Yanks considered drafting Holliday over Henson
November 29, 2009, 4:00 pm by iYankees · 8 Comments
While adding Matt Holliday to the Yankees lineup has its fair share of detractors and supporters, from Anthony McCarron, we learn that the organization could have added Holliday to the team 10 years ago via the ‘98 draft. According to McCarron, “Holliday could have been a Yankee out of high school,” for the Yankees “considered drafting him in 1998 even though he had a scholarship to play football and baseball at Oklahoma State.” However, the Yankees thought that Holliday, a quarterback at Stillwater High, would opt for college over a major league career, and they ultimately chose Drew Henson over Holliday, based on those concerns. These same apprehensions allowed the Rockies to draft Holliday in the 7th round of the ‘98 draft, as he fell due to questions surrounding his signability.
Of course, Holliday went on to play baseball in Colorado and has been one of the best outfielders in the National League since then, while Henson—along with Jackson Melian, Brian Reith and Ed Yarnall—was traded to the Reds in 2000 for Mike Frank and Denny Neagle. Henson was later reacquired from Cincy the following year and saw a total of 9 major league at-bats with the Yankees between 2002 and 2003 before pursuing a football career in 2004 (Henson, like Holliday, was also a quarterback). Interestingly, Holliday and Henson (I believe) are both free agents right now.
I wonder who the Yankees would rather pursue this time around…
Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
It’s really no coincidence they are both free agents Drew has been a free agent in baseball since 2004 and was cut by the Lions at the end of last year and is a free agent there as well.
Drew Henson’s total career major league at bats (9) is more than the current amount of NFL throws he has made (2) looks like neither career has worked out that well. Maybe he will try the NBA or NHL next, maybe a career in MMA?
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I’ve got to be some kind of idiot because I don’t get the Holliday love, the Lackey love, the trade Montero madness or the we need an ace logic that is coming out of New York these days… Oh well, I hope Cashman is smarter than all that.
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I get the Holliday and Lackey love, given their talents. It’s tough to sign either due to financial practicality, however. With that said, when the Yankees need a left fielder and one of the best left fielders in recent memory is sitting on the open market, obviously fans will call for them to sign that player.
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He’s been the best LF the past 3 years.
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Do we really need to add “one of the best” all the time? Can’t we put Cameron in CF with Melky in LF and win? Yes! Now if we can win with Cameron in CF and Melky in LF, once you add in the money differential you get more value with Cameron. You get more value with anyone who can play D hit decent and not make that kind of money, the guy is good but is he Arod good? Is he Tex good? To me he isn’t so he doesn’t deserve the contract he thinks he is going to get!
Just because it makes you better doesn’t make it the right move! When it comes to a guy like Holliday and the team we have and what we need it doesn’t make sense, you could fill every hole we have on our team with the amount of money you will pay either him or Lackey!
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But what’s the long-term fit at LF? If not Holliday then who? The Yankees don’t have anyone in their farm system that projects as a left fielder. If they pass on the best left fielder available before he turns 30, who will they get to fill that void? One-year deals with aging veterans can only work for so long. At some point, in my opinion, it’s better to have the position filled with a long-term fix rather than bandaged every year with a Mike Cameron type.
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I will be very disappointed if The Yankees sign either Lackey or Holliday or trade for Roy Halladay since I don’t see any of the 3 as being in the best interest of the team when you take into consideration money, contract length and money!
If I can’t convince any of you in that I can’t but you won’t make me see that it’s a good idea to bring in any of the above because I won’t buy it… The only one of the 3 I would consider is Holliday and only on a 5 year deal for no more than 75 million total and since he won’t do that I don’t want him.
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