Did you know?: During a game that carried into the dusk hours, Clarkson once pitched a lemon to the plate to persuade the umpire, Jack Kerins to call the game due to darkness. Kerins called the lemon a strike, and when shown by Boston’s catcher that he had called a lemon a strike, Kerins finally called the game.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Best #1's

With Season 19’s draft now in the records book, we here at the Clarkson Gazette thought that it would be fun to look back and rank all of the #1 overall picks in Clarkson’s history. There have been some great players over the years drafted #1 over the years, but also some not so great ones (see John Chang). Overall it looks like it’s a mixed bag, with surprisingly only three Rookie of the Year winners overall. Without further ado, here are the top ten #1 draft picks in Clarkson history, as compiled by Gazette staff:

Honorable Mentions:

All of these players will undoubtedly be stars in the future, but have not gained enough playing time to make our list yet.

Raymond Stokes
Bill Tomberlin
Peter Perez
Bill Fordyce
Vin Iglesias


10.) Paul Suzuki – Coming in at #10 is the sweet hitting catcher, Paul Suzuki. The player on our list with the least amount of big-league time, he none the less deserves a spot on our top ten list. Already he has made the All-Star team once, and it one of the best offensive catchers in the game. With more time under his belt, he has nowhere to go but up.


9.) Dave Bell – A journeyman starter in Clarkson, his claim to fame is throwing a no-hitter in Season 17. The longtime pitcher has 171 wins and 1 All-Star appearance in his career. However, with some of the recent #1 draft picks, it’s likely that he would drop off our top ten list in the next few years. For now though, he makes our list.


8.) Junior Gonzales – One of the quality young pitchers in Clarkson, he’s been a solid workhorse since making it to the Majors. A solid 3.36 career ERA and 80 wins, he looks like he will be around for a while, and may make a run and some big milestones. Now with Wichita, it looks like he will continue to rack up the wins.


7.) Luther Bland – The wide ranging CF of the New York Bombers comes in at number 7 on our list. Bland makes our list as an all-around athlete, who combines speed and his physical tools to be one of the best centerfields in Clarkson. Already with 2 Rings, All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves, he has made an impact on one of the most dominant teams in Clarkson.


6.) Mariano Pena – The closer extraordinaire, Pena also faced the daunting task of working his way through Boston’s deep farm system. After spending several years in the minors, he got the call to be Boston’s new closer, and did not disappoint. Slamming the door shut over 200 times now, Pena appears on track to be one of Clarkson’s great closers. As with O’Connor, Pena’s short time in the Majors hurts him on this list, but he is sure to move up as well.


5.) Vinny O'Connor – O’Connor joins our list at #5. Drafted right after the top four on our list, in Season 8, O’Connor was traded to the juggernaut Brown Sox and struggled to work his way through Boston’s super-deep farm system, despite his talent. However, once he made it to the Bigs, he shined, winning the Rookie of the Year and being named to two All-Star teams. If not for his short time in the Majors, he would probably be higher on our list.


4.) Curt Brock – The first pitcher on our list is one of the best. Brock, who is having a career year, has struck out nearly 2000 batters, and compiled over 150 wins. His 3.82 lifetime ERA may not be on the level of Sutton or Wakeland, but considering his time spent in what many believed was a “juiced” era of baseball, that number becomes more impressive. Like Castillo and Ramirez, Brock is beginning to get up there in years, but is still pitching amazingly.


3.) David Castillo – Drafted two years after Ramirez, Castillo came into the league out of college and has set Clarkson on fire. The 6 time All-star has put up impressive numbers over the years, but it’s all-around offensive skills that move him up our list. Hitting for contact, power and speed, Castillo has amassed over 300 homeruns, scored over 1400 runs and swiped nearly 600 bases in his great career. Now past his 34th birthday, he is still playing at a high level, so we expect those numbers to continue to rise.


2.) Eugene Mills – Our oldest member on the list is one of the bats of early Clarkson history. Mills, a fixture on 4 World Series winning teams, boasts a solid .294 average to go along with 552 homers and a slew of awards. After winning Rookie of the Year honors, he was named to 5 All-Star teams, won 3 Gold Gloves and 4 Silver Sluggers. Now retired, Mills is on the short list to get into the HOF, but has not heard his number called yet.


1.) Quilvio Ramirez – Drafted way back in Season 5, Ramirez is without question our #1 choice for this list. Already in his 12th season and still only 32 years old, Ramirez has put up some HOF worthy numbers. A liftetime .315 average, Ramirez is one of Clarkson’s great hitters, but adds some pop to go along with that. Currently sitting at 458 homeruns as of press time, he will undoubtedly join the 500 homers club shortly. Throw in an MVP, 7 All-Star nods, 9 Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove to boot, he makes the debate for #1 moot.

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