Good topic! I think of Jefferies in the same light as a Trot Nixon, who ended up having a gritty, serviceable career, but was never the superstar that he had been projected to be. And of course, from Boston we had Phil Plantier, who crushed 33 homers while in Pawtucket, but then could never quite make that translate at Fenway. And there was Craig Hansen, straight out of St. John's and brought to Boston too quickly. Instead of being the dominant closer of the future, Hansen found himself quickly out of Major League Baseball.
Thanks for reading! Trot Nixon is a good one. And so is Phil Plantier. He was pretty good on Ken Griffey's SNES game- I hit a lot of bombs with him- but you're right, his power never fully translated to real life. As for Craig Hansen, I didn't even remember him and had to look him up, which I suppose tells me everything I need to know about his MLB career.
At least Van Poppel made it to the majors. Brien Taylor was drafted #1 overall by the Yankees the next year (1991), injured his shoulder in a fight while still in the minors, and never made it past Class AA. Luckily for most baseball fans, this botched draft pick kept the Yankees from another long run of success in the following years. Sigh.
Taylor probably was an even bigger bust. I just don't remember him being as hyped up as Van Poppel. Doesn't mean he wasn't, but for whatever reason, Van Poppel was the one that always stuck with me.
Dec 27, 2023·edited Dec 27, 2023Liked by Patrick Glancy
Van Poppel got a lot of hype because there was an SI article about him, not to mention all the baseball card companies hopping on the "rookie card craze" trend.
Young me was definitely sucked in by the card companies on Van Poppel. I loved the Oakland teams of that era and they had me convinced VP was going to seamlessly carry the torch forward from Dave Stewart. Didn't take long to see that wasn't going to happen, even if you were a naive little kid like me.
Good piece of writing! You're right, it's tough to make it to the Show. I'm sure there are more busts than make it in MLB. The Braves lucked out with going with Chipper Jones huh, he's still helping out with the hitters and watching the games in prime seats most nights in Atlanta. He was a great player, maybe that has several meanings if you know what I mean. Anyway, boys will be boys when they are on the road. Thanks for your stories!
Sometimes you just have to let your brother-in-law speak his mind and move seats, because there's no getting through to some people. Personally, I always liked John Jaha, though I was unaware he came up with that kind of hype. I suppose he fell well short of baseball savior, but he had a very good, respectable career. Definitely much closer to Gregg Jeffries than Van Poppel. Thanks for reading!
Good topic! I think of Jefferies in the same light as a Trot Nixon, who ended up having a gritty, serviceable career, but was never the superstar that he had been projected to be. And of course, from Boston we had Phil Plantier, who crushed 33 homers while in Pawtucket, but then could never quite make that translate at Fenway. And there was Craig Hansen, straight out of St. John's and brought to Boston too quickly. Instead of being the dominant closer of the future, Hansen found himself quickly out of Major League Baseball.
Thanks for reading! Trot Nixon is a good one. And so is Phil Plantier. He was pretty good on Ken Griffey's SNES game- I hit a lot of bombs with him- but you're right, his power never fully translated to real life. As for Craig Hansen, I didn't even remember him and had to look him up, which I suppose tells me everything I need to know about his MLB career.
VP was David Clyde lite. Who remembers him?
He was before my time, so I had to look him up, but it seems like a solid comparison. Interestingly, he's from KC too.
At least Van Poppel made it to the majors. Brien Taylor was drafted #1 overall by the Yankees the next year (1991), injured his shoulder in a fight while still in the minors, and never made it past Class AA. Luckily for most baseball fans, this botched draft pick kept the Yankees from another long run of success in the following years. Sigh.
Taylor probably was an even bigger bust. I just don't remember him being as hyped up as Van Poppel. Doesn't mean he wasn't, but for whatever reason, Van Poppel was the one that always stuck with me.
Van Poppel got a lot of hype because there was an SI article about him, not to mention all the baseball card companies hopping on the "rookie card craze" trend.
Young me was definitely sucked in by the card companies on Van Poppel. I loved the Oakland teams of that era and they had me convinced VP was going to seamlessly carry the torch forward from Dave Stewart. Didn't take long to see that wasn't going to happen, even if you were a naive little kid like me.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's!!!
Mid February is coming up quickly and Spring Training games are a few weeks later.
Same to you, Ed! Thanks for reading, and baseball will be back before you know it!
Good piece of writing! You're right, it's tough to make it to the Show. I'm sure there are more busts than make it in MLB. The Braves lucked out with going with Chipper Jones huh, he's still helping out with the hitters and watching the games in prime seats most nights in Atlanta. He was a great player, maybe that has several meanings if you know what I mean. Anyway, boys will be boys when they are on the road. Thanks for your stories!
Sometimes you just have to let your brother-in-law speak his mind and move seats, because there's no getting through to some people. Personally, I always liked John Jaha, though I was unaware he came up with that kind of hype. I suppose he fell well short of baseball savior, but he had a very good, respectable career. Definitely much closer to Gregg Jeffries than Van Poppel. Thanks for reading!