Yes, that experiment kind of failed. Herb Washington was very fast but he wasn't ever a baseball player.
He played a little over a year before they gave up on the whole idea. However in 1974 he did help Oakland win a few games with his speed, he stole some bases and scored some runs.
He did get something that many Major league players want badly... A World Series Championship ring. Not bad for a guy who never hit, pitched or played a position in his life.