MLB Draft 2013: Ranking the 25 Greatest Draft Steals of the Last 25 Years

It’s far from the end of the world for the high school and college prospects who don’t hear their names called in the early rounds of the 2013 MLB draft.

Major League Baseball is filled with plenty of stars who were drafted in the first, second and third rounds of the draft, but it’s important to keep in mind that several players weren’t taken until the later rounds and turned out just fine.

Over the last couple of days, I’ve looked into the last 25 MLB drafts, seeking players that could be deemed a steal. While opinions can differ, I define a steal as a player who was drafted outside of the first 10 rounds who made a big impact once making it to the big leagues.

But who has been the biggest steal in the last 25 years? In order to rank the 25 players that you’ll find on the following slides, I mainly compared the round in which the player was drafted to his career production—or, in modern terms, WAR—while making some adjustments for those haven’t retired yet.

Which steal topped the list? Let’s take a look.

*All draft information in this article was obtained via Baseball-Reference. All statistics were obtained via FanGraphs unless otherwise noted. All injury information was obtained via Baseball Prospectus. All contract information was obtained via Cot’s Contracts.

25. Orlando Hudson: 43rd Round, 1997

The Toronto Blue Jays made Orlando Hudson pay when he decided not to sign after they took him in the 33rd round of the 1996 draft. A year later, Toronto decided to give Hudson another chance, but the team selected 10 him rounds later.

A career .273/.341/.412 hitter, Hudson played for six teams throughout his 11 years in the big leagues, taking the field most recently for the Chicago White Sox in 2012. He was a great defensive second baseman who had good speed, although he only had 10 or more steals three times in his career.

Hudson has yet to officially retire from Major League Baseball, but he doesn’t currently have a contract. He only hit .204/.261/.312 last year with Chicago and the San Diego Padres, which could have something to do with it. Either way, being forced to retire with a 22.3 WAR for a 43rd round pick isn’t bad at all.

24. Raul Ibanez: 36th Round, 1992

Raul Ibanez has been one of the most consistent players in the game since he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners back in 1992. He’s still going strong too, now in his 18th season in the big leagues and back with Seattle for his third stint.

Ibanez played for the Mariners from 1996 through 2000, then from 2004 through 2008 and he signed a one-year deal with Seattle this past winter. It’s safe to say that he enjoys playing at Safeco Field in front of the Seattle faithful. He’s hit 70 career big flies at Safeco in nearly 485 games there.

Going back to consistency, Ibanez hit at least .275 in each season from 2001 through 2008. He’s declined the last few seasons, but his power has stuck with him for the most part. He’s hit at least 15 home runs per season in each year since 2001, and he’s already hit nine through 34 games this year. For a 41-year-old, I’d say that’s good.

23. Travis Hafner: 31st Round, 1996

Apparently, the Texas Rangers felt that they’d be better off without Travis Hafner and with Einar Diaz and Ryan Drese. After taking Hafner in the 1996 draft, they shipped him to Cleveland after just 23 big league games with the team.

In retrospect, that probably wasn’t the best decision. Hafner went on to become one of the top left-handed sluggers in the game after a year of getting fully acclimated. He hit at least 28 home runs in each of his first three full seasons. Since, though, injuries have plagued the designated hitter’s career.

Since the 2007 season, Hafner has only played in at least 100 games once. After 10 seasons with the Indians, he signed with the New York Yankees this past offseason. He’s played well through the first chunk of the season, hitting eight home runs in 43 games.

22. Jason Bay: 22nd Round, 2000

Jason Bay had quite the path to the big leagues. He was drafted in 2000 by the then-Montreal Expos, was traded less than two years later and was then traded again a few months after.

He made his debut with the Padres in the middle of 2003. But after playing just three games with San Diego, Bay was traded again, this time to the Pirates.

Then, his career took off. Bay was an instant star in Pittsburgh, crushing pitch after pitch and making a name for himself. He had back-to-back 30-home run seasons in 2005 and 2006.

He continued to produce for the Pirates, but he was again traded.

Bay had a great season with the Red Sox in 2009, hitting a career-high 36 home runs in 151, but he was never the same after that year. He battled injury after injury and never lived up to the large contract he signed with the Mets. He’s trying to resurrect his career with Seattle this season.

21. Jose Bautista, 20th Round, 2000

Jose Bautista is one of the great stories in baseball. He was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2000, but three years later, the Pirates lost him to the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft. He was selected by Tampa Bay off waivers in 2004, purchased by Kansas City in 2004 and was then traded twice before returning to Pittsburgh.

That’s quite the circle. Even after Pittsburgh reacquired the outfielder, Bautista was never given the playing time he needed to really make his mark. Many who have followed him know that he could’ve been a star with the Pirates if they played him more often. Since they didn’t, they shipped him north of the border.

After a so-so year with the Blue Jays in 2009, Bautista emerged into a monster. He started crushing home runs, hitting 54 in 2010 and 43 in 2011. Last season, he only played in 92 games due to injury, but he still hit 27. He’s got 12 through 48 games this year. Maybe Pittsburgh will try to get him back again when he hits the open market.

20. Ted Lilly: 23rd Round, 1996

The Los Angeles Dodgers originally drafted Ted Lilly back 1996, but he didn’t throw a pitch for them until 2010. Needless to say, a lot happened between those years. Los Angeles dealt the lefty to Montreal a little more than two years after selecting him in the 23rd round.

Lilly made his major league debut with the Expos, but he was traded to the Yankees after just nine games with the team. He spent two-plus years in New York before the Bronx Bombers shipped him west to Oakland. About a year later, he was north of the border with the Blue Jays.

While Lilly was never great with Toronto, he got the job done and did what was asked of him. He signed with the Cubs after the 2006 season, won 47 games across four seasons with them and then was dealt at the 2010 trade deadline back to his first team, the Dodgers.

Lilly is 130-113 in 355 career games with a 4.13 ERA.

19. James Shields, 16th Round, 2000

The Rays couldn’t have asked for a better 16th-round pick than James Shields. He was one of their best pitchers after getting a full-time job in their starting rotation back in 2007. Shields and former teammate David Price were the perfect one-two punch for Tampa Bay, which ultimately helped turn the team around.

He won 87 games for the Rays across seven seasons while posting a 3.89 ERA. The right-hander’s best season came back in 2011, when he went 16-12 with a 2.82 ERA through 249.1 innings while tossing 11 complete games. That year, he made his first All-Star team and finished third in the AL Cy Young voting.

Even though Shields is no longer with Tampa Bay, drafting him back in 2000 is still paying dividends. The Rays dealt Shields to Kansas City over the winter as part of a multi-player deal. In return for Shields, Wade Davis and Elliot Johnson, the Rays acquired Wil Myers, one of the top prospects in all of baseball.

18. Ian Kinsler: 17th Round, 2003

A 17th-round pick back in 2003, Ian Kinsler has sure made a name for himself in the big leagues. He is now widely considered one of the top second basemen in the league. Kinsler has provided a consistent bat atop the Rangers’ lineup for several years and is one player that Texas never has to worry about.

He hit .286/.347/.454 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI in 120 games for the Rangers in his debut year, finishing seventh in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. That was quite the class, though, as Justin Verlander won the award that year, with Jonathan Papelbon, Jered Weaver and Nick Markakis, among others, getting votes.

Since 2006, Kinsler has hit at least 20 home runs three times and driven in at least 70 runs four times. He’s also made an impact on the basepaths, stealing 160 bases in 970 career games. This year, the three-time All-Star is hitting .302/.369/.500 with seven home runs and 20 RBI through 40 games. 

17. Placido Polanco: 19th Round, 1994

Placido Polanco turned out to be a great player, but I think that many don’t realize how good he’s been over the years. He was drafted nearly 20 years ago, is still in the league and is still a starter—albeit it’s with the Miami Marlins. With nearly 1,900 games of big league experience, he is still going strong.

The two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner is just a couple of points away from being a .300 hitter for his 16-year career.

Despite the fact that he has just over 100 home runs in his career, Polanco won a Silver Slugger back in 2007. But that was mainly because he hit .341/.388/.458 with 200 hits 105 runs.

Polanco is clearly near the end of his career, as he’s struggled to find full-time employment the last few years. He hasn’t played 135 games or more since 2009. Still, he has been an above-average infielder each and every season and will likely finish his time in the big leagues with a WAR of around 40, as he currently sits at 38.4.

16. Mike Lowell: 20th Round, 1995

The New York Yankees drafted Mike Lowell back in 1995, but before taking on any big league pitcher, he had a bigger battle on his hands. In February of the 1999 season, the Yankees traded Lowell to the Florida Marlins. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer while undergoing a physical shortly after getting dealt.

Lowell overcame the disease and made a return to the Marlins in late May of the same year. In 2000, he emerged as a star in the middle of their lineup, hitting 22 home runs and driving in 91 runs in 140 games. He was a constant threat for opponents, as he consistently hit more than 20 home runs and hit around .275.

The Marlins traded Lowell to the Boston Red Sox after the 2005 season, but the change of scenery didn’t matter to the third baseman. He was just as good with Boston, hitting at least 17 home runs in four of five seasons he spent with the team.

He retired after the 2010 season, playing 13 years and in 1,601 career games.

15. Mark Buehrle: 38th Round, 1998

Mark Buehrle was considered a long shot after getting drafted in the 38th round of the 1999 draft by the White Sox. Who in the organization would’ve thought he’d go on to play 12 seasons in the big leagues for them? Well, clearly at least one person thought it was a good idea to take a chance on him.

From 2000 through 2011, Buerhle was a workhorse for Chicago. He went 176-135 in 433 games while posting a 3.83 ERA. But what’s especially remarkable is that, outside of his debut year, Buehrle threw at least 200 innings in every season with the team. Not many pitchers have been able to do that.

Buehrle left the White Sox before the 2012 season, signing a contract with the Miami Marlins. He went 13-13 in 31 starts with a 3.74 ERA and was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays after just one season with the club. Buehrle has struggled so far with the Jays, but let’s not forget how great he once was with Chicago.

14. Jeff Cirillo: 11th Round, 1991

The Chicago Cubs drafted Jeff Cirillo in the 37th round back in 1987, but he decided not to sign. Taken four years later, Cirillo signed on the dotted line with the Brewers after they took him in the 11th round. Milwaukee got itself a solid third baseman for eight seasons. I’d say that’s pretty good return for an 11th-round selection.

From 1996 through 2001, Cirillo hit at least .300 in all but one season. He consistently hit around 14 home runs per year over that stretch as well and also scored 90 or more runs four times. The last two years of that spent were spent with the Rockies, though, as he was a part of a three-time deal in December of 1999.

After two years with Colorado, Cirillo was dealt to the Mariners and was never the same. Despite playing for six more seasons, he only hit .300 once and never hit more than six home runs in a season. Injuries certainly took a toll on the later years of his career, and he spent the last five years with four different teams.

13. Jake Peavy: 15th Round, 1999

After a couple of poor seasons with the Chicago White Sox, it’s fair that some fans may have forgotten about Jake Peavy. But what’s important to remember is that Peavy was once considered one of the top pitchers in baseball. He was dominant with the San Diego Padres, who were relevant when he was with the team.

In eight seasons with the Padres, Peavy went 92-68 with a 3.29 ERA through 212 starts. He only won more than 15 games in a season once, but that 2007 season should always be remembered. That year, he went 19-6 and led the league in ERA and strikeouts, winning the NL Cy Young.

But what’s sad is that Peavy has yet to come close to matching that memorable year. In five full seasons since, just one with San Diego, Peavy has only won 45 games. With Chicago, he’s 34-28 with a 3.91 ERA. He’s still making an impact with the White Sox, but he is nowhere near as good as he used to be earlier in his career.

12. Kevin Millwood: 11th Round, 1993

Kevin Millwood was never the type of pitcher that was going to drop your jaw during a start or anything like that, but he was quite the pitcher considering he was drafted in the 11th round back in 1993. It didn’t take very long for him to make his debut, coming up with the Braves in 1997 and going 5-3 with a 4.03 ERA in 12 starts.

Millwood would win 17 games the following season, but his ERA rose a tad to 4.08. Arguably his best year came in 1999, when he went 18-7 with a 2.68 ERA in 226 innings of work. That was the only year he made it to the All-Star Game, and he also received enough votes to finish third in the NL Cy Young race.

Millwood had a couple of solid seasons throughout the rest of his career, playing for a handful of teams. He retired during this past offseason after 16 years in the big leagues. He went 169-152 in 451 games (443 starts) with a 4.11 ERA in just over 2,700 career innings. 

11. Brian Giles: 17th Round, 1989

A two-time All-Star over the course of 15 years in the majors, Brian Giles was a lot better than people might remember. He finished his career hitting .291/.400/.502 with 287 home runs and 1,183 RBI. He spent most of his career with the Padres, but did the most damage with the Pirates, despite getting drafted by the Indians.

In five seasons with the Pirates between 1999 and 2003, Giles hit .308/426/.591 with 165 home runs and 506 RBI in 715 games. Over that stretch, he hit at least 30 home runs in four seasons and reached the 100 RBI plateau three times. He was eventually dealt to San Diego in the Jason Bay-to-Pittsburgh deal.

Giles spent seven years with the Padres and put together some solid years, but he never hit for as much power as he previously did. He played in more than 100 additional games with the Padres than Pirates, but had around half the number of home runs. Giles retired in 2010, a month after signing with the Dodgers.

10. Jorge Posada: 24th Round, 1990

Jorge Posada was about as loyal as they came. Either that, or he just loved playing for the Yankees. But who wouldn’t, considering he was on the team when it was nearly unbeatable year after year?

In actuality, he was a big reason why the Yankees were so successful. He was a staple in their lineup and a great defensive catcher.

A five-time All-Star, Posada was drafted by New York in the 24th round of the 1990 draft as a shortstop. Derek Jeter eventually took that role, but Posada found a great home behind the plate. For 17 seasons, he hit consistently, hit with some power and made it very difficult to lose his job.

In just over 1,800 career games, Posada hit .273/.374/.474 with 275 home runs, 1,065 RBI and 900 runs. He retired after the 2011 season, and now, we’ll wait and see if he gets the call from Cooperstown in a couple of years. He was a great catcher, but his numbers might not be good enough to get in.

9. Trevor Hoffman: 11th Round, 1989

The Trevor Hoffman story is a bit complicated. He was drafted by the Reds in the 11th round of the 1989 draft, but he was then drafted by the Marlins in the 1992 expansion draft. Little did either team know what kind of diamond in the rough they had on their hands.

But the Padres knew, trading for him in 1993.

For 16 years, Hoffman wore a Padres uniform, closing game after game. He appeared in 902 games for San Diego and finished his career there with 552 saves and a 2.67 ERA in 952.1 innings of work. He finished his career with two years in the Milwaukee.

Hoffman finished second in the NL Cy Young voting twice in his career, leading the league in saves twice as well. He had at least 30 saves in a season 14 times through his 18-year career. When he left the majors, he was the game’s all-time saves leader. His record has since been broken by Mariano Rivera, but he still has second place.

8. Roy Oswalt: 23rd Round, 1996

The Astros really stuck with their 23rd round pick from the 1997 draft. Roy Oswalt stayed with the organization through the 2010 season, pitching extremely well atop their starting rotation. He went 14-3 in his rookie campaign and then 19-9 in his sophomore season.

Oswalt would battle injuries the next season, but he still posted a 2.97 ERA across 21 starts. He bounced back the next year just fine, winning a league-leading 20 games. He would win another 20 again the next year. Unfortunately for him, he would never top 17 thereafter. But his success still continued.

Oswalt posted several low ERAs throughout the remainder of his career, which might now be over. He pitched for the Rangers last season, but he is currently without a contract. If he retires, his career will end with a 163-96 record, a 3.28 ERA and more than 1,800 strikeouts in 2,213 innings of work.

7. Mike Cameron: 18th Round, 1991

Mike Cameron played for eight different teams through his 17-year career in the big leagues, spending the most time with the White Sox and Mariners. If he ever hit for average, he would’ve been an even bigger star than he was. Instead, he was a solid outfielder with good speed and above-average power.

Cameron spent the first couple of years of his career with the team that took him in the 18th round of the 1991 draft, Chicago. He didn’t really play too well with the White Sox, though, and they traded him after the 1998 season. He was a part of the trade that sent Ken Griffey Jr. to the Reds two years later.

Cameron was in Seattle from 2000 through 2003. He hit 87 home runs over the course of a four-year stretch with 106 steals and 353 runs. He bounced around thereafter and ended his career in 2011 with the Marlins. Cameron had 297 home runs, 969 RBI and 1,700 hits in nearly 2,000 games.

6. Jeff Kent: 20th Round, 1989

Jeff Kent is arguably one of the best second basemen to ever take the field. If you knew that he was drafted in the 20th round, would that surprise you? It certainly surprises me. But it goes to show that some teams didn’t think Kent was a top prospect. However, he certainly got the last laugh.

Kent played 17 years in the big leagues, spending 10 of them in the NL West: six with the Giants and four with the Dodgers. He started in Toronto, but was quickly traded to the Mets, where he spent five seasons. He spent then 39 games with Cleveland before getting dealt to San Francisco. Next, he went to Houston and then finally to Los Angeles.

Kent was a rare talent in the sense that he had a lot of power for a second baseman—something that wasn’t the norm. He hit 20 or more long balls in 12 of his 17 seasons and finished with at least 100 RBI eight times. He won the NL MVP in 2000, was a five-time All-Star and was a four-time Silver Slugger. I think that says it all.

5. Kenny Lofton: 17th Round, 1988

When he was drafted in the 17th round 1988, I bet the Astros didn’t think that Kenny Lofton would play 17 years in the majors. But he only spent one with them and 10 of them with Cleveland. He also spent one year or less with nine other teams. That’s a lot of teams and a lot of moving around, to say the least.

Houston took Lofton originally, but the team traded him three years later to the Indians. From 1992 through 2001, Lofton manned the outfield for Cleveland—also playing a year in Atlanta in 1997—while hitting .303/.379/.428 with 92 home runs, 551 RBI and 1,401 runs. He also stole 477 bases.

Then the field trips started to happen, playing for team after team.

Lofton eventually made it back to Cleveland to close out his career in 2007, playing 52 games after getting dealt by the Rangers at the July deadline. He is a six-time All-Star and a four-time Gold Glove winner, and he finished his career just a point shy of hitting .300 for his career. 

4. Andy Pettitte: 22nd Round, 1990

For a 22nd-round pick, winning 249 games over 18 years isn’t bad, right? That’s about as far from bad as you can be. Andy Pettitte has been a staple in the Yankees’ starting rotation since they drafted in 1990. In just his second year with the club, he won a league-high 21 games. How’s that for an early impression?

From 1995 through 2003, Pettite went 149-78 with a 3.94 ERA for the Bronx Bombers. But he decided to take a deal with the Astros after the 2003 season and stayed in Houston for the three years. In Houston, he didn’t win as often, but he allowed fewer runs. In 84 games, he went 37-26 and posted a 3.38 ERA.

Pettitte returned to the Bronx in 2007 and picked up where he left off, winning 15 games that season. He continued to pitch for New York for the next few years, retiring after the 2010 season. After a short stint at home, Pettitte returned for the 2012 season. The last two years, he’s gone 9-7 with a 3.25 ERA in 20 starts.

3. Jim Thome: 13th Round, 1989

Drafted back in 1989, Jim Thome has now played 22 years in Major League Baseball. He’s one the best role models in baseball, a seasoned veteran who produced solid numbers for the bulk of his big league career. He was the heart and soul of the Cleveland Indians throughout the 1990s.

In 13 years with Cleveland, Thome hit .287/.414/.566 with 337 home runs and 937 RBI in 1,399 games. He’s played with the Phillies, White Sox, Twins, Dodgers and Orioles since then. To say he’s a MLB journeyman would be somewhat fair. Thome hasn’t played much the last few years, but he’s more of a leader than a hitter nowadays.

Still, don’t forget what Thome used to do at the plate. He hit 30 or more home runs in 12 seasons. He hit the 40-homer plateau six times and the 50-homer mark once.

A member of the 600-home run club, Thome will surely have his name enshrined in Cooperstown one day. That’s if he ever decides to hang up the cleats.

2. Mike Piazza: 62nd Round, 1988

If Mike Piazza was a draft-eligible prospect this year, he likely wouldn’t be taken at all. In 1988, the Los Angeles Dodgers took Piazza in the 62nd round of the draft. The draft today is only 40 rounds. Can you imagine if Piazza went undrafted? Plenty of players have gone undrafted and been fine, but I think you get the point.

Piazza was an instant star with the Dodgers, winning the NL Rookie of the Year in his first full season with the club. In six-plus seasons in Los Angeles, he hit .331/.394/.572 with 177 home runs in 726 games. The Dodgers traded him to the Marlins in May of 1998, but he was traded a week later to the Mets.

Piazza continued to shine in New York and was a hero for most of his career there. He hit .296/.373/.542 with 220 home runs and 655 RBI with the Mets. He’s one of the best catchers ever to play the game, and he was taken in the 62nd round.

Is he the best steal in the last 25 years, though? Close, but not exactly.

1. Albert Pujols: 13th Round, 1999

In retrospect, it would be interesting to see who the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays would’ve taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft knowing what they know now. Would they take Josh Hamilton, whom Tampa Bay took, or Albert Pujols, who didn’t come off the board until the 13th round?

Decisions, decisions.

While Josh Hamilton has had a great career, I think the team probably would’ve taken Pujols had it known what he was capable of.

In general, every team should be kicking itself for letting Pujols pass by it at least 12 times. And good job, St. Louis. If it weren’t for the Cardinals, who knows were he would’ve ended up.

I find it somewhat interesting that arguably the two best players that came out of the 1999 draft now play alongside each other in Los Angeles, but that’s just me.

A three-time MVP, a nine-time All-Star and likely a future Hall of Famer, there’s no question that Pujols is the greatest steal in the past 25 years—if not of all time.