Oakland Athletics history: The four aces that never were

The Oakland Athletics drafted four pitchers in the first 36 picks of the 1990 MLB Draft, thinking they had four future aces. So much for the best laid plans…

Heading into the 1990 MLB Draft, the Oakland Athletics knew that their window was closing. They were still a dominant team, fresh off their World Series sweep of the Giants, but had to face reality. Their pitching staff, particularly the rotation, was aging, and in need of new blood.

When the draft came around, the A’s were expected to prioritize pitching, hoping to find the next crop of arms that could help that success become sustainable. They had some luck, with Todd Van Poppel, a fireballing Texas high schooler who drew comparisons to Nolan Ryan, dropping down the board until the 14th overall selection, which the A’s had gotten from the Brewers as compensation. With that selection, the A’s were considered to have their next ace.

The A’s were not done. They also had the 26th selection, which they used to take Don Peters, a right handed starter from the University of Saint Francis. With the 34th selection, they drafted another arm, left handed starter Dave Zancanaro from UCLA. Then, two picks later, the A’s drafted Kirk Dressendorfer, a righty from the University of Texas. That quartet was referred to as the Four Aces, the next crop of arms that would lead the A’s to success.

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But you know what they say about best laid plans. All four pitchers struggled with injuries after being drafted, hindering their development. Van Poppel’s development was further stunted by having signed a major league contract out of the drat; he had to be put on the roster full time by the 1994 season or he would be a free agent.

At least Van Poppel, and Dressendorfer for that matter, reached the majors. The same could not be said for Peters or Zancanaro. Peters dominated the Northwest League after being drafted, and was named the 54th best prospect in baseball after that season. However, he struggled in AA the following season, and missed the next three years with arm injuries. He resurfaced with the Giants in 1995, then missed the following year with more injuries. After three years in the Diamondbacks system, with brief showings at AAA, he spent a year in the independent Western League before calling it a career.

Zancanaro made his way to AAA by 1992 with the A’s system, but his career stalled out at that point. He also struggled with arm injuries, missing the 1993 and 1994 seasons due to those issues. While he found success at AA, he was unable to take that next step, eventually spending time with four organizations from 1997 through 2001 before his career came to an end.

Van Poppel and Dressendorfer? Well, they combined for a total of -1.1 bWAR in their 941.2 innings. Van Poppel had flashes of success as a reliever, and was particularly effective during his stint with the Cubs, but was out of baseball at 32 years old. Dressendorfer made seven major league appearances, all of which came in 1991. Injuries also ruined his career, as he appeared in just 14 games from 1992 through 1994, his career over after spending the 1997 season in the Dodgers system.

The Oakland Athletics thought they came out of the 1990 MLB Draft with four aces. Instead, they only had one pitcher that managed to appear in more than eight major league games.