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Baltimore Orioles: Five Biggest Draft Busts

By Ben Palmer

Apr 25, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Brian Matusz (17) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 25, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Brian Matusz (17) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 10, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; A general view of the pitchers mound before game three of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; A general view of the pitchers mound before game three of the 2016 ALDS playoff baseball series between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Matthew Hobgood (2009 Draft) – Never played in majors

Look, I know injuries can be unpredictable, but they play a factor regardless. They may be a legitimate excuse, but in the end, if a player’s hurt, he’s not out there producing, and if he can’t come back from it, it ends up going down as a bad pick.

That’s what happened to Matthew Hobgood. The Orioles selected him with the fifth-overall pick in the 2009 MLB Draft and he never made it beyond Double-A ball. Hobgood was a promising-looking pitcher with a great physique, but injuries changed that.

In 2013, Hobgood tore his rotator cuff and in 2015, his shoulder required arthroscopic surgery. Even when he was playing in the minors, he never really got things going, pitching never better than a 3.71 ERA and a 7.34 K/9.

Now, Hobgood is still only 26-years-old, but with the injuries he’s endured, and the fact that he’s not on a team right now, it’s likely that he’s not going to ever see time in the majors.

Players drafted later: Zach Wheeler (#6), A.J. Pollock (#17), Shelby Miller (#19), Mike Trout (#25)

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