The Class of 2003 - Five Years Later: Where Are They Now?

OK, let's take a look back in time and explore the first round draft picks made in 2003. Where are they now? Have they panned out?

1st pick: SP Matthew Cassity, Virginia
Where is he now?: Pitching for Dayton (AAA - River Cities)

Matthew Cassity was a young 19-year old righthander when he was selected by Virginia as the first amateur draft pick in SDMB OOTP history. Assigned to A-ball, he went 5-13 with a 4.39 ERA in 2003. He never really got the hang of A-ball play until 2006, when he proved to be one of the league's better pitchers by going 13-9 with a 3.91 ERA and 150 K. He finally managed to bid A-ball goodbye with his overpowering 11-2 start to the 2007 campaign. He is currently pitching in Dayton (AAA) and has started the season with a 1-1 record.

2nd pick: SS Ricky Peppers, California
Where is he now?: Playing SS for South Bay

Ricky Peppers is a power-hitting shortstop with good range. It should be noted that Peppers was my first choice for that draft, put he was taken one pick ahead of me. Peppers spent his first four seasons bouncing between A and AA ball. It was in the middle of his poor 2004 campaign that he was traded to Stockholm as part of the deal for Lincoln Rossetti. He eventually made it to the majors with Florida in 2007, but was overwhelmed in his initial major league experience, hitting only .170 in 64 games. The start of his 2008 season seems to be going well, hitting .289 with 3HR and 5 SB in 12 games.


3rd pick: C Beau Manning, Brooklyn
Where is he now?: Playing 1B for Brooklyn

Manning was patiently guided up the minor league system. He spent two and a half years at Brighton Beach (A) before finally becoming a regular at Flatbush (AA) in 2005. After spending 2006 at Flatbush, he started 2007 at Kensington (AAA). He didn't stay there long before arriving in Brooklyn to stay in June. He played 96 games for Brooklyn in 2007, hitting .257 with 16HR and 74 RBI.

4th pick: SP Chet Overholt, Saskatoon
Where is he now?: Pitching for Battleford (AA - Saskatoon)

In the five year period from 2003-2007, Chet Overholt has won 50 games - all of them for Tisdale Prarie Sox (A). After two subpar seasons, he seemed to be on-track with good performances in the 2005 and 2006 campaigns. However, he seemed to fall apart in 2007, going 6-6 with a career-high 5.05 ERA. Nonetheless, he's been promoted to AA for the 2008 season where he has (so far) pitched 13 scoreless innings over two games, earning one victory.

5th pick: SP Kevin Silverman, Seattle
Where is he now?: Pitching for Olympia (AA - Seattle)
Control-artist Kevin Silverman started his career in Olympia, skipping A ball and posting a 12-9 record. Since then, he's been a fixture at AA (aside from six games at A-ball Kent).

6th pick: SP Ed Scull
Where is he now?: Pitching for Covington

Ed Scull holds the distinction of being the first player drafted in an amateur draft to make it to the major leagues. The young 21 year old made his major league debut during the 2003 campaign, clearly showing that he was not yet ready for prime time. He pitched in 14 games and had an ERA of 15.53, giving up 35 hits in 13 innings. A trade to Virginia that same year saw him go back to the minors (all the way down to A-ball, in fact). A trading-deadline deal in 2004 saw him traded again, this time to Austin as part of a package for Jason Guth. He finally returned to the majors in 2007, where he turned in a record of 9-12, but with a respectable 3.47 ERA. This year he's off to a hot start, with a record of 2-0 and an ERA of 1.86 in three games.

7th pick: CL Junior Cuomo, Stockholm
Where is he now?: South Bay's closer.

Junior Cuomo is a pitcher with a really live arm. He started his career in A ball for Stockholm quickly racking up 19 saves. A midseason promotion to AA saw him pick up 16 more. In 2004, he saved 25 more for AA and then 2 more in AAA. He also got to make his major league debut in 2004. He spent most of 2005 in Stockholm, but he was clearly overmatched, ending up with an ERA of 8.51. He returned to the minors in 2006 and picked up 29 saves in AA and AAA (despite a 5.00+ ERA). He returned to the majors in 2007 where he clearly improved his skills, picking up 8 saves with a scorching 0.77 ERA in 17 games. He currently looks like he's going to be a strong closer for years to come, with 3 saves and a 1.35 ERA in four games this season.

8th pick: MR John Miller, Houston
Where is he now?: Pitching for Akron (AA - River Cities)
John Miller showed a lot of promise when first drafted, but has yet to live up to his potential. In his first season with Houston, he saved 28 games at A ball. In 2004, he saved 27 between A and AA and in 2005, saved 23 at AA and an additional 5 at AAA. However, after his trade to River Cities prior to the 2006 season, he was never the same pitcher. In 2006, he only saw action in 15 games (although he had 8 saves in those fifteen games). 2007 saw him demoted to Akron, where he was assigned to middle relief in the bullpen, where the 27-year old still toils today.