Notebook | Catcher Jeff Clement looks up to fellow 2005 draft picks in the majors

The first round of the 2005 draft is fast becoming the stuff of legend.

With the first overall pick, the Diamondbacks selected outfielder Justin Upton, who has become an integral member of a division-leading team.

The second pick was Alex Gordon, who is in his second season as the Royals' everyday third baseman.

The fourth pick was third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who averaged 100 runs batted in for the Nationals the past two seasons.

The fifth pick was third baseman Ryan Braun, who came up to the Brewers last May and wound up as the National League Rookie of the Year with a .324 average, 34 homers and 97 RBI.

The seventh pick was shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, narrowly beaten out by Braun for the rookie honor after leading the Rockies into the World Series with a .291 average, 24 homers and 99 RBI.

Now a new member of that class — the first high schooler from the 2005 draft to make it to the majors — has burst onto the scene in a big way. That would be Reds phenom Jay Bruce, the No. 12 overall pick in '05. And don't forget Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury at No. 23.

You may have noted one conspicuous absence in impact from the top five. That would be catcher Jeff Clement, the No. 3 overall pick by the Mariners.

While Clement has torn up the minors this year, and still has considerable potential, he was a disappointment this year in a brief stint with Seattle, hitting just .176 with 20 strikeouts in 48 at-bats.

Earlier this year, I asked Clement about how it felt to watch so many of his brethren from the '05 draft make their mark in the majors.

"I look at guys who are at that level — guys I played with and against — and I'm just amazed at the success they're having at the highest level," he said.

"They're not just there and playing, but they're there and some of the best players up there. It's pretty neat to know I was part of that draft class. I understand catchers usually take a little longer to develop than other positions. I look forward to the day I can be added to those guys at that level."

Sound familiar?

It didn't draw much attention, but Pokey Reese recently came out of retirement at age 34 to sign a minor-league deal with the Washington Nationals.

You might remember Reese as the person who held up the Ken Griffey Jr. trade in 1999 because Reds general manager Jim Bowden (now the Nats GM) refused to include him.

You might remember Reese as an important member of the 2004 Red Sox team that finally beat the curse, filling in at shortstop when Nomar Garciaparra was hurt, before the acquisition of Orlando Cabrera.

You probably remember Reese for his invisible stint on the 2005 Mariners, when he was signed to be the regular shortstop but never played an inning because of a shoulder injury.

You may vaguely remember that Reese went to camp in 2006 with the Florida Marlins, who also envisioned him as their shortstop. But he walked out of camp without an explanation during spring training and hadn't been heard from since.

At least not until Bowden, still enamored of Reese, apparently, signed him a couple of weeks ago and assigned him to the Class AAA Columbus Clippers.

I hadn't heard much about Reese since then, so I decided to call the Clippers on Friday to see whether he was still with the team. I reached a public relations person, who assured me that Reese was still on the squad.

The reason I hadn't heard much, he said, was because Reese went on the disabled list after playing just one game. He strained both hamstrings, the official said.

Notes and quotes

• When the Reds were in Philadelphia last week, Griffey spent a long time before one game chatting with an awe-struck Donovan McNabb. The NFL quarterback exchanged signed jerseys with Griffey.

"I'm a little kid and I'm framing it," McNabb told reporters. "He's something special. I was in awe and tried to hide it. He'll see it on video and I'll look pretty bad. It was a real honor."

McNabb said he could relate to Griffey's run of injuries.

"We all know how he started out in Seattle and when he first came over to Cincinnati. If he didn't get hurt, who knows what he could have been."

• Detroit's Jim Leyland had an apt comment on Tuesday's game, in which Tigers' pitchers issued 10 walks — two fewer than Oakland's pitchers.

"Twenty-two walks in a major-league game is a disgrace," Leyland said.