Hall of Famers from the MLB Draft… So Far
A Blog By Dean
The Ultimate Breakdown: Hall of Famers from the MLB Draft… So Far
Since its inception in 1965, the MLB Draft has been a gateway for thousands of players to pursue their dreams of playing professional baseball. Over the decades, the draft has produced some of the most legendary figures in the sport’s history, many of whom have been enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. From early-round picks who lived up to their billing to late-round gems who defied the odds, these players have left an indelible mark on the game.
In this blog, we’ll examine the MLB Hall of Famers selected in the draft, organized by year, along with their draft round and the team that initially selected them. I am not going to analyze all the players; I will show you where they were drafted. I will, however, do a follow-up blog for all the drafts since 1995 and the players that I think will get elected from each draft.
Some slight analysis: I was somewhat surprised to see that 18 of the below players were drafted in the first round. I thought the numbers would be skewed in a different direction. However, many mid-round picks went on to make Cooperstown.
Editors Note: This was a huge pain to write. Players get picked multiple times before actually signing in a lot of cases. Some websites don’t actually specify which draft they signed in, and some websites don’t have certain HOFers listed. So, if I missed anything noticeable, shoot me a message!
1965 MLB Draft
Johnny Bench: 2nd round, 36th overall, Cincinnati Reds.
Nolan Ryan: 12th round, 226th overall, New York Mets.
1966 MLB Draft
Tom Seaver: 1st round, 20th overall, Atlanta Braves (signed with New York Mets via special lottery).
Reggie Jackson: 1st round, 2nd overall, Kansas City Athletics.
1967 MLB Draft
Ted Simmons: 1st round, 10th overall, St. Louis Cardinals
Carlton Fisk: 1st round, 4th overall (January Secondary Draft), Boston Red Sox.
1968 MLB Draft
No Hall of Famers.
1969 MLB Draft
Bert Blyleven: 3rd round, 55th overall, Minnesota Twins.
1970 MLB Draft
Goose Gossage: 9th round, 198th overall, Chicago White Sox
Bruce Sutter: 21st round, 494th overall, Washington Senators
1971 MLB Draft
Jim Rice: 1st round, 15th overall, Boston Red Sox.
George Brett: 2nd round, 29th overall, Kansas City Royals.
Mike Schmidt: 2nd round, 30th overall, Philadelphia Phillies.
1972 MLB Draft
Gary Carter: 3rd round, 53rd overall, Montreal Expos.
Dennis Eckersley: 3rd round, 52nd overall, Cleveland Indians.
1973 MLB Draft
Robin Yount: 1st round, 3rd overall, Milwaukee Brewers.
Dave Winfield: 1st round, 4th overall, San Diego Padres.
Eddie Murray: 3rd round, 63rd overall, Baltimore Orioles.
1974 MLB Draft
1975 MLB Draft
Lee Smith: 2nd round, 28th overall, Chicago Cubs
Andre Dawson: 11th round, 250th overall, Montreal Expos
1976 MLB Draft
Alan Trammell: 2nd round, 26th overall, Detroit Tigers.
Rickey Henderson: 4th round, 96th overall, Oakland Athletics
Jack Morris: 5th round, 98th overall, Detroit Tigers.
Wade Boggs: 7th round, 166th overall, Boston Red Sox.
1977 MLB Draft
Harold Baines: 1st round, 1st overall, Chicago White Sox
Paul Molitor: 1st round, 3rd overall, Milwaukee Brewers.
Ozzie Smith: 4th round, 86th overall, San Diego Padres.
Tim Raines: 5th round, 106th overall, Montreal Expos
1978 MLB Draft
Cal Ripken Jr.: 2nd round, 48th overall, Baltimore Orioles.
Ryne Sandberg: 20th round, 511th overall, Philadelphia Phillies
1979 MLB Draft
None
1980 MLB Draft
None
1981 MLB Draft
Joe Carter: 1st round, 2nd overall, Chicago Cubs
Tony Gwynn: 3rd round, 58th overall, San Diego Padres.
Fred McGriff: 9th round, 233rd overall, New York Yankees
1982 MLB Draft
Kirby Puckett: 1st round, 3rd overall, Minnesota Twins. (January Draft)
1983 MLB Draft
No Hall of Famers.
1984 MLB Draft
Greg Maddux: 2nd round, 31st overall, Chicago Cubs.
Tom Glavine: 2nd round, 47th overall, Atlanta Braves.
1985 MLB Draft
Barry Larkin: 1st round, 4th overall, Cincinnati Reds.
Randy Johnson: 2nd round, 36th overall, Montreal Expos.
John Smoltz: 22nd round, 574th overall, Detroit Tigers.
1986 MLB Draft
None
1987 MLB Draft
Ken Griffey Jr.: 1st round, 1st overall, Seattle Mariners.
Craig Biggio: 1st round, 22nd overall, Houston Astros.
1988 MLB Draft
Mike Piazza: 62nd round, 1390th, Los Angeles Dodgers
1989 MLB Draft
Frank Thomas: 1st round, 7th overall, Chicago White Sox.
Jeff Bagwell: 4th round, 110th overall, Boston Red Sox.
Trevor Hoffman: 11th round, 288th overall, Cincinnati Reds.
Jim Thome: 13th round, 333rd, overall, Cleveland Indians
1990 MLB Draft
Chipper Jones: 1st round, 1st overall, Atlanta Braves.
Mike Mussina: 1st round, 20th overall, Baltimore Orioles
1991 MLB Draft
No Hall of Famers.
1992 MLB Draft
Derek Jeter: 1st round, 6th overall, New York Yankees.
1993 MLB Draft
Scott Rolen: 2nd round, 46th overall, Philadelphia Phillies.
1994 MLB Draft
None
1995 MLB Draft
Todd Helton: 1st round, 8th overall, Colorado Rockies
Roy Halladay: 1st round, 17th overall, Toronto Blue Jays.
2001 MLB Draft
Joe Mauer: 1st round, 1st overall, Minnesota Twins
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