Top 10 Baseball Draft Picks 2001

High school catcher Joe Mauer picked No. 1 by Minnesota

Dec 3, 2008 David Hein

Cubs grab Mark Prior with second pick while Gavin Floyd goes fourth to Phillies and Mark Teixeira is selected fifth by Texas Rangers.

1. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins, C, Cretin-Derham Hall HS, St. Paul MN

Mauer became the Twins starting catcher in 2005, hitting .294 in 131 games with 9 home runs and 55 RBI. He won the AL batting title in 2006 with a .347 average to go with 13 home runs and 84 RBI. After hitting .293 in 2007, Mauer captured his second batting title at .328 with 9 home runs and 85 RBI.

2. Mark Prior, Chicago Cubs, RHP, U. Southern California

Prior was one of the best pitchers in the league in 2003 for the Cubs with an 18-6 record and a 2.43 ERA as well as 245 strike outs in 211.1 innings. He won 11 games in 2005 and pitched nine times in 2006 but has not thrown an MLB pitch since then - now moving over to the San Diego Padres.

3. Dewon Brazelton, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, RHP, Middle Tenn St.U.

Brazelton made the majors in 2002 and won six games in 2004 in 21 starts. He was 1-8 and 7.61 in 2005 and was traded to the San Diego Padres, for whom he only pitched in nine games in 2006.

4. Gavin Floyd, Philadelphia Phillies, RHP, Mt. St. Joseph HS, Baltimore

Floyd earned seven wins in 24 games between 2004-06 for Philadelphia before being traded to the Chicago White Sox with Gio Gonzalez for Freddy Garcia. In 2008, Floyd went 17-8 with a 3.84 ERA with 70 walks in 206.1 innings.

5. Mark Teixeira, Texas Rangers, 3B, Georgia Tech

Teixeira was an impact bat immediately, hitting 26 home runs in 2003. He followed with seasons of 34, 43 and 33 home runs from 2004-06. In 2007, he was traded from Texas to the Atlanta Braves in mid-season and was still dominating. In 2008, Teixeira was swapped again during the season - to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, combining for 33 homers.

6. Josh Karp, Montreal Expos, RHP, UCLA

Karp reached Triple-A by 2004 but lost 10 games in 24 starts with a 5.95 ERA for Edmonton. In 2005, he returned to Triple-A with New Orleans but has not pitched since then.

7. Chris Smith, Baltimore Orioles, LHP, Cumberland (Tenn.) U.

Smith missed 2003 with an injury and then reached Single-A ball in 2005 but had a 1-1 record and 8.55 ERA in 13 games. And he has not pitched since.

8. John VanBenschoten, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1B-OF, Kent State U.

VanBenschoten got the Majors for a short stint in 2004 and then missed the entire 2005 season. He returned and went 1-10 combined in 2007 and 2008 with an ERA over 10.00. He was released from Pittsburgh in November.

9. Colt Griffin, Kansas City Royals, RHP, Marshall (Texas) HS

Griffin never made it past Double-A, where he pitched in 2005 but hasn't pitched since.

10. Chris Burke, Houston Astros, SS, U. Tennessee

Burke never made it past a utility infielder role with the Astros, even failing to stick in right field. Was traded to Arizona before 2008 and hit just .194 in 86 games.

Other First Rounders of note:

13. Casey Kotchman, Los Angeles Angels, 1B, Seminole, Fla HS

15. Gabe Gross, Toronto Blue Jays, OF, Auburn U.

18. Aaron Heilman, New York Mets, RHP, U. Notre Dame

19. Mike Fontenot, Baltimore Orioles, 2B, Louisiana State U.

25. Bobby Crosby, Oakland Athletics, SS, Long Beach State U.

26. Jeremy Bonderman, Oakland Athletics, RHP, Pasco (Wash.) HS

The copyright of the article Top 10 Baseball Draft Picks 2001 in Baseball is owned by David Hein. Permission to republish Top 10 Baseball Draft Picks 2001 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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