Colorado Rockies 2003 Draft: Their 1st round pick pays off via trade

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DENVER – APRIL 6: Catcher Charles Johnson #23 of the Colorado Rockies readies for his at bat during the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field on April 6, 2003 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Diamondbacks 8-3. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

We continue our series looking back on the Colorado Rockies and their draft picks. Today, we look at the 2003 Draft.

The Colorado Rockies were coming off of a dreadful 2002 season, in which their manager, Buddy Bell, was fired within the first month of the season. Hitting coach Clint Hurdle took over after the Rockies started with a 6-16 record and while they improved under Hurdle, they still went 73-89.

The Colorado Rockies of 2002 and 2003 were very similar to the 2020 and 2021 Rockies.

Much like the current era of the Colorado Rockies, the Rockies had an awful offense. Of the 22 position players that had a plate appearance with the Rockies in 2002, only four had an OPS+ above 100. Only two of those four (Todd Helton and Larry Walker) played in more than 100 games.

The pitching wasn’t any better as their ERA was dead last in the NL and they had an ERA+ of 92. However, during the 2002-2003 offseason, they were able to unload the behemoth of a contract that Mike Hampton had to the Marlins. The Marlins, in turn, traded Hampton to the Braves … where he pitched a lot better after getting out of altitude.

In return, the Rockies got catcher Charles Johnson and center fielder Preston Wilson, both of whom helped their offense. But the Rockies were still far from a contender.

As a result of their 2002 season, the Rockies got the 9th overall pick in the 2003 Draft. Ahead of their pick, there were a few good picks (Baltimore selecting Nick Markakis, Rangers selecting John Danks) but most were duds (Tampa Bay selecting Delmon Young 1st overall and the Tigers’, Royals’, and Cubs’ picks didn’t even make it to the majors).

For the Rockies, they fared better than the latter three teams with their first-round pick … but not after that.

PHOENIX, AZ – MAY 03: Ian Stewart #9 of the Colorado Rockies warms up on deck during the Major League Baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on May 3, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Rockies 4-3. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

In the first round of the 2003 Draft, the Colorado Rockies selected third baseman Ian Stewart out of high school in Westminster, California.

Stewart was up with the Rockies by the 2007 season. He became a bigger contributor to the team in 2009 and 2010, combining to play in 268 games and a 2.8 rWAR.

However, by 2011, he had fallen out of favor in Colorado as he spent the season between Triple-A and the majors. After the 2011 season, the Rockies traded Stewart and a minor leaguer to the Chicago Cubs. In return, the Rockies got outfielder Tyler Colvin … and infielder DJ LeMahieu.

Stewart floundered as he played fewer than 80 games in the rest of his MLB career but LeMahieu flourished. While with the Rockies, LeMahieu won three Gold Glove awards, was a two-time All-Star, won the 2016 NL batting title. He became a free agent after the 2018 season and joined the Yankees where he came in 4th and 3rd in AL MVP voting in 2019 and 2020.

After the pick of Stewart, the Rockies did not have a single one of their picks make it to the majors until the 19th round.

In the rest of the draft, the Rockies draft picks that signed and later made it to the majors were Ryan Mattheus (19th round) and Eric Young, Jr. (30th round). That’s it. Mattheus never even played for the Rockies. They traded him to the Nationals for reliever Joe Beimel in 2009.

Eric Young, Jr. played in parts of five seasons with the Rockies and parts of 10 in the majors, playing 651 games and 1.4 rWAR in his career.

BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 16: Jonathan Papelbon #58 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after striking out Evan Longoria #3 of the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning to earn a 4-3 win at Fenway Park September 16, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images) /

In the 2003 MLB Draft, the Colorado Rockies passed up on these players:

Shortstop Aaron Hill, 1st round, 13th pick, Toronto (future All-Star second baseman)
Shortstop/pitcher Adam Jones, 1st round, 37th pick, Seattle (future five-time All-Star outfielder)
Outfielder Andre Ethier, 2nd round, 62nd pick, Oakland (two-time All-Star)
Pitcher Jonathan Papelbon, 4th round, 114th pick, Boston (five-time All-Star)
Outfielder Michael Bourn, 4th round, 115th pick, Philadelphia (two-time All-Star)
Outfielder Matt Kemp, 6th round, 181st overall, Dodgers (three-time All-Star and future Rockie)
Second baseman Ian Kinsler, 17th round, 496th overall, Texas (four-time All-Star)
Max Scherzer, 43rd round, 1291st overall, St. Louis (did not sign) (eight-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner)

Also, future Colorado Rockies players Kyle Kendrick, Mike Dunn, Jason Motte, and Daniel Bard but only Kendrick (Phillies) and Motte (Cardinals) signed.

Overall, it was not a great draft for the Rockies at all. With (at the time) 50 rounds in the draft, nobody is going to hit a homer on all 50 players. In fact, if any team hits a homer with two players, it was a good draft. However, if not for the DJ LeMahieu trade, this would be in competition with a draft coming up here soon (you know which draft it is, Rockies fans).

Next. Rockies 2002 Draft: They miss out on Cole Hamels, Joey Votto. dark

Poor drafting is part of the reason why the Rockies went more than a decade without even sniffing the playoffs and this was right in the middle of that period. But this draft and the others are a big part of why the Rockies were not as successful as they should have been in the late 2000s and early 2010s as well.

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