On this day in 1971 Kenneth Wesley Felder was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was 18 years old when the Padres drafted him in the second round of the 1989 draft, but opted not to sign and went to Florida State. He was playing there when the Brewers selected him with the #12 overall pick in 1992.
Unfortunately, being drafted early might have been the highlight of Felder's professional career. He hit just .243/.322/.409 in five minor league seasons before a freak batting practice injury ended his career at age 26.
If you're the kind of person that likes looking down the untraveled path, here are some of the best players drafted after Felder in the first round in 1992:
Player | Team | Career Wins Above Replacement (rWAR) |
Johnny Damon | Royals (#35) | 51.6 |
Jason Kendall | Pirates (#23) | 37.7 |
Charles Johnson | Marlins (#28) | 22.0 |
Shannon Stewart | Blue Jays (#19) | 19.8 |
Rick Helling | Rangers (#22) | 18.6 |
Felder turns 41 today. With help from the B-Ref Play Index, we'd also like to wish a happy birthday to 1996 Brewer Ramon Garcia. He turns 43.