The MLB has used the draft system since 1965, and in that time it has had a huge impact on the shape of the league. The Athletics got the first number one pick of all time, using it to snag Arizona State’s Rick Monday. Monday ended up having an amazing career, but is that true of all number one draft picks? Let’s look at the twenty best draft picks in MLB history.
David Price
The Rays scooped up David Price from Vanderbilt in the first pick of the 2007 draft. The lefty pitcher brought uncommonly good stuff to bear during an unbelievable Tampa Bay World Series run in his first major league season. He had a very illustrious career, including 157 wins and a Cy Young Award in 2012. Oh, and he got a World Series ring with the Red Sox.
Cal Ripken Jr.
Cal Ripken Jr was chosen 48th overall in the 1978 draft by the Orioles. He would go on to have a legendary career, eventually eclipsing the once-unthinkable consecutive games played record held by Lou Gehrig. Not bad for a guy who came in with few expectations!
Adrian Gonzales
The Marlins had a weird reason for going with first baseman Adrian Gonzales in 2000. They chose him as their first pick out of the draft due to his agreement to a $3 million bonus when many teams were anxious about bloated payrolls. Gonzales didn’t end up finding his rhythm until he got to the Padres in 2006, where he finally broke loose and ended up with four Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers across his long career.
Roy Halladay
The Blue Jays got Roy Halladay 17th in the 1995 draft, which ended up being a pretty smart move. Halladay went to the All-Star Game eight times, threw one of the MLB’s very few no-hitters against the Reds in a playoff game, and won a Cy Young award in the NL and AL. You can rest assured he’s a Hall of Famer.
Darryl Strawberry
The Mets drafted Darryl Strawberry as the first pick of the 1980 draft in a period of extreme mediocrity for the club. For seven years straight, the Mets finished in the bottom two teams of the six-team NL East. Strawberry helped turn that around when he finally got to the big leagues in 1983, and he eventually put up eight seasons of dominant play—including three World Series wins.
Evan Longoria
The Rays drafted Evan Longoria third overall in 2006, and they were quickly rewarded for their accurate scouting of his abilities. In 2008, he was on the Tampa Bay team along with David Price that helped catapult the club to an unlikely World Series appearance. Most recently, he signed with the Diamondbacks as a free agent in 2023.
Carlos Correa
The Houston Astros picked Correa first in the 2012 draft after concerns about then-new bonus pool rules that put a cap on how much a team could spend during the draft. While Correa’s 2023 season was abysmal, he was on track to become a Hall of Fame contender before that. He’s put himself back together recently, posting above a .300 batting average in 2024.
Derek Jeter
Many Yankees fans were a bit perplexed when the team drafted Derek Jeter sixth overall in 1992. The high schooler looked good on paper, but the first five teams to draft had chosen college players who were more defined. The Yankees bet paid off, of course, because you know exactly who Derek Jeter is and what he did with his illustrious career. You know, just winning five World Series.
Gerrit Cole
The 2011 draft was famously loaded with top-tier talent. Gerrit Cole commanded a then-record $8 million as the first pick of the Pirates that year, and he went on to push them to the playoffs the first three years he played in the Big Show, from 2013 to 2015. With the Astros and then Yankees, he’s found tons of success, including winning a Cy Young award in 2023.
Justin Verlander
You hear a lot about draft first picks, but what about second picks? Justin Verlander was picked second overall by the Tigers in 2004 and made his debut in 2006. He won a Rookie of the Year award and went on to win three Cy Young awards and an MVP that came while he was still with the Tigers in 2011. In both 2017 and 2022, he earned World Series wins with the Astros.
Joe Mauer
Catcher Joe Mauer was the Twins’ first pick of the 2001 draft. The Twins actually bypassed Mark Prior and Mark Teixeira, two very sought-after players, to sign Mauer first. Notably, Mauer outperformed both of them and won the AL MVP in 2009 as part of his uncommonly great career.
Mike Trout
The 2009 draft was initially seen as “the Stephen Strasburg show,” but the Angels were actually the winners because they drafted Mike Trout 25th overall. Trout will probably be a Hall of Fame inductee in his own lifetime, as he’s been to 10 All-Star games and won nine Silver Slugger awards. He’s really, really good at baseball is what I’m saying.
Bryce Harper
Love him or hate him, Bryce Harper puts up the numbers. He was the first pick in the 2010 draft and went to the Nationals after seeing him get 31 home runs at the junior college level. Naturally, when he made his debut in 2012, he got an All-Star nod and became rookie of the year.
Giancarlo Stanton
Here’s a weird piece of trivia for you: Giancarlo Stanton was drafted 76th overall in the 2007 draft. The Marlins altered his career trajectory, as he was slated to play football in college as a wide receiver. Stanton played eight incredible seasons with Miami, setting Marlins records for slugging percentage, home runs, and RBIs. Oh, and he won an MVP award in 2017. It’s probably for the best he didn’t go play football.
Ken Griffey Jr.
The Mariners made a wise choice when they got Ken Griffey Jr. first thing in the 1987 draft. Simply put, the Mariners might not even still be in Seattle were it not for Griffey. He was an All Star and Gold Glove recipient in every season from 1989 to 1999 and received the MVP nod in 1997. He’s notably also the seventh all-time home run hitter.
Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols got drafted four hundred and second overall in 1999. Can you believe that? In 2001, he won the Rookie of the Year award. He won the MVP nod three times, went to the All-Star Game 11 times, and won two World Series. Oh, and he just played 22 seasons, no big deal. The man is a living legend and was picked after 401 other players.
Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds was picked sixth overall in the 1985 draft by the Pirates. Notably, the 1985 draft was loaded with talented players and Bonds went on to become the league’s overall leader in career home runs. Notably, he had a scandal with performance enhancing drugs that muddies his spot on the list, but the numbers are there.
Alex Rodriguez
A-Rod is widely regarded as one of the best draft picks in baseball history. The Mariners picked him first in 1993, and he went on to have a legendary career. There’s a bit of an asterisk here: A-Rod used performance enhancing drugs during his career, which has kept him out of the hall of fame and does complicate his legacy in the sport.
Read More: Greatest Home Run Hitters in MLB History
Greg Maddox
The Cubs chose Greg Maddox 31st overall in the 1984 draft, and they were smart to do so. He won four straight Cy Young awards in the National League and won a career total of 355 games with 3,371 strikeouts. There’s good, and then there’s Greg Maddox.
Read More: 10 Rising Stars in the MLB to Keep an Eye On
Chipper Jones
Some Braves fans might argue that Chipper Jones is the single greatest draft pick in the history of the MLB. Weirdly, the Braves wanted to go with Todd Van Poppel, but he wanted to go to college in Texas and didn’t come to an agreement. Jones was picked first by the Braves in the 1990 draft and would go on to become the NL MVP in 1999 and reached the All-Star Game eight times.
Read More: The 10 Best NBA Draft Picks Ever
