The One That Got Away
By Guy Junker

Fishermen love to talk about the ones that got away. Once back in the water, nobody really knows how big they were. Baseball general managers aren't fishermen, and the ones that get away aren't their favorite topics-and their stats are there for all to see. Pirates GM Dave Littlefield has been reminded of that daily, as former Pirate Chris Shelton rips the cover off the ball for the Detroit Tigers. The same Chris Shelton the Pirates failed to protect in the Rule 5 draft in December of 2003.

"That sort of thing happens to anyone who works in personnel," says Steve Phillips, the former New York Mets GM who now works as an analyst for ESPN. "With Shelton, it's understandable because he wasn't a good defensive player. In the American League, there is less bunting and it's easier to play first base."

While the Pirates tried Shelton at several positions, Littlefield says it's Shelton and not the American League that made the difference. "He put in a lot of hard work to improve defensively."

The thing that has been most surprising to Littlefield are Shelton's home runs. "He always hit well and continued to achieve in the Pirate organization. But he has more power than we had projected."

Shelton hit just two homers in his first pro season at class A Williamsport. In 2002 he hit just two more at Williamsport, but hit 17 at Hickory. When he started 2003 with 21 homers at class A Lynchburg, the Pirates moved him up to AA Altoona. For the first time in his career he hit below .300 and didn't hit a single homer. In December he was left unprotected.

It seems the Pirates put too much emphasis on his struggles at the double-A level. He only played 35 games and had just three hits in his first 37 at-bats, but he adjusted and hit .317 in 30 games in August. But guys taken in the 33rd round by the previous administration may not get as much of a look as they should.

Littlefield doesn't make excuses or hide from the truth. "Where things stand now, we definitely made a mistake. It's one of those moves we wish we had back."

And he isn't the only one to make a mistake with Shelton-otherwise he wouldn't have lasted until the 985th pick of the 2001 draft. He's the only guy from the 33rd round that year to have made it to the majors so far.

It will be interesting to see how he finishes this season. He has still played less than 200 major league games, although he has already defied the odds. He is proof that if you work in player personnel long enough, you will make mistakes. But if you make enough, you won't work in player personnel very long.

Guy Junker is the co-host of the Junker & Crow Show on ESPN Radio 1250.