The Top 30: The first round of the 2004 draft

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A look back at the first round of the 2004 draft. Seven members of that class have already made their major-league debuts and six have become regulars at the major-league level (*-in majors):

Pick	Player	Team	School	Pos.
1	Matt Bush	Padres	Mission Bay H.S	SS
The skinny: Hitting in low .200s in Class A California League
*-2	Justin Verlander	Tigers	Old Dominion	RHP
The skinny: 22-12 since making MLB debut in 2005, including 17-9 in '06
3	Philip Humber	Mets	Rice	RHP
The skinny: Appeared in two games for Mets in '06; currently at Class AAA
4	Jeff Niemann	Devil Rays	Rice	RHP
The skinny: In the rotation for Class AAA Durham
5	Mark Rogers	Brewers	Mt. Ararat School	RHP
The skinny: On Florida State League DL; 16 starts for Manatee in '06
*-6	Jeremy Sowers	Indians	Vanderbilt	LHP
The skinny: MLB debut in 2006; currently in Cleveland rotation
7	Homer Bailey	Reds	La Grange (Tex.) H.S	RHP
The skinny: Is an ace for Class AAA Louisville with a sub-2.00 ERA
8	Wade Townsend	Orioles	Rice	RHP
The skinny: Just returned from Tommy John surgery; pitching in Class A
9	Chris Nelson	Rockies	Redan (Ga.) H.S	SS
The skinny: Hitting in .260s with nearly 30 RBIs in Class A California League
10	Thomas Diamond	Rangers	New Orleans	RHP
The skinny: Pitched in 2006 Futures Game, currently pitching for AA Frisco
11	Neil Walker	Pirates	Pine-Richland H.S	C
The skinny: Hitting .283 with 29 RBIs for Class AA Altoona
*-12	Jered Weaver	Angels	Long Beach State	RHP
The skinny: Jumped into Angels rotation in '06 and quickly proved he belongs
13	William Bray	Expos	William & Mary	LHP
The skinny: Now playing for Reds' affiliate in Florida State League
14	Billy Butler	Royals	Wolfson (Fla.) Senior H.S	3B
The skinny: Hitting above .300 with 30-plus RBIs for Class AAA Omaha
*-15	Stephen Drew	D'backs	Florida State	SS
The skinny: In his second season with Diamondbacks; hitting .247
16	David Purcey	Blue Jays	Oklahoma	LHP
The skinny: In starting rotation for Class AA New Hampshire
17	Scott Elbert	Dodgers	Seneca (Mo.) H.S	LHP
The skinny: Hasn't pitched since mid-April for Class AA Jacksonville
18	Josh Fields	White Sox	Oklahoma State	3B
The skinny: Showing good power with some average at Class AAA Charlotte
19	Chris Lambert	Cardinals	Boston College	RHP
The skinny: Recently made jump from Texas League to Class AAA Memphis
20	Trevor Plouffe	Twins	Crespi Carmelite (Calif.)	SS
The skinny: Hitting just under .250 at Class AA New Britain
21	Gregory Golson	Phillies	Connally (Tex.) H.S	CF
The skinny: Career has slowed; still in Florida State League
22	Glen Perkins	Twins	Minnesota	LHP
The skinny: Began season at Class AAA Rochester, but is currently on DL
*-23	Philip Hughes	Yankees	Foothill (Calif.) H.S	RHP
The skinny: MLB debut in April, but hamstring injury cut short chance to shine
24	Landon Powell	Athletics	South Carolina	C
The skinny: Hitting in low .200s for Class AA Midland
25	Steven Waldrop	Twins	Farragut (Tenn.) H.S	RHP
The skinny: Pitching at Class AA New Britain
26	Richie Robnett	Athletics	Fresno State	CF
The skinny: Good power numbers, but not much average for Class AA Midland
27	Taylor TankersleyJ	Marlins	Alabama	LHP
The skinny: Doing well in Florida bullpen; made MLB debut in 2006
28	Blake Dewitt	Dodgers	Sikeston (Mo.) H.S	2B
The skinny: Hitting mid-.250s with some power, but still at Class A
29	Matt Campbell	Royals	South Carolina	LHP
The skinny: Starting and relieving for Burlington of the Midwest League
30	Eric Hurley	Rangers	Wolfson (Fla.) Senior H.S	RHP
The skinny: Pitching for Class AA Frisco, where he was 4-0 at midweek