By A.J. Hayes
From all indications, recently signed Giants No. 1 draft pick Buster Posey is headed to stardom. In his final season at Florida State, Posey, winner of the 2008 Golden Spikes Award for top college player, batted .463, with 26 home runs and 93 RBI. So it’s really not all that shocking that the club shelled out a franchise record $6.2 million bonus this past weekend to acquire the 22-year old catcher’s first professional autograph.
He’s saying all the right things too: “Right now, I’m happy to be a San Francisco Giant. My job is to play as hard as I can, and the rest takes care of itself. I want to be an impact player for the Giants for a long time.”
But as we’ve seen before in these parts, a No. 1 draft status does not always equal success. For every Will Clark (No. 1 pick in 1985) and Matt Williams (1986), the Giants have had their share of duds. Jessie Reid (1980), Steve Hosey (1989), Adam Hyzdu (1990), and more recently Tony Torcato (1998) and David Aardsma were all No. 1’s who got lost in the fog for the orange and black.
And it’s not just the Giants. Every club in the Bay Area from every sport has had their share of phenoms who have flopped.
Now, we hope Buster becomes a bust out-star, and not a bust.
But if for some reason Posey fails to make the grade, he won’t be without plenty of company.
Here’s a look at the Top 10 draft duds in Bay Area sports history.