Steve Chilcott
| Steven Chilcott | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Catcher | |||
|
Born: September 23, 1948 Lancaster, California | |||
| |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
| |||
Steven Lynn Chilcott (born September 23, 1948) is a former catcher in minor league baseball. He spent seven seasons in the minor leagues, primarily with the New York Mets organization. In his career, he had a batting average of .248 and 39 home runs in 337 games.
Born in Lancaster, California, Chilcott attended Antelope Valley High School. After graduating, he was chosen by the New York Mets with the first overall selection in the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft. In his second season in the minor leagues, he injured his shoulder, and never fully recovered from the injury, retiring from baseball in 1972. Chilcott is one of three players to be picked first overall in the MLB draft to never reach the major leagues, the other two being Brien Taylor and Matt Bush.
Early life
Chilcott attended Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, California who was drafted by the New York Mets as the first overall pick in the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft, a spot ahead of Reggie Jackson. He was awarded a $75,000 signing bonus, which he invested in real estate.
Career
Chilcott seemed to be well on his way to making the majors when, in 1967 while playing for the Winter Haven Mets in the Florida State League, he dove back toward second base when the pitcher tried to pick him off. As he dove back to the bag, he slammed into it with full force on his right arm, dislocating his shoulder and ending his season. He was plagued by injuries for the rest of his career. The Mets released him in 1971, and he signed with the New York Yankees. However, he was released after only playing 24 games in 1972, and his career was over at age 24.[1]
Chilcott never played higher than Triple-A, and became one of three number-one picks in the baseball draft to retire without ever reaching the major leagues (the others are Brien Taylor, the first overall pick in the 1991 draft, and Matt Bush, the 2004 #1 overall pick).
References
- ↑ Fletcher, Jeff (August 20, 1994). "WHERE ARE THEY NOW: STEVE CHILCOTT : A Premature End to Promising Career : Baseball: No. 1 pick in '66, plagued by injuries in minors, didn't play in even one big-league game.". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2012.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
| Preceded by Rick Monday |
First overall pick in the MLB Entry Draft 1966 |
Succeeded by Ron Blomberg |
| ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||