Five Biggest Tigers’ Draft Busts Since 2000: Number Two

As we work our way through the five biggest draft busts for the Detroit Tigers since 2000, we’ve seen a few different types of players make the list. From pitchers to position players, just two names remain. Interestingly, both are pitchers. It is difficult enough to break through to the major leagues as a position player, but as a pitcher, you're just one of many trying to prove your worth.

Detroit thought it had found a great one in the 2013 MLB Draft. It was a draft that saw the Chicago Cubs select Kris Bryant, the Pittsburgh Pirates take Austin Meadows and, with the 32nd overall pick, the New York Yankees select a player named Aaron Judge.

Twelve picks before the Yankees took a chance on Judge, the Tigers used their selection on a pitcher by the name of Jonathan Crawford.

If you don't remember seeing Crawford in a Tigers uniform, that's because he never got the opportunity. In fact, if you don't remember Crawford from the major leagues at all, you wouldn't be alone. Despite being selected just 12 picks before Aaron Judge, Crawford never made it to the major leagues, spending more than a decade trying to prove himself in professional baseball.

When Crawford first joined the Tigers organization, however, the hype was real. In his first two minor league seasons, he posted a 1.89 ERA in his first year and a 2.85 ERA in his second, combining for 31 starts. Things appeared to be heading in the right direction for both Crawford and Detroit.

But in baseball, even some of the best prospects can ultimately become trade pieces, and that was the case with Crawford. Despite pitching extremely well early in his professional career, he arrived at a time when Detroit's pitching rotation was as dominant as ever. The Tigers were in the middle of winning their fourth consecutive American League Central title and didn't necessarily need another young pitching arm.

Crawford was eventually traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent the remainder of his affiliated professional career before moving on to independent baseball.

Unfortunately, Crawford never managed to break through the Single-A level. Despite remaining in Cincinnati's farm system until 2017, he struggled to find consistent success. He finished with just one season in the Reds organization with an ERA below 5.02, and his major league opportunity never came.

It's an interesting butterfly-effect question: What would have happened if Detroit had kept Crawford and continued developing its first-round pick? Unfortunately, we'll never know. Would Crawford eventually have made his major league debut? Could he have gotten the opportunity to face Aaron Judge with the Tigers and Yankees battling for a trip to the next round of the playoffs?

We'll never see that outcome, and we'll never know what might have happened had Detroit stuck with its original plan for Crawford.

What we do know is that Crawford became part of a trade that brought Alfredo Simón to Detroit. The deal also involved Eugenio Suárez, who went on to spend seven seasons with Cincinnati at the major league level.

Simón's lone season with the Tigers was a mixed bag. On August 20, 2015, he recorded his first career complete-game shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Texas Rangers, allowing just one hit while striking out five and walking two. However, he finished the season with a league-worst 5.05 ERA, despite leading Detroit in both wins (13) and innings pitched (187).

Simón returned to Cincinnati for one more season after his year in Detroit, while Crawford never appeared in a major league game.

For the Tigers, the opportunity cost of the deal makes this an especially interesting draft disappointment. Detroit moved on from a highly regarded first-round pitching prospect, but the return ultimately did little to change the organization's long-term outlook. Meanwhile, Suárez went on to establish himself as a major league regular.

Crawford never became the pitcher Detroit envisioned when it drafted him, and the Tigers never got to see what their first-round investment could have become.

The countdown continues:

Tigers Biggest Bust Since 2000: [Number One]

Tigers Biggest Bust Since 2000: [Number Three]

Tigers Biggest Bust Since 2000: [Number Four]

Tigers Biggest Bust Since 2000: [Number Five]