for Todd Helton long-term after he retired.

So what might the Rockies lineup have looked like on Opening Day 2011?

Catcher: Chris Iannetta
First Base: Albert Pujols
Second Base: Chase Utley
Third Base: Scott Rolen/Evan Longoria
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki
Outfield: Jason Heyward
Outfield: Andre Ethier
Outfield: Jayson Werth
Starting Pitcher: Cole Hamels

Looks like an All-Star lineup, doesn’t it? Guess we’ll never know.