FAILURE (Amateur drafts 1987-1991)

You can probably guess which NY team this is going to be about. One thing that becomes quickly apparent when comparing the Mets and the Yanks is that one team can grow their own talent, and one for the most part can't. I begin in the winter of 1986-87, when the Mets probably should have died and left a good looking corpse. All drafts were under the direction of Frank Cashen in his Mr. Hyde years.

1987
1) 3B/1B Chris Donnels .233/.319/.355 career, .195/.299/.224 as a Met. Played for Mets, Astros, Red Sox, Dodgers, Diamondbacks as a bench scrub, 1991-2002.
2) C Todd Hundley .234/.320/.443 career, .240/.320/.438 as a Met. Played for Mets, Dodgers, Cubs, 1990-2003. Peaked in 1995 and 1996 for Mets with 71 HR and 198 RBI over 2 seasons before blowing out his throwing elbow. Apparently took a lot of steroids. 202 career HR's.
2) LHP Pete Schourek. 66-77, 4.59 career, 16-24, 4.65 as a Met. Played for Mets, Reds, Astros, Red Sox, Pirates, 1991-2001. Won 18 games for Reds in 1995.
8) SS Tim Bogar .228/.298/.332 career, .242/.293/.328 as a Met. Played for Mets, Astros, Dodgers as bench scrub, 1993-2001.
9) CF Pat Howell .187/.218/.200 in 79 PA's with '92 Mets.
Later rounds: RHP Anthony Young!

1988
3) 2B Doug Saunders .209/.243/.239 in 73 PA's with '93 Mets.
7) SS Kevin Baez .179/.244/.245 in 168 PA's with Mets, 1990-93.
This draft was a complete waste.

1989
1) 1B Alan Zinter .167/.214/.333 in 84 PA's with 2002 Astros and 2004 D'Backs. Made the majors at age 34. Hit 263 minor league home runs. Originally a catcher.
3) C Brook Fordyce .258/.309/.388 career, batted 3 times for 1995 Mets. Played for Mets, Reds, White Sox, Orioles, Rays, 1995-2004.
7) RF/1B Butch Huskey .267/.318/.442 career, .264/.309/.434 as a Met. Played for Mets, Mariners, Red Sox, Twins, Rockies, 1993-2000. A power prospect who didn't pan out, couldn't play the field, and lasted only a year and a half more as a DH in the other league.
Later rounds: Drafted Mark Grudzielanek but didn't sign him.

1990
1) RF Jeromy Burnitz .253/.345/.481 career, .237/.322/.432 as a Met. Traded in his second season to Cleveland for RHP's Paul Byrd (also to be given up on too soon), Dave Mlicki, and Jerry DiPoto, because he didn't get along with Dallas Green. Mashed 315 home runs, only 53 in a Met uniform. Hit 153 HR's and drove in 511 for Milwaukee, 1997-2001. Played for Mets, Indians, Brewers, Dodgers, Rockies, Cubs, Pirates, 1993-2006. Oops.
2) SS/2B Aaron Ledesma .296/.338/.365 career, .242/.359/.242 in 39 PA's with 1995 Mets. Got most of his playing time in the first two years of the Tampa Bay franchise. Utility infielder for Mets, Orioles, Rays, Rockies, 1995-2000.
3) RF Micah Franklin. Batted 37 times for 1997 Cardinals.
7) RHP Pete Walker. 20-14, 4.48 career. 1-0, 4.26 in 25 innings as a Met. Career didn't get going until the Mets released him in 2002, and he became a swingman in Toronto. Pitched for Mets, Padres, Rockies, Blue Jays, 1995-2006.
8) C Raul Casanova .236/.304/.379 career, .273/.344/.364 as Mets 3rd string catcher in 2008. Bench player for Tigers, Brewers, Orioles, White Sox, Rays, Mets, 1996-2008.
9) 2B Fernando Vina .282/.348/.379 career, .250/.372/.298 in 150 PA's with 1994 Mets. Retired with 1196 career hits, played for Mariners, Mets, Brewers, Cardinals, Tigers, 1993-2004. The Mets decided they'd rather have mediocre setup man Doug Henry.
Later Rounds: 1B Brian Daubach, who did sign, and RHP's Darren Dreifort and Rick Helling, who didn't.

1991
1) RHP Bobby Jones. 89-83, 4.36 career. 74-56, 4.13 as a Met. Jones won 15 games in 1997,and threw a one-hitter against the Giants in the 2000 playoffs, but other than that was a back-end "innings eater". The Mets sold at the right time, as Jones lost 19 games for the Padres in 2001. Pitched 1993-2002.
2) RHP Marc Kroon. 0-2, 7.76 career in 27 innings with Padres, Reds, Rockies, 1995-2004.
2) LHP Bill Pulsipher. 13-19, 5.15 career, 5-9, 4.63 as a Met. This was a tragic story. Pulsipher inexplicably averaged 7.45 innings a start in 17 games with the Mets as a 21-year old. He blew out his elbow, missed most of the next two seasons, and was never the same. I believe Pulse could have been a great pitcher without the injury, comparable perhaps to Mark Mulder in his prime. Pulse was ahead of Tommy Glavine as a 21-year old. He pitched in the Mexican league last year for Pueblo, posting a 6.08 ERA in 7 starts. In the majors, he pitched for the Mets, Brewers, Red Sox, White Sox, and Cardinals, 1995-2005.
4) RHP Erik Hiljus. 8-3, 4.72 ERA as a swingman for Tigers and A's, 1999-2002.
Later rounds: RHP Jason Isringhausen, who was a pretty good closer for other teams...

Assuming everything works out (which almost nothing did), you have a young core like this:

C Todd Hundley
1B Butch Huskey
2B Fernando Vina
SS Mark Grudizelanek
RF Jeromy Burnitz
SP Bill Pulsipher (in alternate dimension where he becomes staff ace)
SP Bobby Jones
SP Rick Helling
SP Pete Schourek
CL Jason Isringhausen
RP Darren Dreifort

But-- three guys didn't sign, Pulse got hurt, four guys were given up on too soon for almost no return, Huskey and Jones never quite panned out... so basically all they have to show for five years of drafting is Todd Hundley. That's why when the players from the 1986 team got old or became drug casualties, there was nothing to replace them, and the franchise went into freefall. I'll be examining the Yankee drafts tomorrow.