Late-Round Draft Gems

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jun 6, 2006

Late-Round Draft Gems

Jeff Conine

He only had 111 at-bats for the Royals before being taken by Florida in the 1993 expansion draft. Conine has come to be known as Mr. Marlin in South Florida for the role he played in helping the franchise win two World Series titles, and now he's back with the Orioles.

Mike Piazza

The Dodgers were doing Tommy Lasorda a favor when they drafted his godson with this late pick. Little did they realize they were selecting the best power-hitting catcher in history.

Jorge Posada

Posada worked his way up the Yankees' farm system to become the everyday catcher on three of the Yankees' past four World Series championship clubs.

Andy Pettitte

Pettitte won 149 games for the Yankees and was especially clutch in the postseason, posting a 13-8 record and 4.05 ERA. He signed with Houston as a free agent after 2003 and helped lead the Astros to their first World Series appearance in 2005.

Jason Isringhausen

Injuries wiped away his shot with the Mets, but the A's revived Izzy's career by turning him into a closer after a midseason trade in 1999. He has compiled 234 career saves, including 158 since signing with the Cardinals after the 2001 season.

Richie Sexson

Blocked by Jim Thome's presence in Cleveland, Sexson was traded to the Brewers in 2000 as part of a seven-player deal. Sexson belted 74 home runs in two full seasons with the Brewers before being traded to Arizona and signing with the Mariners after the 2004 season.

Paul Lo Duca

Lo Duca came out of nowhere to become the Dodgers' everyday catcher for three seasons. He became a fan favorite and two-time All-Star before being traded to Florida in a midseason deal last year and then coming to the Mets after another Florida fire sale.

Julio Lugo

The lowest draft pick to come up through Houston's system to the big leagues, Lugo played parts of four seasons for the Astros before being released in 2003 and signing with Tampa Bay.

Kyle Farnsworth

The hard-throwing Farnsworth made 318 relief appearances for the Cubs, the third-most in franchise history. Now he's serving as Mariano Rivera's setup man with the Yankees.

Roy Oswalt

The Astros ignored Oswalt's lack of height and have been rewarded handsomely for it. Oswalt is coming off back-to-back 20-win seasons and has a career record of 88-42 with a 3.07 ERA.

Marcus Giles

The younger brother of Padres star Brian, the Braves got an All-Star season out of Marcus Giles in 2003, but he was limited by injury in '04. He gives the Braves solid defense and a good batting eye (.364 career OBP) at second base.

Scot Shields

K-Rod gets all the attention, but Shields also has been a key member of the Angels' dominant bullpen in recent years. Shields struck out 111 batters in 2003, 109 in '04 and 98 in '05. He also has filled in for the injured Rodriguez this season to post seven saves.

Orlando Hudson

Now with the D'backs after an offseason trade, Hudson's glovework at second base is what gets him into the lineup every day.

Mark Buehrle

From 2001 through '04, the White Sox lefty won at least 14 games in each season and has been a workhorse, compiling at least 200 innings for five consecutive seasons.

Late-Round Draft Gems