subject: Mlb Tickets Astros Select Shortstop Correa First Overall [print this page] There is immense pressure on Major League Baseball teams when it comes to the draft, as the future can rest on every pick. On one hand, getting the first pick of each round can benefit a team, especially with a draft full of talented high school and college players. On the other hand, getting the first overall draft pick means that the team was the worst in baseball the previous season, and nobody likes to lose, even if it means getting a good pick. Teams try to draft the best player available to help the team succeed, sell MLB tickets, and make it to the postseason. Drafting isn't an exact science though, and every team looks for something different every June. The draft's history is full of busts for every super star that comes out of it.
The Houston Astros were the beneficiary of the first overall draft pick this June, and they chose shortstop Carlos Correa out of Puerto Rico's Santa Isabel Baseball Academy. While certainly not a unanimous pick -- especially since many experts thought the Astros would choose a Major League-ready pitcher -- Correa certainly has the talent and ability to succeed in Major League Baseball. Some scouts feel he has the tools to be the next Hanley Ramirez or Alex Rodriguez. While this might mean moving over to third base, the Astros would likely make room for such a talented player if he develops. Of course, all teams feel that their first pick has star potential, and sometimes that just doesn't work out.
While it obviously did in the case of Alex Rodriguez, who was drafted first overall by the Seattle Mariners in 1993, it didn't work out in 2002, 2004 or 2008. In 2002, the Pittsburgh Pirates thought they had a future ace in Ball State right-handed starting pitcher Bryan Bullington. Bullington never developed like the Pirates thought he would, and he ended up pitching in Japan after notching a subpar 1-9 record with a 5.62 ERA.
Still, it's to Bullington's credit that he made the Major Leagues at all. With only 30 teams in existence and 25 roster spots per team, that means there are only 750 Major League Baseball players at any one time (not counting those who are on a team's disabled list that doesn't count toward a roster spot). With thousands upon thousands of players draft each June, the unfortunate truth is that most of them will never reach the Major Leagues. In 2004, the San Diego Padres selected local star Matt Bush as their first overall pick, missing out on pitchers like Jered Weaver and Justin Verlander, at the expense of having a player who would sign easily. Bush failed as a shortstop and pitcher and is now behind bars after a drunk-driving arrest, while Verlander and Weaver went on to become stars.
There's no magic formula in the Major League Baseball draft, but the Astros will hope that young Carlos Correa ends up closer to the level of success that Alex Rodriguez has achieved, instead of that of Matt Bush or Bryan Bullington.
