We've all heard how Derek Jeter could have been an Astro. Footer's description of the near-Bagwell/Garciaparra trade last year was interesting.
To add to that list -- came across this in the latest issue of Baseball America:
Tony Gwynn could have been an Astro.The story: Former Padres GM Jack McKeon says he wanted to take Gwynn in the first round, but the scouting staff balked. He allowed himself to be talked down to taking him in the 3rd round, but wouldn't wait any longer. Says McKeon: “Bob Cluck lived in San Diego and was a national crosschecker for the Astros, and he had (Gwynn) high on his list. If we didn’t take Gwynn in the third round, he would have been an Astro.”
The Astros didn't have a first- or second-round pick that year. In the third -- 17 picks after the Padres -- they selected Curtis Burke, an outfielder from Tennessee State who barely reached AA. In fact, there's not a single recognizable name in
that year's Astros draft class.
