Greg Hansen's top 10 major-league draft picks from Tucson and the UA
- Updated
Star sports columnist Greg Hansen counts down the top 10 MLB Draft picks from Tucson and the UA.
Editor’s note: This summer, Star columnist Greg Hansen is counting down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.
Today’s list: the top 10 major-league draft picks from Tucson and the UA.
Sam Khalifa hit .581 as Sahuaro High School’s shortstop in 1982, a player of such dimension that Arizona State coach Jim Brock said Khalifa could’ve started for every team in the Pac-10 that season.
When Khalifa signed a letter-of-intent to play for the Sun Devils, Brock upped the ante on his would-be shortstop.
“Sam will be in the major leagues in four years, whether he plays for us or goes directly to the minor leagues,’’ said Brock in May 1982. “He’s the best pro prospect I’ve ever seen in Arizona, and I go back a few years." By then, Brock had spent 11 years as ASU’s coach and six at Mesa College, where he won two NJCAA national titles.
On the day of the 1982 MLB draft, the New York Mets drafted pitcher Dwight Gooden with the fifth overall pick. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Khalifa at No. 7.
It remains the highest draft slot for any player from a Tucson school and at the UA.
Brock was correct on his prediction that Khalifa would be in the majors within four years. The 5-foot-11-inch shortstop made his debut for the Pirates on June 25, 1985. He was 21.
But once Khalifa got to the big leagues, his career trajectory went flat. He hit .238 as the Pirates' starting shortstop in 1985, and then bounced between Triple-A and Pittsburgh for two years, never hitting higher than .185 in Pittsburgh.
By 1989 he left baseball altogether. He was 25.
Three years ago, the New York Times quoted ex-Pirates manager Jim Leyland saying: “I wasn’t really sure that Sam was into it as much as you needed to be to maybe max out your ability.’’
Khalifa returned to Tucson; for many of the last 25 years has been a taxi driver. His father, Rashad Khalifa was murdered at a Tucson Muslim mosque in 1990. In recent years, Khalifa was an assistant baseball coach at Sahuaro.
Here is the list of the Top 10 Tucson high school and UA players selected in the MLB draft. The one common thread: almost all ended their baseball careers before turning 30 because of injuries. (The MLB’s modern June draft began in 1965).
He went 6 for 11 in his first three games at Pittsburgh but completed his MLB career with a .219 batting average in 164 games.
The Tucson High and UA All-American shortstop was selected by Minnesota, but did not sign. He was then drafted in the old “secondary phase’’ of the draft in 1966 by Cleveland. He left the MLB at 28 after starting for Cleveland in 1970 and 1971 and for the White Sox in 1973.
The UA outfielder struggled with injuries and played his final MLB game at 29. He hit .240 with four MLB home runs.
As a combo pitcher-outfielder at CDO and Arizona, Anderson was an athletic marvel. His MLB career ended at 27. He hit .227 in 355 games.
Much like his UA teammate Anderson, Diggins was a hitter-pitcher with first-round skills. He made his MLB debut for Milwaukee in 2002. By 2003, with an arm injury, Diggins never pitched in another MLB game. He was 23.
- Greg Hansen Arizona Daily Star
- Updated
The big lefty from Arizona blossomed early for the St. Louis Cardinals, winning 18 games in 1989, but he was 36-54 thereafter and out of baseball at 31 with arm injuries.
Arizona’s smooth-fielding shortstop is a work in progress, playing for the Double-A Altoona affiliate for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A hard-throwing right-hander from Marana High School and the UA got the Detroit Tigers in two years, but was out of the majors after arm trouble with a 6-6 career record when he was 25.
Arizona’s NCAA Player of the Year completed his MLB career at 30, beset by three knee surgeries. He averaged just 71 games per season over 10 MLB years.
The UA lefty so impressed the Chicago Cubs by going 7-3 in the minors with 111 strikeouts in just 74 innings in his first pro season, 1990, that Dickson was promoted to the Cubs and given two starts late in the ’90 season. Unfortunately, Dickson injured his arm and never returned to the majors. From 1992-95, he only pitched 19 minor-league innings while dealing with arm trouble.
No. 11 on this list is 1989 UA All-American catcher Alan Zinter, drafted No. 24 by the Mets in ’89. It took Zinter 13 years to get to the majors. He made his debut at 34 and retired at 36, having played 1,882 games in the minors and 67 in the big leagues.
Editor’s note: This summer, Star columnist Greg Hansen is counting down the top 10 of just about everything related to Tucson sports.
Today’s list: the top 10 major-league draft picks from Tucson and the UA.
Sam Khalifa hit .581 as Sahuaro High School’s shortstop in 1982, a player of such dimension that Arizona State coach Jim Brock said Khalifa could’ve started for every team in the Pac-10 that season.
When Khalifa signed a letter-of-intent to play for the Sun Devils, Brock upped the ante on his would-be shortstop.
“Sam will be in the major leagues in four years, whether he plays for us or goes directly to the minor leagues,’’ said Brock in May 1982. “He’s the best pro prospect I’ve ever seen in Arizona, and I go back a few years." By then, Brock had spent 11 years as ASU’s coach and six at Mesa College, where he won two NJCAA national titles.
On the day of the 1982 MLB draft, the New York Mets drafted pitcher Dwight Gooden with the fifth overall pick. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Khalifa at No. 7.
It remains the highest draft slot for any player from a Tucson school and at the UA.
Brock was correct on his prediction that Khalifa would be in the majors within four years. The 5-foot-11-inch shortstop made his debut for the Pirates on June 25, 1985. He was 21.
But once Khalifa got to the big leagues, his career trajectory went flat. He hit .238 as the Pirates' starting shortstop in 1985, and then bounced between Triple-A and Pittsburgh for two years, never hitting higher than .185 in Pittsburgh.
By 1989 he left baseball altogether. He was 25.
Three years ago, the New York Times quoted ex-Pirates manager Jim Leyland saying: “I wasn’t really sure that Sam was into it as much as you needed to be to maybe max out your ability.’’
Khalifa returned to Tucson; for many of the last 25 years has been a taxi driver. His father, Rashad Khalifa was murdered at a Tucson Muslim mosque in 1990. In recent years, Khalifa was an assistant baseball coach at Sahuaro.
Here is the list of the Top 10 Tucson high school and UA players selected in the MLB draft. The one common thread: almost all ended their baseball careers before turning 30 because of injuries. (The MLB’s modern June draft began in 1965).
He went 6 for 11 in his first three games at Pittsburgh but completed his MLB career with a .219 batting average in 164 games.
The Tucson High and UA All-American shortstop was selected by Minnesota, but did not sign. He was then drafted in the old “secondary phase’’ of the draft in 1966 by Cleveland. He left the MLB at 28 after starting for Cleveland in 1970 and 1971 and for the White Sox in 1973.
The UA outfielder struggled with injuries and played his final MLB game at 29. He hit .240 with four MLB home runs.
As a combo pitcher-outfielder at CDO and Arizona, Anderson was an athletic marvel. His MLB career ended at 27. He hit .227 in 355 games.
Much like his UA teammate Anderson, Diggins was a hitter-pitcher with first-round skills. He made his MLB debut for Milwaukee in 2002. By 2003, with an arm injury, Diggins never pitched in another MLB game. He was 23.
The big lefty from Arizona blossomed early for the St. Louis Cardinals, winning 18 games in 1989, but he was 36-54 thereafter and out of baseball at 31 with arm injuries.
Arizona’s smooth-fielding shortstop is a work in progress, playing for the Double-A Altoona affiliate for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A hard-throwing right-hander from Marana High School and the UA got the Detroit Tigers in two years, but was out of the majors after arm trouble with a 6-6 career record when he was 25.
Arizona’s NCAA Player of the Year completed his MLB career at 30, beset by three knee surgeries. He averaged just 71 games per season over 10 MLB years.
The UA lefty so impressed the Chicago Cubs by going 7-3 in the minors with 111 strikeouts in just 74 innings in his first pro season, 1990, that Dickson was promoted to the Cubs and given two starts late in the ’90 season. Unfortunately, Dickson injured his arm and never returned to the majors. From 1992-95, he only pitched 19 minor-league innings while dealing with arm trouble.
No. 11 on this list is 1989 UA All-American catcher Alan Zinter, drafted No. 24 by the Mets in ’89. It took Zinter 13 years to get to the majors. He made his debut at 34 and retired at 36, having played 1,882 games in the minors and 67 in the big leagues.
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