Sports Card Bust #9 & #10: Matt Bush & Todd Van Poppel

These guys have several things in common. First, they were both drafted out of high school. Second, both were recommended to me by collectors on Sportscardforum.com. Third, their autographs were purchased off of Checkoutmycards.com for $2 or less. Last, but not least, they both played on my favorite teams (Bush w/Padres & Van Poppel w/A's), which is awesome because I get to add their autographs to two different PC's. Another 2 for the price of 1 deal!

Let's start with Matt Bush, the first overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft. Bush wasn't chosen by the Padres, because he was the top talent in the draft. He was drafted by the Padres to save money. Jared Weaver, Jeff Niemann, and Stephen Drew were considered the top prospects in the draft, but they would have commanded premium bonuses that the Padres didn't want to pay. You've gotta love them. At 24 years of age, he still has time to turn things around, however at this stage in his career, he's a huge bust. He has never played in a major league game. In fact, he's never played in a AA or AAA game either. His lifetime minor league average is .219 and he's hit a total of 3 homeruns. In 2007, the Padres switched him from shortstop to pitcher, where he's found minor success. Unfortunately, injuries and issues with the law have slowed him down the past three years. Currently, he has a minor league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.

While Matt Bush has never been to the Show, Todd Van Poppel was a seasoned 11 year veteran when he hung up his cleats in 2005. He was the 14th pick in the 1990 amateur draft. I've made an exception to my PC rule, because I spent a lot of money on Van Poppel in the early 90's and it still hurts to think about him.

Although he had a fairly lengthy career, he's struggled through most of it. His best season came in 2001 with the Cubs, when he had a 4-1 record with an ERA of 2.52. He's never had more than 7 wins in a season and his career ERA is 5.58, with a 40-52 record to show for it.

Both of them might be considered busts to many collectors out there, but at least they're appreciated in my collection. Welcome Matt & Todd to my Sports Bust PC.