Sports Phenoms Who Never Lived Up to the Hype

SI.com

When the Reds called up outfielder Jay Bruce this week, baseball fans watched with baited [bated] breath and internet message boards started buzzing. Would he handle the pressure and make it in the big leagues? Would he wobble and flirt with disaster only to rebound spectacularly (like SI coverboy Josh Hamilton)? Or would Bruce, like so many other sports phenoms from the past, bottom out, never to be heard from again? Here are my top five most memorable sports phenoms who never lived up to the hype.

1. Brien Taylor: Selected by the Yankees as the first overall pick in MLB's 1991 draft, Taylor squeezed a then-record $1.55 million signing bonus out of the Yanks. Two years later, this hard-throwing lefty tore up his shoulder in a street fight and effectively ended his career without ever making The Show.

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