Colorado Rockies 2000 Draft: They could have drafted Yadier Molina

Lack of communication was a killer for the Colorado Rockies and Matt Harrington

The Colorado Rockies eventually offered $4.9 million to Matt Harrington in the 2000 MLB Draft but with a few stipulations:

• The offer was no longer a bonus but instead a salary to be spread out over eight years
• Harrington had to forgo three years of arbitration if he made it to the majors

Tanzer told Harrington not to sign it since it wasn’t what they were looking for and it could hurt future players in the draft.

So, after the draft, the Rockies and Harrington (through Tanzer) got in a war of words and Harrington did not sign with the Rockies. Harrington was drafted four more times in his career, falling further and further down in the draft each time and he never signed with anybody.

In the middle of the second draft, Harrington fired Tanzer and hired Scott Boras, who still couldn’t fix things. Tanzer ended up suing the Rockies, Boras, a few other agents, and even Tracy Ringolsby, then of The Rocky Mountain News. All of them went nowhere for Tanzer so the Harrington debacle essentially ended his career.

At last update nearly a decade ago, Harrington was working for $11.50 an hour in the tire center at a Costco but he recouped some of the money after Boras and Harrington settled a lawsuit against Tanzer out of court and an insurance policy he took out in 2000 for “loss of skill.”

You can read more about him and the debacle with the Rockies here.

Between Harrington and the fifth pick of the third round, there were only three players with a career rWAR above 6.0.

• 15th overall pick 2B Chase Utley, Philadelphia, 64.5 rWAR (six-time All-Star)
• 29th overall pick RHP Adam Wainwright, Atlanta, 44.5 rWAR (three-time All-Star)
• 38th overall pick SS Kelly Johnson, Atlanta, 16.6 rWAR