Philadelphia Phillies: Dave Dombrowski’s history of nailing draft picks
Dave Dombrowski’s draft history got off to a solid start in Montreal.
Dave Dombrowski was named the Montreal Expos general manager in July 1988 and ran the team until late in the 1991 season, so we can look at the ’89-’91 drafts as examples of players he either drafted or helped draft.
Dombrowski’s first pick was catcher Charles Johnson out of Westwood High School in 1989, but the young catcher decided not to sign and went to the University of Miami. Coincidentally, in 1992, when Dombrowski was running the Marlins, he selected again in the first round 18 picks later than he had him in Montreal.
Johnson had a productive 12-year career with six teams hitting 167 home runs and a .245 batting average. In 2000 with the White Sox and Orioles, he hit 31 home runs with a .304 batting average but didn’t make the All-Star team that year. He ended up making two All-Star teams while also winning four Gold Gloves and the 1997 World Series with Dombrowski’s Marlins.
Montreal had six players in a 69 round draft make the big leagues, including 20th round pick F.P. Santangelo.
Dombrowski lucked out in 1990 when he had two first-round picks and four first-round supplemental picks, and four second-round picks for losing four free agents the year before. With six of the top 40 picks and 10 of the first 53.
With those valuable picks, the Expos landed seven players who would become big league players and three who had positive career WARs. Their best first-round pick was Rondell White, a high school outfielder who would have 1,500 career hits, nearly 200 home runs, and an All-Star appearance.
Dombrowski nailed his 1991 first-round pick Cliff Floyd, getting a future All-Star who hit 233 home runs and had a long, productive 17-year career. Six other players from that year’s draft also made the big leagues, including Mark Grudzielanek.
So in his three seasons running the Expos, Dombrowski made three solid first-round picks and found some solid late-round nuggets.