Pittsburgh Pirates: 1997-2007; 10+ Years of Draft Blunders

(Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images)

2001 saw the Pirates select John Van Benschoten with the eighth overall selection.  Outside of the top picks the 2001 first round was kind of a snoozer.  The only worthwhile selection in the 10 picks after Van Benschoten was 2B Mike Fontenot.

John Van Benschoten was a college star for Kent State University.  JVB was an offensive power batting .440 with a .982 slugging percentage during his final season.  He was seventh in Division 1 baseball in batting average and FIRST with 31 homers (six more than anyone else). 

He was named the Conference Player of the Year in 2001.  He also went 2-2 off the mound with a 2.77 ERA, 8 saves (conference leader) and 63K's in 49 innings.  The Pirates didn't make the mistake in drafting JVB, the mistake came when they announced they would use him as a pitcher.

You would think the Pirates would learn from the Clint Johnson experience that this type of move doesn't pay off, ESPECIALLY when JVB was considered the "Country's Top Power Hitter."

In 2001, JVB debuted with the Williamsport Crosscutters and did exactly what his college pitching numbers projected: 0-2 with a 3.51 ERA.  In other words, JVB was only league average.

During games he wasn't pitching, JVB would occasionally DH and he hit only .227 which allowed the Pirates organization to "claim" they made the right decision in using him as a pitcher.  He was named Baseball America's best pitcher in the New York-Penn League that year.

In 2002 JVB was part of a Hickory Crawdads rotation consisting of Ian Snell, and current San Diego Padres pitcher Chris Young.  JVB went 11-4 with a 2.80 ERA and had 145K's in 148 innings pitched. 

Again, allowing the Pirates to claim they made the right decision.  Baseball America named him the best pitcher in the South Atlantic League that year. 

In 2003, JVB went 6-0 with a 2.22 ERA with the Lynchburg Hillcats, and 7-6 with a 3.69 ERA with AA Altoona.  JVB also pitched in the 2003 Future's Game.

2004 was a year of struggles for JVB in stints at Nashville and in Pittsburgh.  He went 4-11 with a 4.72 ERA and 1-3 with a 6.19 ERA in Nashville and Pittsburgh respectively. The 2005 and 2006 seasons were full of injuries including extensive right shoulder surgery, and an additional surgery on his left shoulder. 

The comeback began to start the 2007 season in AAA Indianapolis.  In 2007, he appeared in both Indianapolis and Pittsburgh going 10-7 with a 2.56 ERA and 0-7 with a 10.15 ERA respectively.

2008 was a last chance opportunity with JVB in the Pirates organization and he started the year 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA at AAA Indianapolis and after the Matt Morris release found himself in Pittsburgh.

He went 0-2 with a 9.39 ERA for the Pirates and was sent back down to Indianapolis.  His major league record was 2-13 with an 8.96 career ERA.  He currently is in the Chicago White Sox organization trying to make an impression.

Given the draft classes weakness I will have the Pirates re-drafting JVB but leaving him as a 1B.

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