MLB instituted its first Amateur Player Draft in 1965, and since then, over 50 players have been drafted and then elected to the Hall of Fame.
From the MLB Draft to the Hall of Fame
Rounds with the Most Picks
Not surprisingly, the round with the most Hall of Famers is the first round. Another predictable fact is that the first three rounds contain the most Hall of Famers. Leading by a wide margin, the first round has had 18 Hall of Famers picked. The number one overall pick has had success getting to Cooperstown. The number one overall pick has resulted in four Hall of Famers, starting with Harold Baines in 1977 and most recently with Joe Mauer in 2001. The next productive picks are the 3rd and 4th overall selections, with each tied for three Hall of Famers.
The second and third rounds come in with the next most picks, respectively. Second round picks have resulted in 10 Hall of Famers, including, most recently, Carlos Beltran and Greg Maddux. In the third round, talents like Bert Blyleven and Tony Gwynn are two of five Hall of Famers selected in the third round.
The 62nd round is synonymous with Mike Piazza, and for good reason. Piazza was drafted lower than anyone else enshrined in Cooperstown. However, another late round, the 20th, has also brought two Hall of Famers, both of whom were second basemen. Jeff Kent and Ryne Sandberg, notable power-hitting second basemen both, were taken and signed as 20th-round picks.
Mike Piazza: lowest-drafted player in the Hall of Fame
Drafted in 62nd round – 1,390th overall – by Dodgers, 1988 pic.twitter.com/JKwGxKMtAV
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) January 6, 2016
Players Drafted Twice
Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft remains one of the two major sports where high schoolers can be taken. Some Hall of Famers have even been drafted twice. Eight total Hall of Famers have that distinction. While most of these players jumped from the later rounds into the first after playing college, a few never reached the first round. Randy Johnson and Ozzie Smith advanced a few rounds but were not able to become first-round picks. Dave Winfield made the biggest jump in draft selection. Winfield was originally selected in the 40th round out of high school and then jumped all the way to the fourth overall spot after three seasons as a dual sport athlete at the University of Minnesota. Additionally, Barry Larkin, drafted by his hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds, is the only Hall of Famer to be selected by the same team twice.
Drafts with the Most Hall of Famers
One draft class stands out in Cooperstown more than any other. The 1995 draft class brought five Hall of Famers: four Hall of Fame hitters and one relief pitcher. Frank Thomas was selected with the seventh overall pick by the Chicago White Sox, and then was followed by Jeff Bagwell in the fourth round. The 11th and 13th rounds gave the fans Trevor Hoffman and Jim Thome, respectively. The aforementioned Jeff Kent closed out the class after being drafted in the 20th round.
The 1977 draft had two Hall of Famers drafted in the first three picks. Harold Baines was taken number one overall, and Paul Molitor was taken with the third pick. Taken for the second time in his amateur career, Ozzie Smith was taken in the fourth round by the San Diego Padres. Tim Raines was taken in the fifth round to close out a top-loaded draft.
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