List of first overall picks in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft

From BR Bullpen

Year Player Team Position School Hometown Notes
1965 Rick Monday Kansas City Athletics OF Arizona State University Batesville, AR
1966 Steve Chilcott New York Mets C Antelope Valley High School Lancaster, CA
1967 Ron Blomberg New York Yankees 1B Druid Hills High School Atlanta, GA
1968 Tim Foli New York Mets SS Notre Dame High School Canoga Park, CA
1969 Jeff Burroughs Washington Senators OF Wilson High School (Long Beach) Long Beach, CA
1970 Mike Ivie San Diego Padres C Walker High School Decatur, GA
1971 Danny Goodwin Chicago White Sox OF Peoria Central High School Peoria, IL Did Not Sign
1972 Dave Roberts San Diego Padres 3B University of Oregon Lebanon, OR
1973 David Clyde Texas Rangers P Westchester High School Houston, TX Straight to the Majors
1974 Bill Almon San Diego Padres SS Brown University Providence, RI
1975 Danny Goodwin California Angels C Southern University St. Louis, MO
1976 Floyd Bannister Houston Astros P Arizona State University Pierre, SD
1977 Harold Baines Chicago White Sox OF St. Michaels High School St. Michaels, MD
1978 Bob Horner Atlanta Braves 1B Arizona State University Junction City, KS Straight to the Majors
1979 Al Chambers Seattle Mariners OF John Harris High School Harrisburg, PA
1980 Darryl Strawberry New York Mets OF Crenshaw High School Los Angeles, CA
1981 Mike Moore Seattle Mariners P Oral Roberts University Eakly, OK
1982 Shawon Dunston Chicago Cubs SS Thomas Jefferson High School Brooklyn, NY
1983 Tim Belcher Minnesota Twins P Mount Vernon Nazarene College Mount Gilead, OH Did Not Sign
1984 Shawn Abner New York Mets OF Mechanicsburg Area High School Mechanicsburg, PA
1985 B.J. Surhoff Milwaukee Brewers C University of North Carolina Bronx, NY
1986 Jeff King Pittsburgh Pirates 3B University of Arkansas Marion, IN
1987 Ken Griffey, Jr Seattle Mariners OF Moeller High School Cincinnati, OH
1988 Andy Benes San Diego Padres P University of Evansville Evansville, IN
1989 Ben McDonald Baltimore Orioles P Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA
1990 Chipper Jones Atlanta Braves 3B Bolles School Pierson, FL
1991 Brien Taylor New York Yankees P East Carteret High School Beaufort, NC
1992 Phil Nevin Houston Astros 3B California State-Fullerton Fullerton, CA
1993 Alex Rodriguez Seattle Mariners SS Westminster Christian High School Miami, FL
1994 Paul Wilson New York Mets P Florida State University Orlando, FL
1995 Darin Erstad California Angels OF University of Nebraska Jamestown, ND
1996 Kris Benson Pittsburgh Pirates P Clemson University Superior, WI
1997 Matt Anderson Detroit Tigers P Rice University Louisville, KY
1998 Pat Burrell Philadelphia Phillies OF University of Miami Eureka Springs, AR
1999 Josh Hamilton Tampa Bay Devil Rays OF Athens Drive High School Raleigh, NC
2000 Adrian Gonzalez Florida Marlins 1B Eastlake High School (Chula Vista) Chula Vista, CA
2001 Joe Mauer Minnesota Twins C Cretin-Derham Hall High School St. Paul, MN
2002 Bryan Bullington Pittsburgh Pirates P Ball State University Indianapolis, IN
2003 Delmon Young Tampa Bay Devil Rays OF Camarillo High School Camarillo, CA
2004 Matt Bush San Diego Padres SS Mission Bay High School San Diego, CA
2005 Justin Upton Arizona Diamondbacks SS Great Bridge High School Chesapeake, VA
2006 Luke Hochevar Kansas City Royals P American Association Fowler, CO
2007 David Price Tampa Bay Devil Rays P Vanderbilt University Murfreesboro, TN
2008 Tim Beckham Tampa Bay Rays SS Griffin High School Griffin, GA
2009 Stephen Strasburg Washington Nationals P San Diego State University San Diego, CA
2010 Bryce Harper Washington Nationals C College of Southern Nevada Las Vegas, NV
2011 Gerrit Cole Pittsburgh Pirates P UCLA Orange, CA
2012 Carlos Correa Houston Astros IF Puerto Rican Baseball Academy High School Gurabo, PR
2013 Mark Appel Houston Astros P Stanford University Houston, TX
2014 Brady Aiken Houston Astros P Cathedral Catholic High School (Del Mar) San Diego, CA Did Not Sign
2015 Dansby Swanson Arizona Diamondbacks SS Vanderbilt University Marietta, GA
2016 Mickey Moniak Philadelphia Phillies OF La Costa Canyon High School Carlsbad, CA
2017 Royce Lewis Minnesota Twins SS Junipero Serra High School Aliso Viejo, CA
2018 Casey Mize Detroit Tigers P Auburn University Springville, AL
2019 Adley Rutschman Baltimore Orioles C Oregon State University Sherwood, OR
2020 Spencer Torkelson Detroit Tigers 1B Arizona State University Petaluma, CA
2021 Henry Davis Pittsburgh Pirates C University of Louisville Bedford, NY
2022 Jackson Holliday Baltimore Orioles SS Stillwater (OK) High School Stillwater, OK
2023 Paul Skenes Pittsburgh Pirates P Louisiana State University Lake Forest, CA

Further Reading[edit]

  • Associated Press: "Catching up with a decade's worth of No. 1 picks", USA Today, June 8, 2015. [1]
  • Scott Boeck: "Who's MLB's No. 1 top draft pick? Ranking the top 25 1/1s of all time", USA Today Sports, June 3, 2018. [2]
  • Matt Kelly: "Look back at every No. 1 overall pick in history: List of former top picks shows the inexact science of drafting", mlb.com, May 7, 2018. [3]
  • Jonathan Mayo: "Redrafting each year's top overall pick: Hindsight gives us a look at which player should have been selected at No. 1", mlb.com, June 2, 2015. [4]
  • John Schlegel and Ed Eagle: "These Top 3 Draft picks never made it to Majors", mlb.com, February 1, 2018. [5]