On the blog this fine day, we have a "not so
missing" 1976 card for former #1 overall pick and pitching phenom David
Clyde of the Texas Rangers:
After coming up
straight to the Majors in 1973 to much fanfare after being drafted #1 in
the nation by the Rangers out of High School, Clyde developed arm
problems because of the organization's mishandling of the young pitching
prodigy, to the point where he appeared in only one game during the
1975 season, tossing seven innings in a start while giving up only two
runs.
Turns out he wouldn't be back to the Majors until 1978,
now a member of the Cleveland Indians, where he'd pitch for only two
years before retiring for good, his massive promise squashed because of
Texas' greed at putting asses in seats back when Clyde was an
18-year-old state legend.
As profiled earlier on this blog, Clyde is a classic example of how
an organization mishandled a young prospect for their own financial
gains.
If you want more info on how the Rangers messed with him, click the following link for a more in-depth write up:
During his senior year at Westchester High School, Clyde had an incredible record of
18–0, giving up only three earned runs in 148 innings pitched, while
pitching five no-hitters and setting 14 national high school records.
Clyde was a hometown hero of sorts after his outrageous exploits at
Westchester High School in Houston, Texas, so it seemed like a marriage
made in heaven for the struggling Rangers and their attendance problem.
But as we all know it didn't quite turn out the way the Rangers (or
Clyde) had hoped, and what makes the pick all the more incredible is
that the third and fourth picks in the amateur draft that year were two
future Hall of Famers that each played for
over 20 years at the big league level: Robin Yount at #3 and Dave
Winfield at #4.
You think Texas would have wanted a "do-over" with THAT draft?
