The first round of the 1985 draft was ridiculously good, 20 of the 28 (71%) made the majors which is a few percentage points above average but it was the average career length and production which makes it stand out.
Of the 13 position players who made it, 10 played in at least 1100 career games. The top five in games played are one Hall of Famer, (Barry Larkin), two more who would be without PEDS, (Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro), and two others who some believe should have received more votes than they did (Will Clark and BJ Surhoff).
On the pitching side you have one guy with a 16 year career (Bobby Witt) and two others who had successful, albeit shorter, careers (Tommy Greene and Joe Magrane.)
Completing the 1000 game club and further emphasizing the first round impact are Walt Weiss, Brian McRae, Pete Incaviglia, Brian McRae and the aforementioned Jefferies. (Randy Johnson was a second rounder).
Jefferies holds the distinction of being the first two time winner of the Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year Award.
Jefferies was the 20th overall selection in the 1985 draft (two spots ahead of Palmeiro) by the New York Mets and moved quickly through the system, reaching the majors in 1987 at age 19. Jefferies played 29 games for the Mets in 1988 and then became a regular in 1989 after Wally Backman was dispatched to Minnesota. Jefferies actually received Rookie of the Year votes both seasons, finishing sixth in 1988 and third in 1989.
After the 1991 season the Mets traded Jefferies to Kansas City as part of the Bret Saberhagen deal, then spent two years with St. Louis before signing with the Phillies as a free agent. He spent three and a half years in Philadelphia before being traded to the Angels. A pair of hamstring injuries relegated him to bench duties his final two seasons in Detroit and he retired after the 2000 season at the still young age of 32.
Jefferies was a California kid thrust into the New York spotlight as a teenager, bringing with him his two POY awards and comparisons to Mickey Mantle. The Mets were two years removed from their World Series title and still a playoff contender and with a roster loaded with veterans who weren’t too thrilled with a teenage teammate who had a bobblehead before he ever played a game. The trading of the popular Backman didn’t sit well in the clubhouse either.
Jefferies clearly persevered as his records show, he was a pretty darn good player, a regular for 11 of his 13 seasons. He was a .289 lifetime hitter and his career single season high in strikeouts was 46 (in 559 PA’s), an unfathomable total today.
In terms of production (games played) or perceived value (WAR), Jefferies ranks seventh all time among the 65 players drafted and signed by the Mets in draft history and without the injury undoubtedly would rank higher.
So, he clearly didn’t suck.
So the question. Was his career a success? Or was the baggage of the Player of the Year Awards and bobbleheads and posters and matinee good looks and comparisons to Mantle enough to tag him a bust no matter what he did?
