Me, Elsewhere: There but for the Grace of Steve Finley…

My latest at Hardball Times examines how the 1987 draft would have unfolded had we known then what we know now. This is the first of a four-part series and covers picks 1 through 8. Although the Padres didn’t pick until the 10th spot, they would have been affected by the revised fifth pick. In our redraft, the White Sox take Steve Finley there, which means the Orioles never trade him to the Astros, who never trade him and Ken Caminiti to San Diego. That kills the Padres ‘96 season, and without such success to build on, I’m not sure they go out and get Kevin Brown before the ‘98 campaign. Without Brown, maybe that magical season never happens and the Padres are still playing their home games in an ancient, spacious football stadium… or in some other city. On the bright side, in our alternate reality, the Padres end up with a pretty good player at 10. But that’s a story for another week. In the meantime, if you like to indulge in the occasional game...