Steven Lynn Chilcott (born September 23, 1948) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

player. He played in

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

as a

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

from 1966 to 1972. Chilcott was chosen as the first overall selection in the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft, by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. He is one of three players to be drafted first overall in the Major League Baseball Draft and never play in the major leagues, along with Brien Taylor and Brady Aiken.

Early life

Born in Lancaster,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Chilcott attended Antelope Valley High School.

Athletic career

After graduating high school, Chilcott was chosen as the first overall pick by the

in the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft, one spot ahead of future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson. In 1967, during his second season in the minor leagues, he injured his shoulder while playing for the Winter Haven Mets in the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

. After reaching second base as a baserunner, he dove back toward the base when the pitcher tried to pick him off. As he dove back to the bag, he slammed into it with full force on his right arm, dislocating his shoulder and ending his season. Chilcott was plagued by injuries throughout the rest of his baseball career. The Mets released him in 1971, and he signed with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

. However, he was released after only playing 24 games in 1972, and his athletic career was over at age 24. Chilcott never played higher than Triple-A, and is one of only three retired number-one picks to have never appeared in a major league game.

Post-athletic career

Chilcott then began a career as a firefighter in the mid-1970s, working as a temporary in the Santa Barbara Fire Department. He later became a full-time contractor, constructing and remodeling homes.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chilcott, Steve 1948 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Winter Haven Mets players Fort Lauderdale Yankees players Visalia Mets players West Haven Yankees players Marion Mets players Auburn Mets players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Tidewater Tides players Memphis Blues players Winnipeg Whips players Baseball players from Lancaster, California Antelope Valley High School alumni