Wanted to circle back on the 2000 Draft and give some updates on some of the players picked:
Analysis
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Dan Gibson leads the pack with 3.8 WAR during the course of his 3 year career. After breaking out with Los Angeles in the 2004 season, Gibson is having another sensational season, hitting .369 with 6 HR and 28 RBI in 2005 as the star left fielder for LA. After winning the 2004 All-Star (LF) Award, he's on track to repeat that performance in 2005 with 2.0 WAR so far this year.
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Joseph Warren was picked 2nd overall by Los Angeles in the draft, but was moved to Dallas as an undervalued asset after the 2002 season. He hasn't had a great career to date, going 4-8 with a 5.33 ERA, but still has decent potential ratings. At just 22 years old, Dallas seems to be sticking with him as a member of their rotation.
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Richard Woodard, of Los Angeles, has perhaps the best stats of any pitcher from this draft. Woodard has played for LA for parts of 4 seasons after being selected 7th Overall in 2000. He's having somewhat of a breakout season in 2005, with a 3-2 record, a 3.65 ERA, and a 9.5 K/9 rate in 7 starts so far. The Iowa native has a career 1.2 WAR, which ranks 3rd in this draft class.
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Jim Cobb made his debut for his hometown New York team in 2002 and has since become a mainstay in their bullpen. The Long Island native is a two-time champion and has 11 holds during his 4 year career.
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John Koster was perhaps rushed to the big leagues as a 21 year old in 2003, but he's finally starting to show promise now in 2005. Though he is still a bench player, Koster has an .833 OPS in 33 plate appearances this year, showing a great eye and playing a great CF as a defensive replacement. Scouts are still very high on his potential; not bad for the 25th Overall pick.
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Greg Martin, now with New York, is playing for his third organization in five years, but is finally showing signs of a breakout. He's now starting in rightfield for NY, after a strong start allowed the club to trade veteran star Paul Parker to Dallas in an advantageous position. Martin has a .267 average this year with 8 RBI, but has shown great maturity and has become a young leader for New York.
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Francisco Garcia, a Texas native that was moved from Dallas to Los Angeles after the 2004 season, has found a niche coming off the bench for LA in 2005. After hitting .210 with a .613 OPS in 2004 as a starter, Garcia has come back to hit .292 with a .917 OPS including 2 HR in 27 plate appearances so far this year. He's also shown great versatility playing CF, RF, SS, and 1B so far this season.
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Rod Wallace, one of the expansion Philadelphia's first draft picks (11th Overall), has struggled at many points of his career so far. Formerly a starter for PHI in 2002 and 2004, he was moved to the bullpen mid-2005 despite a 4-1 record due to his 5.70 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. Scouts think he's still pretty far from his potential, but has some promise going forward. With Philadelphia moving closer to becoming a contender, rumors are swirling that he could be released after the year.
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Standings Update - August 16, 2005
Well, it's still really complicated atop the standings with 14 games left. Five teams fighting for three spots and only San Francisco, who went full tank, has been eliminated. Heading down to the wire - below is the amount of playoff appearances each team has made throughout the years:
New York: 5 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Chicago: 2 (2003, 2004)
Dallas: 2 (2000, 2002)
Los Angeles: 1 (2001)
San Francisco: 1 (2004)
Philadelphia: 0