Revisiting David Purcey and the 2004 Draft
Monday, April 18 2011 @ 10:12 AM EDT
Contributed by: Marc Hulet
The 2004 amateur draft did not go as planned for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Under the watchful eye of then general manager J.P. Ricciardi, the club
followed a college-player-heavy approach (47 of the 52 picks came from a
four-year or community college). The club had two first round picks
that season, as well as an extra third-round selection. With its first
two choices, the organization nabbed two college left-handed starting
pitchers: David Purcey out of the University of Oklahoma and Zach
Jackson out of Texas A&M University. Purcey was traded today to the Oakland Athletics for former Jays prospect and triple-A reliever Danny Farquhar.
Although similar on the surface, they were very different pitchers. Purcey was a junior in college who had failed to sign with the Yankees the year before after being selected in the 17th round as a draft-eligible sophomore. He was known as a one-pitch pitcher - a plus velocity fastball - with below-average command. Jackson was a junior in college with an average-at-best fastball but a better overall repertoire and potentially-plus control. If you were to dream on Purcey, his future was that of a No. 2 starter or closer, while Jackson was more of a No. 3 starter in a perfect world. Both were expected to move fairly quickly.
David Purcey
Purcey began the 2005 season in high-A after being given an aggressive assignment to begin his first full season in the Majors. He pitched OK and received a late-season promotion despite showing a lack of control (5.3 BB/9). The lefty then split the '06 season between double-A and triple-A while, again, showing poor control and, at times, becoming a one-pitch pitcher and failing to really develop his secondary pitches. He went backwards in '07 and battled injuries while making just 11 starts in double-A.
After showing the best control numbers of his career at triple-A in '08, Purcey received his first taste of the Majors but the results were mixed. He then bounced between triple-A and the Majors until 2011 - and also moved to the bullpen - when his options ran out. Toronto's patience also ran out in '11 and he was recently designated for assignment and was just traded for a relief prospect - Danny Farquhar - who could easily eventually surpass Purcey's value.. Over the span of his MLB career with Toronto, Purcey accumulated a WAR rating of just 1.3 (WAR = Wins Above Replacement level value player).
Zach Jackson
Jackson, like Purcey, began the '05 season in high-A Dunedin but he reached triple-A by the end of the season. Unfortunately, he's spent the past five seasons playing the majority of his ball in triple-A and has yet to secure a full-time gig in the Majors. The lefty was used in a trade with Milwaukee in 2005 to acquire Lyle Overbay and Ty Taubenheim. Jackson never did pitch in the Majors for Toronto but he's brought in a total of 0.6 WAR for two MLB teams (Milwaukee and Cleveland) over the span of three partial seasons. He's currently pitching for Texas' triple-A squad.
Considering both Purcey and Jackson, Toronto received just 1.3 WAR of value for the two first round picks from 2004.
Taking a quick peek at the rest of the '04 draft, the Jays swung and missed on the second round selection (Curtis Thigpen out of the University of Texas), as well. Taking before the likes of Jason Jaramillo (Philadelphia) and Kurt Suzuki (Oakland), both of whom were ranked ahead of the Toronto draft pick prior to the draft by Baseball America, Thigpen is already out of baseball. Suzuki is the starting catcher in Oakland, while Jaramillo has ridden the triple-A/MLB shuttle throughout his career. In total, the Jays received a -0.3 WAR value from the second round selection during his two-year MLB career. Prior to '11, Jaramillo had provided 0.3 WAR over his career, while Suzuki came in at 8.3 WAR.
Adam Lind and Casey Janssen
The club's two best selections of '04 came with the third and fourth rounds when the team nabbed first baseman Adam Lind out of the University of South Alabama, and pitcher Casey Janssen out of UCLA. Lind reached the Majors in 2006, just two seasons after being drafted. Despite his recent struggles, he's accumulated a WAR value of 4.0 in parts of six seasons. Considered the sixth best prospect in Alabama at the time of his selection, Baseball America said his about him:
"He's put together a consistent career for South Alabama, posting nearly identical seasons and showing a fluid stroke with good bat speed and raw power potential... Lind isn't a great athlete, making him a fringy defender in left field and better suited for first base."
For the record, Lind has developed into the best player from that Alabama draft class, surpassing left-hander and first round selection Taylor Tankersley, who was drafted (and flamed out) by the Florida Marlins. Lind has also developed better than roughly 22-24 of the players drafted in the first round of '04.
Janssen was a two-way player in college and did not focus on pitching until his senior year in college. Prior to the draft, he was considered to be the 22nd best prospect in southern California, by Baseball America. According to the publication in '04:
"He gave up hitting this season, and the lesser workload paid immediate dividends as went 9-4, 3.40 after entering the season with a 5.28 career ERA. He has slightly better stuff... a harder fastball that at times touches 92 mph. His slider and changeup improved, and he commanded all his pitches well. He walked just 29 in 109 innings, while striking out 96."
As we know, Janssen has found success at the MLB level as a reliever. Despite battling serious injuries in 2008-09, the right-hander has accumulated 3.0 WAR value to this point in his career. The only other fourth rounder to have a significant MLB impact at this point is Colorado catcher Chris Iannetta (7.5 WAR), who was nabbed out of the University of North Carolina.
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