For Yankees, the end of an awful era

Hughes set to be first first-rounder to play for them since Jeter

Jim Baumbach

11:42 AM EDT, April 25, 2007

Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes during spring training. (Newsday / Audrey C.Tiernan / March 1, 2007)

Once Phil Hughes steps on the mound tomorrow night, Yankee officials will be relieved, and not just because their battered pitching staff is getting what they hope to be a boost. It's also because the mere fact Hughes is pitching in a major-league game will end a forgettable run of horrific drafting.

The last time one of the Yankees' first-round picks actually played for them in the majors is none other than Derek Jeter, and he was drafted way back in 1992. Since then the Yankees have made 13 selections in the first round and none of them -- until tomorrow night ever officially became a Yankee.

Here's the breakdown of the players drafted since Jeter:

1993, Matt Drews, RHP, Sarasota HS

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After a promising start in the Yankee system, he stumbled in 1996 and was traded that year with Ruben Sierra to the Tigers for Cecil Fielder. He retired after only one start for the Devil Rays' Triple-A affiliate in 2000 and, according to a story last year in the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, is home in Sarasota working as a financial adviser to ballplayers, including Cubs reliever Scott Eyre.

1994, Brian Buchanan, OF, University of Virginia

He made it to Triple-A with the Yankees before getting traded in 1998 with Eric Milton, Cristian Guzman and Danny Mota to the Twins for Chuck Knoblauch. He played in the majors from 2000 until 2004 for the Twins, Padres and Mets, batting .258 with 32 home runs in 767 at-bats. He is currently playing for the Softbank Hawks in Japan and marked his debut by hitting a grand slam in his first at-bat of the season and then a two-run home run in his next at-bat.

1995, Shea Morenz, OF, University of Texas

The three-year quarterback for the Longhorns never amounted to anything with the Yankees, flaming out at Double-A Norwich. He was traded to the Padres in 1998 in a deal that included four little-known minor leaguers.

1996, Eric Milton, LHP, University of Maryland

Spent just one season in the Yankee organization before getting traded to the Twins in the Chuck Knoblauch deal mentioned above. He has been in the majors ever since; he has compiled an 87-83 record with a 5.00 ERA for the Twins, Phillies and Reds. The Yankees showed interest in him when he was a free agent in 2004, but the Reds gave him a three-year, $25.5-million deal.

1997, Tyrell Godwin, OF, East Bladen (N.J.) HS

Godwin turned down an offer that was reportedly close to $2 million to attend North Carolina, and a story in The Courier-Journal (Ky.) earlier this month said he graduated with a history degree in three-and-a-half years. He played in three games for the Nationals in 2005, going 0-for-3. He is currently batting .246 (16-for-65) for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate in Louisville.

1998, Andrew Brown, OF, Richmond (Ind.) HS

Brown never adjusted to pro baseball, mostly lingering in A-ball before the Yankees cut him in 2004. He played for an independent team in Worcester in 2005 and hit 21 homers. But he retired just before the start of last season.

1999, David Walling, RHP, University of Arkansas

The once promising righthander fought a constant battle of nervousness when pitching with runners on base, walked away from baseball during the 2001 season, returned later that summer and then quit the game for good in 2002.

2000, David Parrish, C, University of Michigan

Parrish came the closest of any first-round pick to actually play for the Yankees, as he actually was on their 25-man roster for four days in 2004 while Jorge Posada recovered from a nose injury. But Parrish never played in a game, and thus he never entered the team's record books. The son of Lance Parrish, he is hitting .194 (7-for-36) for the Pirates' Double-A affiliate in Altoona.

2001, John-Ford Griffin, OF, Florida State