failed prospect Tim Beckham

That's better.

Talk about a guy who was nothing he was hyped up to be. He didn't hit for power, he didn't steal bases (well), he struck out too much and he didn't field...and unfortunately, like most other human beings, he just keeps getting older and older.

Though I guess this demonstrates that maybe he has insurmountable off-the-field problems.

The drugs of abuse include pot, right?

I mean, I get that if you're a professional athlete and you know you could be tested, you should get high with alcohol instead of pot. But it's pretty stupid that you can be suspended 50 games for smoking up, and it doesn't serve any baseball purpose.

Yeah, they include pot. Jeremy Jeffress is one more positive pot test away from a lifetime ban.

I wonder how that'd affect his Hall of Fame chances.

Beckham's "drug of abuse" was in fact marijuana.

From the MLB.com drug policy timeline:

MLB unilaterally implements its first random drug-testing program in the Minor Leagues. All players outside the 40-man roster of each Major League club are subject to random testing for steroid-based, performance enhancing drugs, plus drugs of abuse (marijuana, cocaine). The penalties are 15 games for a first positive test, 30 games for a second, 60 games for a third, and one year for a fourth. A fifth offense earns a ban from professional baseball for life.

Obviously penalties have increased, but this appears to be the rule under which Beckham is being tested and punished, and its banned substances list includes marijuana.

According to wiki, while players are technically forbidden from using "drugs of abuse" - which include pretty much all the illegal things that can get you high, from pot to acid to mdma to cocaine to opiates - players subject to the collectively bargained drug policy cannot be randomly tested for drugs of abuse. Only a majority vote of the "HPAC" panel, based on some sort of evidence for suspicion of use, can force a player to be tested for drugs of abuse.

Once you are added to the 40-man roster, you become a union man, and you're protected from these random tests. I guess if Beckham is someday added to the 40-man roster, he could be tagged for a suspicion-based non-random test, given his known history of use. How much evidence does the panel require? Who's on the panel?

Yeah, they include pot. Jeremy Jeffress is one more positive pot test away from a lifetime ban.

The picture in tht link was shocking. All this time I thought Jeremy Jeffress was white for some reason.

I guess if Beckham is someday added to the 40-man roster, he could be tagged for a suspicion-based non-random test, given his known history of use. How much evidence does the panel require? Who's on the panel?

I believe marijuana is excluded from sanctions for MLB players.

Jeremy Jeffress fact: if he does not pitch any more this season, he will set the record for the highest WHIP in a season by a pitcher with no runs allowed. He has pitched one inning, allowing four hits and two walks, but no runs scored.

I believe marijuana is excluded from sanctions for MLB players.

Not according to the list on the wiki, but I don't have any knowledge beyond what I looked up on the internet ten minutes ago, so please correct me if you know more.

I wonder if NJ got a contact high from putting his name up on the draft board.

From the policy

A Player on the Administrative Track for the use or possession of marijuana shall not be subject to suspension. The Player will be subject to fines, which shall be progressive and which shall not exceed $25,000 for any particular violation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Player who participates in the sale or distribution (as those terms are used in the criminal code) of marijuana will be subject to the discipline set forth in Section 8.E above.

I believe marijuana is excluded from sanctions for MLB players.

Yep, which became a minor incident among the union reps after the 2001 labor settlement because Paul LoDuca, on a media conference call, screwed up describing the agreement on who could be tested for what. According to a report, there were groans from the other player reps as LoDuca was talking.

Jeremy Jeffress fact: if he does not pitch any more this season, he will set the record for the highest WHIP in a season by a pitcher with no runs allowed. He has pitched one inning, allowing four hits and two walks, but no runs scored.

nope

nope

I have to admit, I always suspected Frank Menechino might make some "all-time" lists. But I wasn't expecting that one.

Well, Jeffress has it with a min of .2 ip...

Still 7 more years until he wins an MVP with Texas

So minor leaguers can be banned for life for an infraction that isn't even suspendable in the majors? What a ###### system.

I have to admit, I always suspected Frank Menechino might make some "all-time" lists. But I wasn't expecting that one.

My two biggest regrets as a baseball fan are not going to Verlander's no-hitter and going to the game where Menechino pitched and missing it because I left early.

The picture in tht link was shocking. All this time I thought Jeremy Jeffress was white for some reason.

Funniest thing from that link for me - the heading for the first sub-section of the article

#5 In practice in the past it's been pretty much limited to guys who were busted, whose names came up in testimony under oath (ie pretty much everybody involved in the Curtis Strong affair) and at least one guy (Tim Raines) who had volunteered for treatment. In the late 80s there were nearly 40 players (something like 26 from the Strong affair) subject to on-demand testing for recreational drugs.

Aside from that, well it's just really difficult to convince them to authorize a test based on behavior alone.

I thought Jeffress was white too til the Royals acquired him. I thought he was a big fat Bobby Jenks guy.

And yes, pot gets you busted. The Royals have had a few minor leaguers busted for it, and Jeffress got busted with pot with the Brewers.

Never saw him toke.

I'm just glad it was this and not a PED suspension.....that would be pretty damn embarassing considering his batting line.

Still 7 more years until he wins an MVP with Texas

Damnit, I almost made it in time to make that snark.

What the hell happened to this guy?

I know it's still too early and all, but that 2008 first round is looking pretty bust-a-riffic.

I'm just glad it was this and not a PED suspension.....that would be pretty damn embarassing considering his batting line.

If you're not following Brandon McCarthy on twitter, you should. But he had a tweet last week that was something to the effect of "I walked into my PED test today with my shirt off. The tester just laughed and said "no need man, you're good." I LOLed.

Brandon McCarthy is one of the approximately 225 million or so people I am not following on Twitter. That is a really great quip though.

Wonder how much the Rays considered taking Posey instead of Beckham #1 that year? I thought they should have drafted him, high floor and ceiling and fit their organizational needs perfectly.

I know it's still too early and all, but that 2008 first round is looking pretty bust-a-riffic.

Is it? I think it's more that, with Alvarez, both Beckhams (but especially Gordon), and Smoak, it's got some of the strangest, saddest prospect stories around right now.

Again, its way to early to assess,and I'm cherrypicking a cutoff here, but the number of first founders with at least 2 career BBRef WAR:

2006: 11
2007: 8
2008: 3
2009: 5

Wonder how much the Rays considered taking Posey instead of Beckham #1 that year? I thought they should have drafted him, high floor and ceiling and fit their organizational needs perfectly.

I think Posey's name got floated at one point, but many thought it was posturing, and Posey at the time had ridiculous bonus demands for a guy that had come out of nowhere to become a first round pick. Remember, Posey had been a pretty mediocre prospect til his last year or so at FSU, where he suddenly went nuts, and some felt it may have been FSU's home park or possibly even something else (PEDs).

Beckham was pretty much a consensus #1 by the time of the draft, and Alvarez was clearly thought of as the #2. Posey and G. Beckham IIRC were among the best available after that.

first founders

You mean like George Washington?

failed prospect Tim Beckham

I always confuse him with Gordon, but you might as well put a "failed" in front of Gordon's name as well
Tim's best minor league season (statwise) was last year when he hit .271/.328/.408 split between AA and AAA, league was roughly .336/.400

Looking at the 2008 First round I came across #6. Skipworth I have no recollection of ever hearing his name before, as you can see from BBREF his pro career is not going well

I remember the draft in 08 because of the 2 beckhams, both SS, being listed at the top and them not related and because of pedro alvarez and the scott boras usual shenanigans with the deadline. Also because the stros picked jason castro instead of justin smoak. castro was supposed to be this superlative defensive catcher, have superlative "leadership" skillz and be a great bat as well.

I knew than unless he got caught with a live boy or dead grrrl (as the saying goes) or he got hurt, that he was gonna be in the majors in 2 years or less be cause ed wade was absolutely determined to have him as a major leaguer. he's a really terrible defensive catcher and has mediocre at best hitting. at the time i was seriously pissed off because smoak was supposed to be the best hitter available in the draft and i knew the Astros wouldn't pick him because castro would be much cheaper than smoak.

But anyway, it shows that youneverknow. it amazes me that some of these supposedly - gonna be a great hitter - first rounders (like brett wallace) just do lousy and some of em can't even hit A ball pitching, and then there are low round guys like JD Martinez, who come out of nowhere and kill the ball.

Not sure why so many pimpees fail, or why the prospect raters/drafters are so SOOOO wrong about them...

Baseball is hard.

Castro was a bit of a surprise at #10 (BA ranked him 21st predraft) and wasn't thought to be a great defender either. Here's his BA's writeup:

A catcher most of his prep career, Castro entered this season thought of as a bat first after his strong summer in the Cape Cod League. He hit just .263 combined in his first two seasons at Stanford, then hit .341 in the Cape (second-best in the league), but he played mostly first base or outfield in deference to Florida State's Buster Posey. This spring, Castro has put it all together, showing he can hit for average and power while being Stanford's primary catcher. At 6-foot-3, he's tall but athletic enough to have good lateral movement and agility, and he's improved as a receiver, where he's considered fringe-average at worst. His arm also grades as average, and he's an above-average hitter, particularly for his position. Offensively, Castro stays inside the ball and has a fundamentally sound, strong swing. One scout likened his offensive package to that of former Athletics supplemental first-rounder Mark Teahen, who also played collegiately in the Bay Area, only with more power. In some years, Castro would be the best catcher on the board, but this he's third behind Posey and Southern California prep phenom Kyle Skipworth. He's not expected to last past the first round.

I didn't like Castro at all - thought you should take Smoak (money aside, of course). Apparently, the overdraft Milwaukee tabbed at 16 (Lawrie, who BA ranked 37th) would've been a better idea still.

FWIW, I picked 31st in a mock draft that year and selected Shooter Hunt, from Tulane - whose control went from iffy to near Blass proportions. He was a pick in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft this past offseason and his career will soon be mercifully over.
Baseball is hard.

I think Mike Emeigh like Hosmer best out of the class. He would have been a much better pick than Beckham or Alvarez.

Think you're right. My favorite was Posey, though I remember thinking Mike was too hard on Alvarez (and telling him as much).

I liked Gordon Beckham the best. I'm not really sure what's happened there. Up fast, very good in 2009 and then racing off a cliff. Every facet off his offensive game has devolved.

Apparently, the overdraft Milwaukee tabbed at 16 (Lawrie, who BA ranked 37th) would've been a better idea still.

BA may have ranked him 37th, but I don't remember hearing anyone describe Lawrie as an overdraft at the time. He had a lot of late helium. Everyone on BCB was ecstatic to get Lawrie (and Odorizzi), as I recall.

FWIW, I picked 31st in a mock draft that year and selected Shooter Hunt, from Tulane - whose control went from iffy to near Blass proportions. He was a pick in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft this past offseason and his career will soon be mercifully over.
Baseball is hard.

I had the #2 overall pick in a mock that year and took Alvarez, who looks like he could bust. I was torn between him and Aaron Crow, who looks like all he'll be is a decent reliever.

In the second I took Tyler Ladendorf whose claim to fame was once being traded for Orlando Cabrera.

I think Mike Emeigh like Hosmer best out of the class. He would have been a much better pick than Beckham or Alvarez.

That's looking fairly smart now. I remember being pretty upset the Royals took Hosmer over Smoak. Shows what I know.

Oh, I loved Lawrie but was still surprised to see him go that high. Fair point, though.
Crow didn't sign, right?
As for Ladendorf, I liked him too - maybe not that high, but I was dazzled by his power/speed numbers and potential with the glove.

Don't have my mock draft handy, but it looks like my top of the draft dudes all tanked that year, Eric Thames being my only clear "hit" (my second best that actually signed is probably D.J. Mitchell). Ugh.

Rany preferred Smoak over Hosmer as well, although:

I want to emphasize that my concerns are purely in the macro sense: high school first basemen have a generally awful track record in the draft, while college first basemen have a generally awesome track record, and there was a college first baseman of equal pedigree to Hosmer in the draft in the persona of Justin Smoak.