2013 MLB Draft Results: Where Mark Appel, Jonathan Gray and More Top Stars Went

For several burgeoning baseball prospects, Thursday's MLB draft marked the next step in their journey to superstardom. 

The MLB draft is unique in how long it takes for many top picks to make an impact for their new team, but this is still a crucial day for every organization. 

Let's take a look at where the top stars landed. 

2013 MLB Draft: Complete First Round

Note: You can find a complete look at the full draft results here at MLB.com

Pick	Team	Player	Position	School
1	Houston Astros	Mark Appel	RHP	Stanford
2	Chicago Cubs	Kris Bryant	3B/OF	San Diego
3	Colorado Rockies	Jonathan Gray	RHP	Oklahoma
4	Minnesota Twins	Kohl Stewart	RHP	St. Pius X HS (Houston, Texas)
5	Cleveland Indians	Clint Frazier	OF	Loganville HS (Georgia)
6	Miami Marlins	Colin Moran	3B	North Carolina
7	Boston Red Sox	Trey Ball	LHP	New Castle HS (Indiana)
8	Kansas City Royals	Hunter Dozier	SS	Stephen F. Austin State
9	Pittsburgh Pirates	Austin Meadows	OF	Grayson HS (Loganville, Ga)
10	Toronto Blue Jays	Phil Bickford	RHP	Oaks Christian HS (Westlake Village, Calif)
11	New York Mets	Dominic Smith	1B/OF	Serra HS (Gardena, Calif)
12	Seattle Mariners	D.J. Peterson	3B	New Mexico
13	San Diego Padres	Hunter Renfroe	OF	Mississippi State
14	Pittsburgh Pirates	Reese McGuire	C	Kentwood HS (Covington, Wash)
15	Arizona Diamondbacks	Braden Shipley	RHP	Nevada
16	Philadelphia Phillies	J.P. Crawford	SS	Lakewood HS (Calif)
17	Chicago White Sox	Tim Anderson	SS	East Central CC (Miss.)
18	Los Angeles Dodgers	Chris Anderson	RHP	Jacksonville
19	St. Louis Cardinals	Marco Gonzales	LHP	Gonzaga
20	Detroit Tigers	Jonathon Crawford	RHP	Florida
21	Tampa Bay Rays	Nick Ciuffo	C	Lexington HS (S.C.)
22	Baltimore Orioles	Hunter Harvey	RHP	Bandys HS (Catawba, N.C.)
23	Texas Rangers	Alex Gonazlez	RHP	Oral Roberts
24	Oakland Athletics	Billy McKinney	OF	Plano West HS (Texas)
25	San Francisco Giants	Christian Arroyo	SS	Hernando HS (Brooksville, Fla.)
26	New York Yankees	Eric Jagielo	3B	Notre Dame
27	Cincinnati Reds	Phillip Ervin	OF	Samford
28	St. Louis Cardinals	Rob Kaminsky	LHP	St. Joseph Regional HS (Montvale, N.J.
29	Tampa Bay Rays	Ryne Stanek	RHP	Arkansas
30	Texas Rangers	Travis Demerritte	3B	Winder-Barrow HS (Winder, Ga.)
31	Atlanta Braves	Jason Hursh	RHP	Oklahoma State
32	New York Yankees	Aaron Judge	OF	Fresno State
33	New York Yankees	Ian Clarkin	LHP	Madison HS (San Diego)

Mark Appel: Houston Astros (No. 1)

The third time's the charm for Mark Appel. 

After being drafted out of high school to the Detroit Tigers in the 15th round of the 2009 draft, he instead opted to attend Stanford. 

He then entered the draft again after his junior season with the Cardinal, but when he surprisingly dropped to the No. 8, he elected to return to school.

Well, it worked out:

Appel improved his ERA to 2.12 in 2012-13, struck out 130 batters in 106.1 innings and is now in line for a massive payday as the No. 1 pick. 

Appel has a tremendous combination of elite command and "stuff," and he should make an incredibly fast leap to the majors (although maybe not this fast) to help the Astros, who are currently last in MLB in ERA.

Kris Bryant: Chicago Cubs (No. 2)

Say hello to the draft's best power hitter. 

As a junior with the University of San Diego, Bryant hit a staggering 31 homers. That wasn't just 10 more than any other individual in Division I, but it was more than almost every team. 

He has a spectacular blend of size, strength, bat speed and raw, elite power—and he should soon be displaying those gaudy tools in the majors for the Cubs.

Jonathan Gray: Colorado Rockies (No. 3)

Many believed that Jonathan Gray was going to be selected No. 1 overall—even after his recent positive test for Adderall—but I'm guessing the Colorado Rockies don't really mind that he slipped to third. 

Gray compiled a dominant 1.59 ERA in 119.0 innings for Oklahoma this season. He struck out 138 and walked just 22, showcasing a fastball that can touch 100 to go with a plus slider. 

As a big, physical right-hander, his future is extremely bright.