Woody Woodward: Mariners GM 1989-99
Player | Year | Pick | Years | WAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
Marc Newfield (1B) | 1990 | 6th | 3 | -0.8 |
Anthony Manahan (SS) | 1990 | 38th | 0 | 0 |
Shawn Estes (LHP) | 1991 | 11th | 0 | 0 |
Ron Villone (LHP) | 1992 | 14th | 3 | 1.0 |
Alex Rodriguez (SS) | 1993 | 1st | 7 | 38.1 |
Jason Varitek (C) | 1994 | 14th | 0 | 0 |
Jose Cruz Jr (OF) | 1995 | 3rd | 1 | 1.6 |
Gil Meche (RHP) | 1996 | 22nd | 6 | 6.7 |
Ryan Anderson (LHP) | 1997 | 19th | 0 | 0 |
Matt Thornton (LHP) | 1998 | 22nd | 2 | 0.4 |
Ryan Christenson (C) | 1999 | 11th | 0 | 0 |
Jeff Heaverlo (RHP) | 1999 | 33rd | 0 | 0 |
If not for Alex Rodriguez, this would be a really bad list. Out of the 12 picks, 6 of them never played in the majors for the Mariners. Another did for a single season, while another had a negative WAR. All in all, you have 15 seasons with a 8.7 WAR, which is largely because of Gil Meche. (I really liked him)
Meche pitched six years for the Mariners, compiling a 4.65 ERA (league average was about 4.47), before leaving for the Royals. He deealt with shoulder injuries throughout his career, and it put a hamper on what otherwise would've been a long run as a middle to back end starter.
Manahan never made it above AAA. Traded Estes to the Giants where he had a good start to his career. We actually drafted Villone, although most remember him in the mid-2000s with the Mariners. Anderson never made it above AAA. Christenson played 7 MLB seasons. Heaverlo never made it above AAA.
Then... Arod. Dude was a monster, like something baseball hadn't seen since players left to go fight in the War. Unfortunately, there was a reason for it, and it needles me to this day. Still, it was the right pick, and a big reason for success in Seattle. I'm giving Wood Wood a B.