2004 Draft Picks - How did they do? Part 1

I figure that 10 years ought to be long enough to figure out if a draft pick had an impact on the game. If I remember, maybe I'll make this an annual feature.  Since there were 30 players drafted, I'll break this into 3 posts.

2004 Topps Traded #71 Matt Bush

#1 pick by the Padres. Drafted right out of high school as a shortstop, he's also made some appearances as a pitcher. Matt spent 6 years in the minors (3 years with the Padres and 3 with the Rays) before giving it up after the 2011 season.

2005 Bowman Gold #174 Justin Verlander

#2 pick by the Tigers. It doesn't take too much investigation to determine that the 2nd overall pick of 2004, Justin Verlander, is the most successful player drafted that year. Verlander made his major league debut in 2005 and finished that season with an 0-2 record. But by now, he has a 150-89 record, 1,814 KOs, and 6 All-Star appearances. He was the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year and won the Cy Young Award in 2011. How was Matt Bush picked ahead of Verlander?

2007 Bowman Draft Signs of the Future Philip Humber

#3 pick by the Mets. As a first-round draft pick, Humber had a lot of potential, but has never really lived up to it. For the first 5 years of his career he didn't get much work. The White Sox acquired him in 2011 and gave him a chance as a starter. He was 9-9 in 2011 and 5-5 in 2012. The Astros acquired him in 2013 amid great fanfare in Houston but he went 0-8. Granted the Astros lost over 100 games in 2013 but more was expected of Humber. He's spent 2014 in the minors for the A's.

2005 Topps #682 Jeff Niemann

#4 pick by the Devil Rays. Niemann was 13-6 in his 2009 rookie year, earning him some discussion as Rookie of the Year. He had decent, winning seasons in 2010 and 2011 but in 2012, his luck ran out. He had is leg broken by a come-backer by Adam Lind in May 2012, and his 2013 season ended in April with shoulder surgery. He's currently a free agent.

2005 Bowman Chrome #164 Mark Rogers

#5 pick by the Brewers. After 7 years in the Brewers minor league system, Rogers finally made the bigs for a cup of coffee in 2011. He was 3-1 for the Brewers in 2012 but since then he's been in the Mariners minor league system.

2007 Fleer Rookie Sensations Jeremy Sowers

#6 pick by the Indians. Sowers made his ML debut in 2006 With a 7-4 record, with 2 shutouts, with the Indians. He was 11-26 in his next 3 years and went back to the minors for a year. before leaving baseball.

2004 Topps Traded Chrome #72 Homer Bailey

#7 by the Reds. Bailey hasn't had a spectacular career but he's been successful. He came up in 2007, and except for 2008 when he was 0-6, has had a winning season as a starter every year since. The Reds certainly like him as he's signed through 2020.

Wade Townsend
#8 by the Orioles. Although drafted by the Orioles, he's been in the Rays minor league system his whole career.  There are 96 cards listed for him in Beckett.com but I don't have a single card of him.

2013 Topps Blue Walmart #427 Chris Nelson

#9 pick by the Rockies. Rogers was drafted by the Rockies and played for them from 2010-2013. He doesn't seem to have been a starter but he got some playing time. He was traded to the Yankees in 2013 and then picked off waivers by the Angles later in the season. He's currently with the Padres. He's a career .265 hitter with little or no power and his playing time has decreased steadily.

2010 Bowman Chrome Draft #66 Thomas Diamond

#10 pick by Rangers. He made is ML debut with the Cubs on 8/3/10 and played his final game on 10/3/10. In between he was 1-3 with a 6.83 ERA.