Colorado Rockies 2004 Draft: A very good draft after some bad ones

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – APRIL 08: Chris Nelson #4 of the Colorado Rockies walks back to the dugout after striking out against the San Francisco Giants in the ninth inning at AT&T Park on April 8, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

We continue our series on looking back at each draft for the Colorado Rockies with the 2004 Draft.

If you’ve been following along thus far, you know that in 2003, the Rockies did not have a great draft. In 2002, they had an average draft. In 2001, they had a bad draft and the 2000 Draft was a mixed bag.

But in 2004, they had the 9th overall pick in the draft for the second time in three years. In 2002, they had the 9th overall pick and in 2003, they had the 10th overall pick.

Ahead of the Rockies, there was only one really good draft pick: the 2nd overall pick of the draft.

The Detroit Tigers hit a grand slam with drafting pitcher Justin Verlander out of Old Dominion University. He was the only pick among the first 10 picks that an rWAR of at least 6.0 in the majors.

That included the Rockies 1st round draft pick.

The Colorado Rockies drafted shortstop Chris Nelson in the 1st round of the 2004 Draft

The Colorado Rockies drafted shortstop Chris Nelson with their first round pick in the 2004 Draft.

Nelson spent parts of five seasons in the majors (four with the Rockies). His best season came in 2012 when he played in 111 games with a .301/.352/.458 slash line with an OPS+ of 105. However, his poor defense (-22 Defensive Runs Saved) brought his rWAR down to -0.8 for the season. In his career, he had a -2.6 rWAR.

He rejoined the Rockies in 2016 but he never got back to the majors after the 2014 season. Currently, he is a minor league hitting coach for the Royals.

CLEVELAND,OH – JUNE 22: Seth Smith #7 of the Colorado Rockies connects with a pitch during the game against the Cleveland Indians on June 22, 2011 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cleveland Indians defeated the Colorado Rockies 4-3. (Photo by John Grieshop/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies had some better draft picks later in the 2004 Draft

Some of the best players that came after the Colorado Rockies drafted Chris Nelson in the first round of the 2004 Draft include:

Catcher Neil Walker, 11th overall pick, Pirates (later became a second baseman, 19.6 rWAR)
Pitcher Jered Weaver, 12th overall pick, Angels (three-time All-Star, 34.6 rWAR)
Third baseman Billy Butler, 14th overall pick, Royals (later became a first baseman, one-time All-Star, 11.9 rWAR)
Shortstop Stephen Drew, 15th overall pick, D-Backs (15.9 rWAR)
Pitcher Gio González, 38th overall pick, White Sox (two-time All-Star, 28.6 rWAR)
Pitcher Huston Street, 40th overall pick, A’s (future Rockie, two-time All-Star, 14.5 rWAR)

Before the Rockies picked in the second round, the Brewers drafted pitcher Yovani Gallardo. He was a one-time All-Star with a career 22.1 rWAR but the Rockies had a good second round pick.

With their second round pick, the Rockies drafted outfielder Seth Smith out of the University of Mississippi.

Smith, who was later given the affectionate nickname “Mr. Late Night”, spent parts of 11 seasons in the majors, five of which came with the Rockies. He made his debut in 2007 in mid-September but was on the Rockies playoff roster. In the playoffs, he went three-for-six in his pinch hit appearances in the playoffs.

Smith was a key contributor to the 2009 Rockies as he helped that Rockies make it to the playoffs by hitting .293/.378/.510 with an OPS+ of 122 and an rWAR of 2.3. The Rockies traded him to Oakland after the 2011 season.

DENVER, COLORADO – JUNE 16: Chris Iannetta #22 of the Colorado Rockies scores on a fielding error on a hit by Charlie Blackmon in the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on June 16, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies drafted Seth Smith but two very good draft picks were after him in the second round of the 2004 Draft

Some of the players drafted in the second round after the Colorado Rockies drafted Seth Smith with the 50th overall in the 2004 Draft include:

Outfielder Hunter Pence, 64th overall pick, Astros (four-time All-Star, 30.8 rWAR)
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia, 65th overall pick, Red Sox (2007 AL Rookie of the Year, 2008 AL MVP, four-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger winner, 51.9 rWAR)

Later in the draft, the Rockies had a few good draft picks. In the 4th round, the Rockies drafted catcher Chris Iannetta out of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He was the best overall pick (by rWAR) to come out of that round.

In the 14th round, the Rockies drafted Dexter Fowler. He has played in parts of 14 seasons in the majors and six were with the Rockies. He had 9.5 rWAR while with the Rockies and 19.4 rWAR in his MLB career.

The Rockies drafted an outfielder in the 37th round by the name of Todd Frazier. Frazier did not sign, though, and was later drafted in the first round by the Reds in 2007. He is a two-time All-Star and he has a career rWAR of 25.2

Future Rockies Ian Desmond, Wade Davis, Jake McGee, Mark Reynolds, and Mike Dunn were also drafted and signed in this draft with Montreal, Tampa Bay, Arizona, and the Yankees.

So, overall, the Rockies drafted three everyday position players in this draft, which is pretty good.

dark. Next. 2003 Draft: Trading their 1st round after a few years pays off

Next up is the 2005 Draft when the Rockies’ first round pick was a very good pick but they had issues after that.

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