Every Team's Best MLB Draft Pick Outside the First Round
Superstars such as Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez, Bryce Harper and Paul Skenes were all the No. 1 overall pick in their respective draft classes, and a long list of future Hall of Famers joined them as first-round selections.
However, there have also been plenty of all-time greats selected outside the first round, including franchise icons like Cal Ripken Jr., George Brett, Rickey Henderson, Albert Pujols and Johnny Bench.
Zeroing in on that second category of players, we've highlighted each MLB team's best all-time draft pick outside of the first round, focusing specifically on what players accomplished for the team that drafted them.
That last point is an important one, and explains why you won't see names like Nolan Ryan (12th round pick by NYM), John Smoltz (22nd round pick by DET), Jeff Bagwell (fourth round pick by BOS), Ozzie Smith (fourth round pick by SD) and others who went on to star elsewhere included in this article.
AL East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: SS Cal Ripken Jr.
1978 draftโ2nd round, No. 48 overall
Every team passed on one of baseball's all-time great shortstops during the 1978 draft, with the first-round selections headlined by Kirk Gibson (Tigers), Lloyd Moseby (Blue Jays) and Tom Brunansky (Angels). By 1982, Ripken was AL Rookie of the Year, and the following season he won his first of two AL MVP awards while leading the O's to a World Series title.
Boston Red Sox: 3B Wade Boggs
1976 draftโ7th round, No. 166 overall
Boggs won four straight AL batting titles and five in a span of six years during his time with the Red Sox, hitting .338/.428/.462 over 7,323 plate appearances before jumping ship and joining the rival Yankees. That's enough to give him the edge over Mookie Betts (2011, fifth round), Jon Lester (2002, second round), Dustin Pedroia (2004, second round) and others.
New York Yankees: SP Andy Pettitte
1990 draftโ22nd round, No. 594 overall
The Yankees uncovered a pair of late-round gems in the 1990 draft, selecting Pettitte (22nd round) two rounds before they took catcher Jorge Posada (24th round). Both players served as part of the "Core Four" alongside Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, with Pettitte making 40 starts and tossing 251.1 innings in the playoffs while wearing a Yankees uniform.
Tampa Bay Rays: OF Carl Crawford
1999 draftโ2nd round, No. 52 overall
Outside of Evan Longoria and David Price, who were both first-round selections, Crawford has a solid claim to the title of greatest player in Rays franchise history. The speedy outfielder made four All-Star appearances and tallied 35.6 WAR over nine seasons in Tampa Bay, also leading the league in steals four different times.
Toronto Blue Jays: SP Dave Stieb
1978 draftโ5th round, No. 106 overall
Stieb is the Blue Jays all-time leader in wins (175), strikeouts (1,658), innings pitched (2,873.0) and pitching WAR (56.9), and he was one of the best pitchers of the 1980s. First baseman John Olerud (1989, third round) is also a solid candidate, though a decent chunk of his career production came with the Mets and Mariners.
AL Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: SP Mark Buehrle
1998 draftโ38th round, No. 1,139 overall
Buehrle rattled off 11 straight seasons with at least 30 starts and 200 innings pitched for the White Sox. He tossed a no-hitter and perfect game along the way while helping lead the South Siders to a World Series title in 2005, and aside from CC Sabathia (1-20) he outpitched every single one of the more than 500 pitchers taken ahead of him.
Cleveland Guardians: 1B Jim Thome
1989 draftโ13th round, No. 333 overall
Only seven players in MLB history have hit more home runs than the 612 long balls that Thome launched over his 22-year career, and 337 of those came during his time in Cleveland. His teammate on those vaunted mid-90s teams, Albert Belle, is also worthy of a mention here as a second-round pick in 1987.
Detroit Tigers: SS Alan Trammell
1976 draftโ2nd round, No. 26 overall
The Tigers took Lou Whitaker (1975, fifth round) and Trammell in back-to-back years, also selecting Hall of Fame pitcher Jack Morris (1976, fifth round) as part of Trammell's draft class. Anyone from that trio would be a worthy selection, and they formed the core of Detroit's 1984 World Series winner.
Kansas City Royals: 3B George Brett
1971 draftโ2nd round, No. 29 overall
There may be no player who is more unequivocally the greatest in his franchise's history than Brett in Kansas City. The 28 players taken ahead of him in 1971 include Hall of Famer Jim Rice (Red Sox) and three-time All-Star Frank Tanana (Angels), while the Royals whiffed on No. 5 overall pick Roy Branch.
Minnesota Twins: SP Bert Blyleven
1960 draftโ3rd round, No. 55 overall
Blyleven earned his long-overdue induction into the Hall of Fame in 2011, needing 14 years on the ballot to finally cross the 75 percent threshold. His 3,701 strikeouts rank fifth on the all-time list, and he spent 11 seasons with the Twins, tallying 49.1 of his 96.1 career WAR. That's enough to earn him the nod over Kent Hrbek (1978, 17th round) and Brad Radke (1991, eighth round).
AL West
3 of 6
Athletics: OF Rickey Henderson
1976 draftโ4th round, No. 96 overall
The 95 players taken ahead of Henderson in the 1976 draft averaged 2.9 career WAR, and only Alan Trammell (70.7), Bruce Hurst (34.1), Floyd Bannister (26.4), Mike Scioscia (26.1) and Mike Scott (22.7) eclipsed the 20-WAR mark. Henderson piled up 111.2 WAR over his 25 seasons, 72.7 of which came as a member of the Athletics.
Houston Astros: SP Roy Oswalt
1996 draftโ23rd round, No. 684 overall
Oswalt is the only player ever drafted out of Holmes Community College in Ridgeland, Mississippi. There were 348 pitchers taken ahead of him in the 1996 draft class, and his 50.0 career WAR outpaces every single one of them, with 45.7 of that coming over the first 10 years of his career while playing for the Astros.
Los Angeles Angels: OF Tim Salmon
1989 draftโ3rd round, No. 69 overall
The Angels uncovered Jim Edmonds (1988 draft, seventh round) and Salmon in consecutive draft classes, and while Edmonds went on to have the better overall career, Salmon gets the nod for his Angels achievements. He spent his entire 14-year career with the organization, posting a 128 OPS+ with 299 home runs and 1,016 RBI.
Seattle Mariners: 3B Kyle Seager
2009 draftโ3rd round, No. 82 overall
Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez were both No. 1 overall picks, Randy Johnson was drafted by the Expos and both Edgar Martรญnez and Fรฉlix Hernรกndez were signed as international free agents. This spot might one day belong to Cal Raleigh (2018, second round), but for now Seager gets the nod on the strength of his 37.0 WAR and reliable production at the hot corner.
Texas Rangers: 2B Ian Kinsler
2003 draftโ17th round, No. 496 overall
If there is such a thing as an under-the-radar 50-WAR career, Kinsler had it, laying the foundation with 35.0 WAR and a pair of 30/30 campaigns during his eight seasons with the Rangers. Left-hander Kenny Rogers (1982, 39th round) also deserves a mention as one of the best late-round pitching steals of all-time.
NL East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: SP Tom Glavine
1984 draftโ2nd round, No. 47 overall
While Greg Maddux (Cubs) and John Smoltz (Tigers) were both drafted by other organizations, Glavine was a homegrown ace who emerged from the second round of the 1984 draft. First baseman Freddie Freeman (2007 draft, second round) would have had a real shot at unseating him if he had stuck around, but he is now five years into his Dodgers career.
Miami Marlins: OF Giancarlo Stanton
2007 draftโ2nd round, No. 76 overall
Stanton sits atop the Marlins franchise leaderboard in home runs (267), RBI (672) and position player WAR (35.9), and he is also the only Marlins player ever to win MVP honors. Catcher J.T. Realmuto (2010 draft, third round) is a distant second, as Stanton was one of the easiest choices of any team.
New York Mets: SP Jacob deGrom
2010 draftโ9th round, No. 272 overall
Nolan Ryan (1965 draft, 12th round) would be the slam-dunk answer for the Mets if we were simply basing this on overall career body of work, but just 3.0 of his 83.6 career WAR came during his five seasons in a Mets uniform. Tom Seaver, Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden and David Wright were all first-round picks, leaving deGrom and his elite peak as the clear pick.
Philadelphia Phillies: 3B Mike Schmidt
1971 draftโ2nd round, No. 30 overall
If the 1971 draft is giving some deja vu, it's because the aforementioned George Brett was taken No. 29 overall by the Royals, one pick ahead of Schmidt in what are almost certainly the best back-to-back selections in MLB draft history. Scott Rolen (1993 draft, second round) and Jimmy Rollins (1996 draft, second round) deserve a shoutout, but Schmidt is a no-brainer.
Washington Nationals: C Gary Carter
1972 draftโ3rd round, No. 53 overall
Carter is the choice here due to his status as one of the greatest all-around catchers in MLB history, but Andre Dawson (1975 draft, 11th round) and Tim Raines (1977 draft, fifth round) are legends in their own right who had to wait to hear their name called on draft day. As for a Nationals-specific pick, Jordan Zimmermann (2007 draft, second round) is the best of the bunch.
NL Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: 1B Mark Grace
1985 draftโ24th round, No. 622 overall
Unlike Nolan Ryan who clearly made the bulk of his career impact after leaving the team that drafted him, Greg Maddux (1984 draft, second round) won a Cy Young Award during his initial run with the Cubs before joining the Braves in free agency. Still, with 2,201 hits, three All-Star selections and four Gold Gloves, Grace ultimately made the bigger impact in a Cubs uniform. He also holds the notable distinction of leading all players in hits during the 1990s.
Cincinnati Reds: C Johnny Bench
1965 draftโ2nd round, No. 36 overall
Seven different teams selected a catcher in the 1965 draft before the Reds chose the greatest all-around backstop in MLB history with the No. 36 overall pick. Bench made his MLB debut two years later at the age of 19, and the following season he made his first of 13 straight All-Star appearances. Joey Votto (2002 draft, second round) would have been the choice for a lot of other teams.
Milwaukee Brewers: SP Corbin Burnes
2016 draftโ4th round, No. 111 overall
With his 2021 NL Cy Young win and three other top-10 finishes in the balloting, Burnes clears a thin group of Brewers candidates by a sizable margin. Catcher Jonathan Lucroy (2007 draft, third round), third baseman Jeff Cirillo (1991 draft, 11th round) and starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo (2004 draft, second round) were the most notable alternatives.
Pittsburgh Pirates: OF Dave Parker
1970 draftโ14th round, No. 332 overall
Parker tallied four All-Star selections, two batting titles and one NL MVP award during his 11 seasons in Pittsburgh, and that ultimately served as the foundation for a Hall of Fame career. He was also a key cog on the 1979 World Series champions, going 10-for-29 with three doubles and four RBI in the Fall Classic.
St. Louis Cardinals: 1B Albert Pujols
1999 draftโ13th round, No. 402 overall
Arguably the greatest right-handed hitter in baseball history, Pujols had eight straight seasons with at least 7 WAR during his peak with the Cardinals, winning three NL MVP awards during that span. The fact that he was plucked from the JUCO ranks in the 1999 draft with 401 players selected before him is still almost impossible to believe.
NL West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: 1B Paul Goldschmidt
2009 draftโ8th round, No. 246 overall
Goldschmidt lasted all the way until the eighth round of the 2009 draft, due in large part to the high bust rate of right-handed hitting first basemen. With 39.9 WAR and a pair of runner-up NL MVP finishes during his time in the desert, he ranks alongside Luis Gonzalez as the greatest hitters in franchise history.
Colorado Rockies: 3B Nolan Arenado
2009 draftโ2nd round, No. 59 overall
Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki were both first-round picks, while Larry Walker was drafted by the Expos, leaving Arenado as a fairly easy choice for the Rockies. He won eight straight Gold Glove awards during his time with the team while averaging 35 home runs and 114 RBI per 162 games. Shoutout to fan favorite Charlie Blackmon (2008 draft, second round) as a deserving honorable mention.
Los Angeles Dodgers: C Mike Piazza
1988 draftโ62nd round, No. 1,390 overall
Piazza is the greatest late-round draft steal in MLB history, and while much of his career body of work came in a Mets uniform, he still did enough during his time with the Dodgers to narrowly edge out Orel Hershiser (1979 draft, 17th round). He had one of the best rookie seasons in MLB history in 1993, and hit a staggering .331/.394/.572 for a 160 OPS+ over seven seasons with the Dodgers.
San Diego Padres: OF Tony Gwynn
1981 draftโ3rd round, No. 58 overall
The Padres found a productive hitter in Kevin McReynolds with the No. 6 overall pick in the 1981 draft, then two rounds later they drafted the greatest player in franchise history and one of the best pure hitters of all-time. Gwynn played his entire 20-year career with the Padres, piling up 3,141 hits, eight batting titles and a .338 career average.
San Francisco Giants: SS Brandon Crawford
2008 draftโ4th round, No. 117 overall
The same year they selected franchise icon Buster Posey with the No. 5 overall pick, the Giants also found their future shortstop when Crawford was taken in the fourth round out of UCLA. Over 13 seasons in San Francisco, he won four Gold Gloves, made three All-Star appearances and tallied 29.7 WAR.
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