Many analysts and fans are wondering how Cardinal’s rookie sensation, Michael Wacha, could have passed to the 19th overall pick, since he is now dominating those who represent the best teams in baseball for 2013.  Having personally scouted Wacha for three years, I can confirm that scouts passed on the future Cardinal’s ace for not having a plus breaking ball and little “project-ability” compared to a dynamic high school player like Nick Travieso or Lucas Giolito, two RHP taken before Wacha in the 2013 draft. 

Scouts consistently fall into this infatuation for a young, power pitcher, with an upper 90’s fastball and a plus breaking ball without ever fully understanding the pitcher’s ability to PITCH. In Wacha’s case, he was, at minimum, a safe pick for any staff, having shown an exceptional track record for Team USA and Texas A&M for three straight years. The Cardinal’s scouts, praised as one of the best in recent history, pounced on him for the sure thing bargain that he was and the rest is now history.

Major League Baseball has repeated this mistake several times. In the spirit of undervalued players, here’s a list of those who have been severely overlooked in the MLB drafts of past years provided by Sports Illustrated Magazine:

Mike Piazza, C, 1989, Dodgers, 62nd round. Hard to top a Cooperstown-bound catcher in round 62. He was a legacy pick at family friend Lasorda's behest but he became a superstar.

Albert Pujols, 1B, 1999, Cardinals, 13th round. Now one of the top ten hitters of all-time, it’s hard to believe he fell this far, giving the Cardinal’s yet another bargain pick.

Keith Hernandez, 1B, 1971, Cardinals, 42nd round. Perhaps the greatest fielding first baseman ever. Lasted this long after sitting out his senior season in a dispute with his high school coach.

Andre Dawson, OF, 1975, Expos, 10th round. This five-tool player was nothing short of an afterthought in this draft. On the way into the Hall of Fame this summer.

Don Mattingly, 1B, 1979, Yankees, 19th round. This undersized first baseman was a worker who could hit. But he couldn't run and few foresaw the power or greatness that would come. A total miss by everyone.

Rickey Henderson, OF, 1976 A's, 4th round. All-time great was missed by everyone before A's grabbed him.

Ryan Howard, 1B, 2000 Phillies, 5th round. This later bloomer was slow to be promoted to the majors, too, perhaps because of the presence of power-hitting Jim Thome. But as soon as Howard arrived, he established himself as baseball's top slugger.

Jason Bay, OF, 2000, Expos, 22nd round. The Canadian was underappreciated almost right to the point where he signed that $66-million contract with the Mets. The Expos were full of good picks. This was one of their best.

Johnny Bench, C, 1965, Reds, 2nd Round Arguably the greatest catcher whomever lived, scouted in the 2nd round under old school “eye-catching” scouting standards.

Nolan Ryan, RHP, 1965, Mets, 2nd round. This may contradict my previous argument, but nonetheless Nolan Ryan was taken in the 2nd round due to a lack of control, but the upside was unprecedented with Ryan’s velocity so I’m shocked scouts let him slip this far.

George Brett, 3B, 1971 Royals, 2nd round. Future Hall of Famer made it to the second round in the productive and topsy-turvy 1971 draft.

Roger Clemens, RHP, 1983 Red Sox, No. 18 overall. Clemens was an underappreciated star pitcher for the University of Texas Longhorns, where he was not exactly hidden but somehow skipped by eight teams that took right-handed pitchers ahead of him.

Cal Ripken Jr., SS, 1978, Orioles, 2nd round. Funny to think now that the Orioles (and presumably just about everyone else) preferred someone else to Ripken, another all-time great who went in round two. No one could have predicted he'd top Lou Gehrig as an iron man, but you'd think the team where his father worked as a coach might have known something no one else did.

Wade Boggs, 3B, 1976 Red Sox, 7th round. He was a great hitter but scouts must have wondered whether he had the power or other skills to be a third base star. Became a Hall of Famer and a steal.

Kevin Youkilis, 2001, Red Sox, 8th round. A University of Cincinnati scrapper, few foresaw his greatness. Didn't get notoriety until being dubbed as the Greek God of Walks in Moneyball. Turns out he could do more than walk, and beyond that, he is not Greek but Jewish.

Brandon Webb, RHP, 2000, Diamondbacks, 8th round. The 2006 NL Cy Young winner never overwhelmed folks with his velocity but he was one of the majors' best pitchers over a five-year period. Currently working his way back from shoulder trouble. Might not return this year, but a bargain nonetheless.

Ian Kinsler, 2B, 2003, Rangers, 17th round. This multitalented infielder might have been overlooked because he shared time with Dustin Pedroia at Arizona State before transferring.

Errors happen in baseball, but most of them are caused by one common fault…not getting the glove down and working up through the baseball. You see it happen all the time, especially at the little league level. Players will set their feet to field a ground ball only to have it skip under there glove or between their legs. 

The worst offense happens with the in-between hop or the low line drive off the bat that one hops an infielder.  The best thing to remember as an infielder is to feel your glove hit the ground when setting up for a ground ball.  In some cases, like the low line drive that one hops an infielder, it is best to go down to one knee and form a wall to block the baseball from passing you to at least keep the ball in the infield.

A fielder's reaction time is exponentially faster working from the ground up than it is working down to the ground if a ball takes a bad hop.  So remember, the number one priority for consistent fielding performance is to GET THE GLOVE ON THE GROUND.