The Biggest Draft Busts in New York Mets History

The New York Mets franchise has made thousands of draft picks over the years and 59 first-round selections in all.

There have been some true gems—Darryl Strawberry as the first overall pick in 1980 and Dwight "Doc" Gooden as the fifth overall selection in 1982, for example. Those two players were key components for New York's 1986 World Series championship team.

Unfortunately, there have been some draft picks that have been busts as well. It's inevitable. Every team in major league baseball has them.

Let's take a look at the five biggest draft busts in New York Mets history.

No. 5: Philip Humber P

Most baseball fans will remember the former Rice University product for hurling the 21st perfect game in major league baseball history with the Chicago White Sox. Humber pitched his gem against the Seattle Mariners on Apr. 21, 2012.

New York Mets fans remember the 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander as their first-round pick in the 2004 draft (third overall). They may have forgotten that Humber only appeared in five games with the Mets during the 2006-07 seasons and posted a 0-0 record with a dismal 6.00 ERA.

Yes, Humber's career with New York is easily forgotten.

It all started to go amiss for Humber when he was pitching for Double-A Binghamton in 2005. After allowing three earned runs in four innings in a start during the summer, Humber felt elbow pain and left the game. It was later diagnosed that he needed Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament.

Humber would rehabilitate his injury and eventually make his MLB debut with the Mets on Sept. 24, 2006 against the Washington Nationals in relief. However, he was never able to regain his pre-surgery velocity and would appear in just three contests for New York the following season.

The Nacogdoches, Texas native would never pitch for New York again. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins on Feb. 2, 2008 along with Carlos Gomez, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra for ace Johan Santana.

At least he helped the Mets get Santana, right?

No. 4: Kirk Presley P

A third cousin of Elvis Presley, the 6'3", 195-pound right-hander was New York's first-round draft pick in 1993 and the eighth overall selection that year. Like Elvis, Presley was born in Tupelo, MS.

You can't blame Presley for being "All Shook Up" that he never made it to the major leagues.

The Mets certainly were.

Arm and shoulder injuries ruined Presley's path to MLB. After being inked to a $900,000 signing bonus, Presley never advanced past Single-A ball. In five minor league seasons, Presley fashioned an 8-10 ledger with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.585 WHIP.

At 23 years of age, Presley hung up his spikes for good in 1998, never having participated in a Double-A contest.

It was a huge disappointment for the Mets brass and a terrible return on their investment.

No. 3: Billy Beane Outfielder

Now in his 16th year as General Manager of the Oakland A's, the 51-year-old Beane was projected to be a star when the Mets drafted him with the second of their three first-round draft picks in 1980 (23rd overall).

Darryl Strawberry was their first selection that year (No. 1 overall), and some scouts at the time thought Beane was a more refined player than Strawberry. Talk about swinging and missing on that one.

Beane struggled in his first minor league campaign, hitting just .210 for Class-A Little Falls in the New York Penn League in 1980. He slowly made his way up to the majors and finally made his MLB debut for the Mets on Sept. 13, 1984 and went 0-for-2 in a 14-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The right-handed hitting outfielder had only one hit in 10 at-bats for the Mets that season.

Beane spent most of 1985 with Triple-A Tidewater and had a productive season, batting .284 with 19 HR and 77 RBI for the Tides. He was called up to Shea Stadium for a cup of coffee in September and had two hits in eight ABs. The Orlando, FL native was then traded over the winter to the Twins in a five-player deal for second baseman Tim Teufel.

When he finally retired as a player in 1989, Beane had posted a career .219 average in the majors with the Mets, Twins, Tigers and A's. He never fulfilled the promise scouts had for him, but Beane has since become one of the most successful executives in all of baseball.

As most fans know, Beane is the subject of the 2003 book on baseball economics, Moneyball, which was subsequently made into a 2011 movie starring Brad Pitt as Beane.

Not too shabby.

No. 2: Paul Wilson P

Back in the mid '90s, the Atlanta Braves had three of the best pitchers in the game—Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz.

Coming off a miserable 103-loss season in 1993, the Mets drafted Paul Wilson of Florida State University with the number one overall pick, hoping that the lanky right-hander would be the foundation of their Generation K trio (along with Bill Pulsipher and Jason Isringhausen) for many seasons to come.

It never happened.

Injuries burdened Wilson from the start of his career. He suffered through two injury-plagued minor league campaigns before finally starting the 1996 season with the parent club.

It turned out to be a season to forget.

The 6'5", 235-pounder went just 5-12 with a 5.38 ERA in 26 starts for New York. Over the next few seasons, Wilson battled elbow and shoulder issues and never pitched for the Mets again following his rookie campaign.

Wilson was eventually traded, along with Jason Tyner, to Tampa Bay for Bubba Trammel and Rick White on Jul. 28, 2000. He would later pitch for the Reds as well and finally retired following the 2005 season with a career 40-58 record and a 4.86 ERA.

No.1: Steve Chilcott C

The New York Mets selected catcher Steve Chilcott with the first overall pick in the 1966 draft. How bad was that selection?

Chilcott never played a day in the major leagues. Do you know who was selected immediately after the Lancaster, CA native? How about Reggie Jackson by the Kansas City Athletics. Can you imagine the powerful and flamboyant Jackson in a New York Mets uniform?

Ah, what could have been.

The left-handed hitting Chilcott was progressing nicely towards the major leagues in 1967 when he dislocated his right shoulder diving back into second base on a pickoff play. He was hitting .290 for the Winter Haven Mets of the Florida State League at the time. The injury ended his season, and Chilcott was never the same after that.

He battled injuries for the rest of his career, and the Mets finally released Chilcott in 1971. He never made it past Triple-A.

After his release from the Mets, the Yankees signed him, but Chilcott played just 24 games for them between Single-A and Double-A in 1972 before being let go for good. At 24 years of age, his career was over.

Chilcott has the dubious distinction of being one of just three players to be drafted first overall and never play in "The Show." The other two are Brien Taylor (Yankees, 1991) and Matt Bush (Padres, 2004).