Major League Baseball

Pirates' Hurdle was once a draft bust

Published Jun. 10, 2015 1:29 a.m. ET

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Clint Hurdle is a terrific manager and has done wonders for the Pirates the past few seasons, but his playing career shows how unpredictable the MLB Draft can be.

"Let’s just say Hurdle is a much better manager than he was a player, who, at 20, made the cover of Sports Illustrated in March 1978 with the screaming headline, “This Year’s Phenom.” Hurdle was done as a player by 1987 after drinking himself out of the game,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote.

Hurdle, the ninth overall pick in the 1975 Draft, never lived up to his potential on the field, but not for lack of support.

“My mom and dad gave me every opportunity to develop as a player with the tools that they had, the resources that they had, which were very limited,” Hurdle said. “But the time was always made available. A lot of it was just physical work. I did a lot of work in the backyard. I did a lot of work on the fields on Sunday. My dad put forth a great effort. My sisters and mom were brought to shag on Sunday. Get all the balls. Wait for them to stop rolling and throw them in.”

While the Pirates hope their selections in this year's Draft turn out to be better players than Hurdle was, it is nice to see a former bust, still having success in the game.

(h/t Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

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