Can't Misses....That Miss
 

Referring to prospects in baseball that all the "experts" claim is a can't miss, a guranteed star. For whatever reason today as I was watching the Met game, Alex Escobar came to my mind. I remember a few years ago this guy was considered a stud in the Mets farm system, a surefire All-Star. Sure it could have been the NY hype, but he was considered by many to be one of the best. I remember that the Mets wouldn't trade this guy he was untouchable. If I remember correctly that it was during their 99-2000 playoff runs that they could have gotten top notch talent in return for him but they wouldn't do it. Made me wonder about the what ifs had they gotten the talent they could have, would they have made the Series in '99 or beat the Yanks in 2000. Anyone else remember any type of situation when their team wouldn't let go of a can't miss kind of guy that for whatever reasons just missed??

Phil Plantier

Todd Van Poppel.

Still have that Gold Leaf Rookie Card, too. Bastard.

Joe Charboneau

Ben McDonald

Who was that HS pitcher the Yankees drafted and gave the huge signing bonus?

Ruben Mateo

Which one?

Sadly:(

Brien Taylor?

Corey Patterson is the latest one from the Cubs franchise.

Rick Ankiel from the Cards is another recent one.

Brad Komminsk.

That is him.

Those Mets - Pulsipher...good Lord, can't remember the rest. But they had 4 guys one year who were all supposed to be the next 20 game winners.

Karim Garcia was a cant miss kid. Edwin Jackson looks to be in that boat

These two battled addictions and are likely candidates for this thread:

Josh Hamilton
Jeff Allison (on again, off again- will he pan out?)

Does Marty Janzen qualify?

Phil "Suck Puppy" Nevin, but maybe I'm biased because he sucked balls for the Astros, who selected him first overall.

Felix Jose... or am I thinking of Junior Felix... or Junior Noboa?

No, no, I'm just kidding, really.

For some reason that sequence makes me think of MATT STAIRS.

Pulsipher, Izzy and Paul Wilson aka Generation K. Yeah Right. Well Izzy has done well for himself and Wilson I guess has too but has never lived up to the hype, Pulsipher on the otherhand is a different story.

The thing that really got me going on this whole thing was not so much the fact that he was a bust, thats always gonna happen, but the fact that they could have gotten something for him during their playoff years but never pulled the trigger. Ended up being the wrong move when you look back on it.

Brewers...Billy Jo Robidoux

Wasn't Izzy one of those?

SI

Regarding the young pitchers the Mets had, they all got hurt! That's what did them in. Wilson used to throw as hard as anyone out there... people told stories about his velocity, but he hurt his arm and never had that speed on his fastball again. Izzy got hurt as well, and ended up going to the bullpen in Oakland, which revived his career. Pulse also, IIRC, got hurt.

I think if they came up today, they'd fare much better, as the early-mid 90s, you still had managers in the minors and majors who thought they could work a pitcher's arm until it fell off and it was good for them!

The Titanic

-Anxiety

Any Mariners pitching prospect not named King Felix.

Well we know about Felix yet... after all, arm injuries have done in plenty of other uber-prospects.

Thank Dallas the "arm shredder" Green for that one. This is the dumbass that ran Scott Rolen out of Philly as well.

Who was supposed to be the next Randy Johnson? Was it Anderson something??

Ryan Anderson?

Empire Maker

Adrian Beltre.

Dude's getting paid 10 figures on the basis of playing out of his mind for one six month period.

I don't know if I'd call him a "miss," but he hasn't exactly set the world on fire in Seattle since that 2004 season.

Ryan Anderson. Pretty much lived up to the hype, but injuries ended his chances.

Ryan Anderson, thats the one. Whatever happened to him, he can't be that old to have no potential at all left, can he?

Bill Buckner and that ground ball...

HAHA, very clever. Although I was only 2 at the time, that groundball was the greatest thing that ever happened.

Scott Norwood

(what do they call it when you take perverse pleasure in the misery of others? I think maybe I'll just start another thread with that as the title...)

Tony Mandarich

Don't a lot of people believe that more pitchers get injured nowadays because they are pitching too little? I know that Nolan Ryan does.

Brian Bosworth

FBPro 99

Franklinnoble

It was only a matter of time...

Tyson v. Douglas

Schadenfreude

Mark Prior

Pat Combs

Eric Lindros. :D

Neon_Chaos' penis the first time he tried to use it ;)

Yankees Nick Johnson.

I think the Yankess claimed Johnson would be the next Babe Ruth after batting over .500 in the minors.