Rodriguez best all time among No. 1 picks
Shortstop edges Griffey in ranking top MLB picks
Of the 53 players selected No. 1 overall since baseball’s draft began in 1965,
46 (88%) have reached the majors, while three have not — catcher Steven Chilcott (1966), pitcher Brien Taylor
(1991) and pitcher Mark Appel (2013). Three are still in the minors.
So who are the best of the No. 1 picks? With the Tigers set to kick off the
40-round draft Monday, we rank the top 25 No. 1 overall selections.
1. SS Alex Rodriguez, Mariners,
1993 | WAR: 117.8
A-Rod, a three-time MVP and 14time All-Star, hit nearly 700 home runs over his 22-year career. However, his reputation was tainted by his link to performance-enhancing drugs, which could keep him out of the Hall of Fame.
2. OF Ken Griffey Jr., Mariners,
1987 | WAR: 83.8
After 22 seasons and 630 home runs, he was enshrined in the Hall in 2016.
3. 3B Chipper Jones, Braves, 1990 | WAR: 85.2
Helped lead the Braves to 13 consecutive division titles and a World Series title in 1995; slugged 468 homers and batted .303.
4. OF Bryce Harper, Nationals, 2010
| WAR: 27.3
Debuted at 19 and won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2012 and was named the 2015 National League MVP after hitting .330 with 42 homers. At 25, plenty more ahead of him.
5. OF Darryl Strawberry, Mets,
1980 | WAR: 42.2
The eight-time All-Star won a World Series championship with the Mets in
1986 and three with the Yankees in 1996,
1998 and 1999. Slugged 335 homers in a career sidetracked by drug abuse.
6. C-1B-DH Joe Mauer, Twins, 2001 | WAR: 54.9
Mauer is the only catcher to win three batting titles and the only one to do so in the American League.
7. 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Marlins,
2000 | WAR: 42.8
The five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glover has collected more than
2,000 hits and 300 homers.
8. OF-DH Harold Baines, White Sox, 1977 | WAR: 38.7
Known for his clutch at-bats, Baines is tied for seventh in AL history in grand slams (13) and batted over .300 eight times. Upon his retirement, he ranked seventh in AL history in games played
(2,830) and 10th in RBI (1,628).
9. LHP David Price, Devil Rays,
2007 | WAR: 34.6
A reliever on their 2008 World Series team just a year after he was drafted, Price won the 2012 AL Cy Young Award. Three years later, he signed a sevenyear, $217 million deal with the Red Sox, setting a record for the largest contract given to a pitcher.
10. OF Justin Upton, Diamondbacks, 2005 | WAR: 32.2
Upton was named USA TODAY’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2007. He made his major league debut in
2009. The four-time All-Star is approaching 300 homers.
11. OF Josh Hamilton, Devil Rays,
1999 | WAR: 28.3
The former top pick overcame drug addiction and alcoholism during his time in the Rays organization and became a five-time All-Star and the 2010 AL MVP for the Rangers.
12. OF Rick Monday, Athletics, 1965 | WAR: 33.1
The first draft pick in major league history, he’s perhaps best known for rescuing an American flag from two protesters who tried to burn it on the ground at Dodger Stadium in 1976. Monday played 19 seasons and hit 261 homers.
13. OF Darin Erstad, Angels, 1995 | WAR: 32.4
Erstad had a solid 14-year career mostly with the Angels. The career .282 hitter was an integral part of the 2002 club that won the World Series and produced a 240-hit season in 2000.
14. SS Carlos Correa, Astros, 2012 | WAR: 18.8
Still only 23, the 2015 AL Rookie of the Year helped lead the Astros to a World Series title in 2017. He has a 137 OPS-plus in 1,817 plate appearances.
15. RHP Stephen Strasburg, Nationals, 2009 | WAR: 26.0
Drafted a year before Harper, Strasburg signed for a record $15.1 million. He struck out 14 batters in his 2011 debut against the Pirates. While he’s battled injuries, Strasburg is a three-time AllStar with 90 wins and 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
16. OF-C B.J. Surhoff, Brewers, 1985 | WAR: 34.4
Surhoff played every position in the majors except pitcher over a solid 19year career, amassing 2,326 hits and 188 homers.
17. RHP Andy Benes, Padres, 1988 | WAR: 31.6
Benes won 10 or more games in 10 of his 14 big-league seasons. In 1998, he threw the first pitch in the history of the Diamondbacks franchise.
18. RHP Mike Moore, Mariners, 1981
| WAR: 28.2
Moore pitched 200-plus innings nine times over a 14-year career. The onetime All-Star tossed 79 complete games and won a World Series title with Oakland in 1989.
19. LHP Floyd Bannister, Astros,
1976 | WAR: 26.6
In a 15-year major league career, Bannister compiled a 134-143 record, with a
4.06 ERA in 431 games (363 starts).
20. RHP Gerrit Cole, Pirates, 2011 | WAR: 14.5
The UCLA star broke into the majors in 2013. In 2015, he was named to the NL All-Star team and finished with a 19-8 record and 2.60 ERA. After a trade to Houston, he is enjoying his finest season and on pace to win 16 games and strike out 313.
21. RHP Tim Belcher, Twins, 1983 | WAR: 26.1
Belcher pitched from 1987 to 2000 for seven teams. As a rookie in 1988, he won a World Series championship with the Dodgers. The following season, he finished sixth in NL Cy Young balloting after winning 15 games, eight of which were shutouts.
22. 3B Bob Horner, Braves, 1978 | WAR: 21.9
Horner never spent a day in the minor leagues in his career, went on to win Rookie of the Year in 1978 and is one of the few who went straight to the majors. He made an immediate impact and slugged a home run off future Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven of the Pirates. He slugged 218 homers in 10 seasons.
23. RHP Ben McDonald, Orioles,
1989 | WAR: 20.9
McDonald debuted with the Orioles three weeks after they signed him in August 1989, threw a shutout in his starting debut in 1990 but managed to start at least 30 games in only three of his nine seasons.
24. 3B Pat Burrell, Phillies, 1998 | WAR: 18.9
“Pat the Bat” was considered the best college player of the year when he was drafted. He went on win a World Series title with the Phillies in 2008 and one with the Giants in 2010 and hit 292 home runs.
25. OF Jeff Burroughs, Senators,
1969 | WAR: 17.8
A two-time All-Star, Burroughs was a slugging threat. From 1973 to 1978, he averaged 28 home runs a season, including a career-high 41 in 1977. His best season came in 1974, when he hit 25 homers and drove in 118 runs on his way to the AL MVP award.