By Cory Fallon
These guys would have been household names if tragedy hadn’t struck. Here are some ballplayers that fizzled out way too young.
1) Brien Taylor
Taylor was the first overall pick in the 1991 MLB draft by the New York Yankees and was expected to take the world by storm. With a left arm that could produce a 98 mile-per-hour fastball, he was touted as the best high school pitcher ever by most scouts.
A year before the Yankees picked Derek Jeter 6th in 1992, they had the 1st overall pick and took Brien Taylor. Unfortunately, his career was pretty much destroyed while defending his brother in a bar fight. A missed haymaker ended with a surgery that took 8 mph off his fastball. pic.twitter.com/6gW79C7brr
— Dana🍻 (@Core5_) February 21, 2021
While at a bar in December of 1993, Taylor was injured while defending his brother and never fully recovered. His fastball velocity dropped to the low 90’s, and he never made it above AA ball, retiring in 2000.
2) Steve Dalkowski
Another lefty fireballer, ‘Dalko’ was rumored to throw somewhere in the range of 115 miles-per-hour but didn’t have any control. In 1960 alone, he threw 170 innings, walking 262 and striking out 262 while pitching to a 5.14 ERA.
Steve Dalkowski, who is said to have had the fastest fastball of all time and the inspiration for Nuke LaLoosh, has passed away at the age of 80.
After facing Dalkowski in a Spring Training game, Ted Williams said he’s the “Fastest ever. I never want to face him again.” pic.twitter.com/tFIhouQDlB
— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) April 24, 2020
Ted Williams said he was the fastest pitcher he ever faced, and Nuke LaLoosh in Bull Durham is loosely based on Dalkowski. An arm injury in 1963 set his career back, and he retired after 1965 never making it out of the Minor Leagues.
3) Toe Nash
Nash is one of the most interesting stories in baseball history. Abandoned by his mother as a child, he dropped out of high school, unable to read or write, to work in his cousin’s sugar cane fields.
Excellent @CrimeInSports episode on Greg "Toe" Nash and the sad waste of raw talent. pic.twitter.com/aoRQZqRXFg
— BaseballHistoryDaily (@BBHistoryDaily) May 30, 2017
He played semi-pro ball in his home state of Louisiana, and attracted the attention of scouts when he blasted 400+ foot dingers from both sides of the plate, and threw in the upper 90s. The Devil Rays signed him in 2001, and he played one minor league season before legal issues caught up with him, eventually serving nine years behind bars.
4) Lyman Bostock
The only player on this list to actually make the Major Leagues, Bostock was an emerging superstar during the 1978 season. It was his fourth in the league, and first with the California Angels, and he had already racked up over 620 hits and a .311 career batting average.
Who’s a baseball player more people need to know about? Throw your names in the thread. I’ll go first: Lyman Bostock. pic.twitter.com/sLD9hdEYyv
— CutCards.art (@Cutcardsart) December 19, 2021
While on the way to visit family after a game in September of 1978, Bostock was riding in the back seat of a car when a shotgun blast killed him. The shot was meant for someone else in the car, and Bostock was caught in the middle and killed at the young age of 27.
5) Alfredo Edmead
Edmead was tabbed as Roberto Clemente’s replacement in right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates and began to show promise during his first Minor League season in 1974. Edmead was hitting .314 for the Class A Salem Pirates, stealing 61 bags in just 119 games.
Check out this story about one-time Pirates prospect Alfredo Edmead, who died at age 17 from an on-field accident in the minors. He was hitting .314 with 61 steals in his first season of pro ball. His niece recently visited the ballpark where it happened https://t.co/7sKORO3bKi pic.twitter.com/4khC37J27J
— John Dreker (@JohnDreker) August 26, 2018
He was playing right when a shallow pop-fly was headed into no man’s land behind first base, and dove to make a play. His head collided with the metal knee brace a teammate had on, causing a fatal injury. Edmead never finished his first pro season and passed away at the age of just 18.
Photo Credit: David Lee
