In 2006 the Tampa Bay Devil Rays headed into Sept. 10 with the third-worst record in the major leagues, only better than Kansas City and Chicago. If the season ended at that moment, Andrew Friedman's team would have been locked into the third pick in the 2007 MLB Draft.
But it didn't end there. And because of it the Devil Rays were able to draft a guy by the name of David Price with the first overall pick the following year.
The turn of events -- which was buoyed by Tampa Bay winning just four of its final 20 games that season -- certainly jumpstarted an already emerging franchise, as was evident by Chicago having to settle for an infielder named Josh Vitters with the No. 3 overall picks. Vitters career amounted to 36 major-league games.
The following season it was the same story. The Devil Rays lost 13 of their final 18 games to secure another first overall pick. That end-game didn't result in the same sort of difference-maker, however, with Tampa Bay's pick of Tim Beckham never working out as well as he likes of Eric Hosmer (No. 3 overall that year) or Buster Posey (No. 5).
But through all the losing and the draft-induced opportunities, a lesson could be learned. It's one Jonny Gomes, a member of those Tampa Bay teams, passes along.
On that last day of the 2007 season, the Rays actually won, with Gomes driving in one of the runs. As Gomes reminds us, the players on that team didn't really care all that much about draft order.
"It’s tough when that starts getting thrown around," Gomes told WEEI.com, referencing talk of securing a certain level of draft pick. "When you start talking about the first overall draft pick you’re focusing on guys who are not on this team. As a player you’re like, ‘Wow, it’s tough.’ And this is from experience. But if you stay in the fight and you have trust and the message to the players is stay in the fight with trust to stay with us, here comes Longoria, here comes James Shields, here comes David Price. At the moment, absolutely it’s tough to swallow. At the same point allows you to play major league baseball stress-free with your hair down."
And that is the reality of what the Red Sox players will be dealing with in these final few games.
With it now likely Major League Baseball will order the 2021 Draft according to finish in the 2020 season, the Red Sox find themselves tantalizingly close to a Top 3 pick. Heading into Tuesday night the Sox are tied with Arizona for the third-worst overall record, sitting one game ahead of Texas and five in front of the worst team in MLB, Pittsburgh.
Listening to Gomes, there will be no question about the approach. It's how players are wired.
"I was never told to punch-out on purpose, and I don’t think it will ever happen in the game," he said. "These days with sabermetrics being what it is they could put out a lineup that odds are is going to lose. But at the same time that may be the only opportunity you ever get, so kick that door down. I’m firm believer that if you’re in the big leagues you’re good and you can compete against anybody. It falls a lot on the players.
"You always want to rely on the captain of the ship. When you’re in last-place it’s hard to find the captain. But there has to be a message. There has to be a direction. There has to be a goal. There has to be some sort of environment, even if it’s far away, for the homegrowns to buy into."
Even though the vision of Tampa Bay's new regime didn't result in wins until 2008 (thanks in part to Price's postseason heroics), it had taken root during those down days that just happened to pave the way for top-of-the-Draft real estate.
"When Friedman came in they said, ‘We want to win the A.L. East.’ I’m like, ‘Geez, these guys. I’ve been watching Jason Giambi knock the catwalk down for the last five years and we’re going to beat them?’ Sure enough," Gomes said.
"Let me sound bias here, we couldn’t have gotten there without David Price but I was drafted in the 18th round and I have two World Series rings and been to the playoffs six other times. Those guys matter, too. Fact. I played with the first overalls and I also played behind a (expletive) ton of first-rounders who didn’t get out of A ball."
So while the 2017 Giants wining there last game of the season cost them the first overall pick and current Tiger pitcher Casey Mize, the San Francisco players didn't look all that downtrodden when Pablo Sandoval hit that walk-off home run.
There will be plenty to care about for the Red Sox players this week. Draft order won't crack their list.