MLB players who have came out of nowhere?

[Yoda]

I tend to think that if you are a highly regarded prospect like Ankiel and Hanley, etc then you didn't exactly come out of nowhere. Yes they exceeded expectations but it isn't like no one expected them to be career minor leaguers with a very little shot at reaching the majors either.

[mweir145]

Jeff Kent, a probable hall of famer, was taken by the Blue Jays in the 20th round in 1989.

[WyldStallyn]

tom brady was drafted in the 18th round by the expos in '95 as a catcher
he wouldve 'come out of nowhere' had he signed

[MasterX1918]

I might be getting a little too present but Robinson Cano was never really a top prospect and never put up numbers in the minors that would suggest he'd hit 19 homers at the major league level. David Ortiz has always had power potential but he definitely came out of nowhere when he first joined the Red Sox.

[acsguitar]

Cole Hamels;

He wasn't born he just appeared in a puff of smoke

[MasterX1918]

Cole Hamels;

He wasn't born he just appeared in a puff of smoke

I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not but Cole Hamels has always been a highly touted prospect.

[tmlfan4ever]

Roy Halladay had to go all the way back to single-A to re-work his mechanics and came back in Cy-Young form and is now one of the toughest pitchers in the AL.

[raiders_umpire]

Micah Owings...
Who knew he could hit as good as he could pitch?

Owings has always been able to hit. He is 4th(I think without looking it up) for home runs hit in high school.

[Nerfherders]

Rafael Furcal came straight from A-ball to win the SS job in Atlanta and never looked back.

Brandon Webb wasn't a hot prospect when he was called up mid-season in 2003.

Eric Gagne languished for years as a below average starting pitcher until he was converted to a reliever.

Santana is probably the poster-boy for coming out of nowhere.

[deerayfan072]

James Shields.

The guy was never touted by anyone and was always over looked because of the other pitching talent around him.