Players Drafted in the First Round of the MLB Draft Twice

When Mark Appel was drafted by the Astros with the first overall pick in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, he became the 17th player taken twice in the first round. Who were the others and how did they fare? Well, to be honest, they're all over the place. Some of them went on to become All Stars, but some of them never even made it to the Big Leagues. Here's the complete rundown:

1. Randy Scarbery - Pitcher (1970, 1973)

Photo Credit: http://dvsportscardsplus.ecrater.com/p/17738006/chicago-white-sox-randy-scarbery-1980

Scarbery was the first player drafted in the first round of multiple drafts going 7th overall to the Houston Astros in 1970 and 23rd overall to the Oakland Athletics in 1973. Scarbery made his Major League debut in 1979, but was out of baseball after 1980 going 3-10 in 60 career appearances with a 4.50 ERA.


2. Mike Miley - Shortstop (1971, 1974)

Photo Credit: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=13814735

Miley was drafted 24th overall by the Cincinnati Reds in 1971, but instead opted to be a two-sport star at LSU playing shortstop and quarterback for the Tigers. Miley led LSU to a 9-3 record in 1973 while accounting for 11 touchdowns. Miley was drafted by the California Angels with the 10th overall pick in 1974, but appeared in just 84 games batting .176 over two seasons. Sadly, Miley never had a chance to realize his full potential as he was killed in a car accident at the age of 23 before the start of the 1977 season.


3. Danny Goodwin - First Baseman/Designated Hitter (1971, 1975)

Photo Credit: http://www.amazon.com/1981-Topps-527-Danny-Goodwin/dp/B009856FE8

Goodwin has the distinction of being the only player in Major League Baseball history to be taken with the Number One Overall Draft Pick TWICE. Let that sink in for a moment. Unfortunately, while Goodwin saw action in seven Major League seasons, he never materialized into the player he was projected to be. Goodwin's best season came in 1979 with the Twins when he hit .289 with 5 homers and 27 runs batted in in 58 games. In his career, however, he hit just .236 with 13 career home runs in 252 games. He did own a great mustache though.


4. Mike Sullivan - Pitcher (1976. 1979)

Sullivan posted a 2.89 ERA in four minor league seasons, but despite that, he never played beyond AA and didn't see the field after 1982 thanks to an arm injury.


5. Brad DuVall - Pitcher (1987, 1988)

Photo Credit: http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Gallery.cfm/sid/65923/1989-Best-Springfield-Cardinals

DuVall also didn't reach the big leagues and spent 3 seasons in A-Ball where he posted a 3.35 ERA in 34 starts, but like Sullivan his career was derailed but injury.


6. Alex Fernandez - Pitcher (1988, 1990)

Photo Credit: http://www.amazon.com/Donruss-Fernandez-Chicago-White-Baseball/dp/B000VLCJIY

Fernandez finished his career with a 107-87 record and a 3.74 ERA in 263 games with the White Sox and Marlins. He was an 18-game winner with the Sox in 1993 and won 17 games in 1997 helping lead the Marlins to their first World Series. Fernandez won his 1997 NLDS start against the Giants, but was knocked out in the 3rd inning of his NLCS start against the Braves. Unfortunately a shoulder problem kept him off the World Series roster and caused him to miss the entire 1998 season. He was out of baseball by 2001.


7. Calvin Murray - Centerfielder (1989, 1992)

Photo Credit: http://www.amazon.com/1993-Upper-Deck-Calvin-Murray/dp/B00D1F674O

Murray was part of an epic draft class for Cleveland in 1989 that included Major Leaguers Jerry Dipoto (3), Jesse Levis (4), Alan Embree (5), Curt Leskanic (8), Kelly Stinnett (11), Jim Thome (13), Mike Potts (16), Brian Giles (17), Robert Person (25), Billy Brewer (26), Bill Wertz (31), James Hurst (32) and Andy Sheets (33). Murray opted to attend UT-Austin instead and was re-drafted by the Giants three years later. Murray appeared in just 288 games over five seasons posting an average of .231. His best season came in 2001 when he hit six home runs and knocked in 25 while hitting .245 in 106 games.


8. John Burke - Pitcher (1991, 1992)

Photo Credit: http://www.tradingcarddb.com/GalleryT.cfm/tid/770/Central-Valley-Rockies

The Astros drafted Burke in 1991, but couldn't sign him so he became the Colorado Rockies' first ever amateur draft pick a year later. Colorado didn't agree with the young righty though as he surrendered 16 home runs in just 74 2/3 innings while finishing his brief career with a 6.75 ERA.


9. Charles Johnson - Catcher - 1989, 1992

Photo Credit: http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Gallery.cfm/sid/56645/

Johnson won four consecutive Gold Gloves between 1995 and 1998, made two All-Star Teams, caught three no-hitters, and helped the Marlins win the 1997 World Series when he hit .357 with a team-leading 10 hits. Johnson stuck around for 12 seasons largely thanks to his defense, but still managed to slug 167 homers including 31 in 2000 while batting .245.


10. Jason Varitek 1993, 1994

Photo Credit: http://paxarcana.wordpress.com/category/baseball/

Varitek was part of one of the most lopsided trades in Major League Baseball history when Seattle shipped him and a young pitcher named Derek Lowe to Boston for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb. Slocumb went 2-9 in 84 games with the Mariners and logged a 4.97 ERA. Varitek and Lowe led Boston to a World Series title in 2004 breaking an 86 year curse. On top of that, Varitek assumed the role of Red Sox captain in 2005, led them to another ring in 2007, and has caught more no-hitters (4) than any other catcher in Major League history. A lifetime .256 hitters with 193 career home runs, Varitek won a gold glove, a silver slugger, and played on three All-Star Teams.


11. J.D. Drew 1997, 1998

Photo Credit: http://boston.sportsthenandnow.com/2011/06/28/

Drew never ever quite materialized into the player everyone thought he was going to be. A career .278 hitter with 242 home runs, Drew slugged more than 30 homers just once in his career (31 in 2004 with the Braves), drove in 100 runs just once in his career (100 in 2006 with the Dodgers), and hit over .300 just twice (.323 in 2001 with St. Louis and .305 in 2004 with Atlanta). Still, he hit a Grand Slam in Game 7 of the 2007 ALCS and helped Boston win their second World Series in four years, he was the MVP of the 2008 All-Star Game, and was generally steady if not spectacular.


12. Jeremy Sowers 2001, 2004

Photo Credit: http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2009/06/jeremy_sowers_to_take_mound_as.html

Sowers was Cleveland's 2005 Minor League Player of the Year after going 14-4 with a 2.37 ERA in 27 starts. A year later he went 9-1 with a 1.39 ERA in AAA and made his debut with the Indians in the middle of the 2006 season. His first stint with Cleveland was a successful one as he went 7-4 in 14 starts with a 3.57 ERA. Since then, however, he's gone just 11-26 with an ERA of 5.63. Sowers last appeared in a Major League game in 2009, but last year he made eight starts with the Independent Atlantic League Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.


13. Wade Townsend 2004, 2005

Photo Credit:http://www.pocketfives.com/articles/professional-baseball-poker-588735/

Townsend ended up being a bust never pitching above AA, missing the entered 2006 season, and never posting an ERA below 5.00 at any level. All told, Townsend went 7-21 in 69 minor league appearances with a 5.68 ERA.

14. John Mayberry Jr. 2002, 2005

Photo Credit: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/06/john_mayberry_jrs_late_heroics.html

Mayberry has spent the last five seasons with the Phillies compiling a .245 batting average and hitting 46 home runs. Mayberry has seen his average, homers and runs batted in decline over his past three seasons going from .273, 15 homers and 49 runs batted in during his first full season in 2011, to .227, 11 homers and 39 runs batted in last season.

15. Aaron Crow 2008, 2009

Photo Credit: http://cjonline.com/sports/2013-07-19/crow-recognizes-role-royals

Crow made the 2011 AL All Star team as a rookie, and has turned in three solid seasons as a set-up man for the Kansas City Royals. Making at least 57 appearances in each of his first three campaigns, Crow has held opposing hitters to a .244 average and has posted a 3.19 ERA in 187 appearances.


16. Gerrit Cole 2008, 2011

Photo Credit: http://prioryhospitalitygroup.blogspot.com/2013/06/

Cole made his debut last June and finished the year having made 19 starts and going 10-7 with a 3.22 ERA. Cole made a pair of starts in the NLDS against St. Louis winning Game 2, but losing the decisive Game 5 despite allowing just two runs in five innings. All told he posted a 2.45 ERA giving up just 5 hits in 11 postseason innings.


17. Mark Appel 2012, 2013

Photo Credit: http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2013/6/6/4404862/

Appel, drafted first overall by the Astros last summer, is getting ready for his first full season in the Astros organization. Appel made 10 appearances in A-Ball in 2013 going 3-1 with a 3.79 ERA.