If there is a guarantee for the Major League Baseball amateur draft (Check out all the tips so far here), it’s about you walking away with the full burden of your mortality. It alerts you to this in some inescapable ways. There are the dates of birth, which keep coming up to and then going beyond important dates in your own life; There are quotes about who the players watched as a kid – the same players you remember were considered potential players; and then there are the bloodlines.
Because the MLB draft is the longest of America’s four major professional men’s leagues, it’s awash with old players: sons, cousins, brothers, and so on. It’s a good reminder of how often the sport is passed down the family trees. In a way, it’s also a bad reminder of the ephemerality of time.
The clock is ticking closer and closer to existential midnight, folks. But instead of pondering too long, why not rage against the dying of the light as we slowly scroll down the page with us as we highlight some of the most notable bloodline connections from this year’s course? Note that players are listed in the order of their selection.
Jacob’s father, Jack, was a skilled big league shortstop. In chunks of 12 seasons (mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates), he amassed more than 23 wins over substitutes despite having a 76 OPS+. It’s hard to pinpoint which fact is more surprising: that despite his stellar reputation, Wilson never won a Gold Glove Award, or that he somehow did did won a Silver Slugger Award in 2004. He also had his only All-Star Game appearance that season. Jacob probably can’t remember it since he’s only 2 years old.
2. George Lombard Jr., SS, New York Yankees (No. 26 overall)
George Lombard Sr. is currently the backup coach for the Detroit Tigers. As a player, he appeared in portions of six major league seasons, hitting eight home runs and 23 stolen bases in 144 games.
3. Myles Naylor, 3B, Oakland Athletics (No. 39 overall)
Naylor currently has two major league brothers who both play for the Cleveland Guardians: rookie catcher Bo and first baseman Josh. In case you’re wondering, the last time three brothers played on the same team was in 1973 when Hector, Jose and Tommy Cruz scored the hat trick with the Cardinals. Only time will tell if Myles will ever contact his relatives.
Jake’s professional career is just beginning. Meanwhile, his older brother, Zack, is a second baseman in the track system and is expected to make his major debut this year. Zack started Monday with .304/.401/.529 and 12 homers in 69 games. Oddly enough, both Jake and Zack were 60th overall picks in their respective drafts.
5. Paul Wilson, LHP, Detroit Tigers (No. 76 overall)
Paul’s father Trevor was a left-hander who started 115 of his 169 big-league appearances. He pitched almost exclusively for the San Francisco Giants, and while he never had great performance traits, he ended his career with a 3.87 ERA (94 ERA+).
6. Homer Bush Jr., OF, San Diego Padres (No. 128 overall)
Homer Bush Sr. was an infielder who played in parts of seven seasons. He split that time between the Blue Jays, the Yankees, and the then-Florida Marlins. Bush Sr. is perhaps best remembered as part of the deal that sent Roger Clemens to New York in February 1999.
7. Kyle Karros, 3B, Colorado Rockies (No. 145 overall)
Kyle’s father Eric was a veteran first baseman who appeared for 14 seasons. He won Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers in 1992, and by the time he retired he had hit 284 home runs and been nominated twice for a Most Valuable Player Award. You may recall that one of Eric’s other sons, Jared, was drafted by the Dodgers last year.
OK, maybe including a player whose bloodlines are connected to a foreign league is cheating. So be it. Sim’s father, Jeong-Soo, hit more than 300 home runs during his 15-year career with the Korea Baseball Organization. That total covers a two-year period from 2002-2003, during which he hit 99 home runs and accumulated 261 RBI as a member of the Hyundai Unicorns.
9. Connor O’Halloran, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays (No. 157 overall)
Connor’s father Greg had a cup of coffee as a member of the 1994 Marlins. He appeared in 12 games, each time as a pinch hitter, and scored twice in 11 at-bats.
10. Jonah Cox, OF, Oakland Athletics (No. 166 overall)
Cox’s father Darron watched 15 action-packed games at the 1999 Montreal Expos. With a home run and two RBI, he went 6 to 25.