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Colorado Rockies: The 10 biggest draft busts in franchise history

By Noah Yingling

DENVER, CO - JULY 2: Greg Reynolds #37 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game against the Kansas City Royals at Coors Field on July 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JULY 2: Greg Reynolds #37 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game against the Kansas City Royals at Coors Field on July 2, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images) /
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DENVER, COLORADO, – MARCH 26: People stop in front of Coors Field on what was to be opening day for Major League Baseball on March 26, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. Major League Baseball has postponed the start of its season indefinitely due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO, – MARCH 26: People stop in front of Coors Field on what was to be opening day for Major League Baseball on March 26, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. Major League Baseball has postponed the start of its season indefinitely due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies have had a lot of players that they drafted that never panned out.

Even though the Colorado Rockies are one of the newest franchises in Major League Baseball, they have had their fair share of draft busts. In fact, I could have had a lot of honorable (or in this case, dishonorable) mentions.

Some of the players that we will have on the list are active in the Rockies system so they have time to turn it around but at least as of the publication of this, they have been a bust.

Let’s take a look at the top draft busts in Rockies’ history.

Number 10: Choo Freeman

Raphael Deseption “Choo” Freeman was one of a few players on this list to make the major leagues so that’s partially why he is #10. Also, he is the lowest draftees on this list as he was drafted 36th overall in the 1998 Amateur Draft.

He was drafted out of Dallas Christian High School in Mesquite, Texas. He was one of two supplemental draft picks that the Rockies received from the Atlanta Braves as a result of losing Andres Galarraga via free agency. Total, Freeman was one of three picks the Rockies had in the first round of the draft and, unfortunately for the Rockies, all three are on the list or in the honorable mentions.

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Freeman was drafted out of high school but he originally signed a letter of intent to play football at Texas A&M. Since the Rockies drafted him so high, he decided to go for baseball and he signed the contract with a $1.4 million signing bonus.

It took Freeman six years to advance through the minor leagues and before he reached Double-A in 2002, he never really lit the minor leagues on fire as his best season was in 1999 with Single-A Asheville. In 131 games, he hit .274/.336/.423 with 14 home runs and 66 RBI.

He hit .291/.400/.444 with 12 home runs and 64 RBI for Double-A Carolina in 2002 and he hit .254/.315/.370 in the very pitcher-friendly PCL while with Triple-A Colorado Springs in 2003.

Nonetheless, he got called up to the majors in 2004. In parts of three seasons, he played in 151 games (318 plate appearances) and he hit .225/.296/.333 with an OPS+ of 56 and a bWAR of -1.8. After the 2006 season, the Rockies released Freeman and the Dodgers signed him and he played for their then-Triple-A team, Albuquerque. That was the last season he played professionally.

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