The drafting of David Clyde

David Clyde with the Rangers

The unpredictability of the amateur baseball draft is never more evident than it is 51 years ago today.

The Texas Rangers, no doubt giddy over the prospect of selecting a Texas-bred high school pitching phenom with the first pick of the 1973 draft, go for the ridiculously talented, and equally raw, David Clyde.

And they promptly set their franchise back a generation.

The Philadelphia Phillies follow with the No. 2 pick and select catcher John Stearns, who eventually becomes a four-time All Star but does so with the New York Mets.

As if that is not enough to embarrass the Rangers, the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres then take future Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Dave Winfield with the No. 3 and No. 4 picks in the draft.

Eddie Murray, the No. 63 pick

Never mind that every other team initially whiffs in the first round on future American League MVP Fred Lynn and another future Hall of Famer in Eddie Murray, who are selected, respectively, in the second round at No. 41 overall by the Boston Red Sox and in third round at No. 63 by the Baltimore Orioles.

As for Clyde – seen here in a Dallas Morning News photo – the Rangers let the 18-year-old pitcher bypass the minors and rush him to the majors only 20 days after making him the first overall pick.

“It was the dumbest thing you could ever do to a high school pitcher,” Rangers outfielder Tom Grieve later tells the Longview News-Journal. “In my opinion, it ruined his career.”

After some sporadic brilliance, Clyde’s career bottoms out.

He lasts all or parts of five seasons in the majors, putting together an 18-33 career record and 4.63 earned-run average before drifting to the minors and retiring at the age of 26.

“It was like taking a kid,” Clyde tells the Los Angeles Times, “and throwing him into brain surgery without going to medical school.”