Best first-round draft pick in history by every MLB franchise

The 11th overall pick in the 2006 draft, Scherzer was seen by some as a likely relief pitcher because of his limited repertoire. Of course, he's developed into one of the top starters in baseball by eventually refining his slider and changeup. He made only 46 appearances over two seasons for Arizona before getting traded to Detroit in a three-way deal that netted the Diamondbacks Ian Kennedy.

The first overall draft choice in 1990, Jones is perhaps the greatest Brave ever. He hit .303 with 468 home runs and a .930 OPS for his career.

Mussina went 20th in the 1990 draft and spent 10 MLB seasons in Baltimore before signing with the Yankees. A possible Hall of Famer, Mussina finished his career with 270 wins and a 3.68 ERA.

Clemens is one of the greatest pitchers ever, winning seven Cy Young Awards and one MVP over his 24-year career, but his name is also connected to PEDs. He pitched 13 seasons with the Red Sox and finished his career with 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts and a 3.12 ERA.

Palmeiro had a long and productive career but played only one full season for the Cubs before getting traded. He retired with more than 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, but his career will always be clouded after testing positive for PEDs.

The seventh overall pick in 1989, the Big Hurt was inducted into the Hall of Fame after hitting 521 home runs with a .419 on-base percentage. He played 16 seasons on the South Side and won two MVPs.

One of the best shortstops ever, Larkin spent his entire career in Cincinnati after being taken fourth in 1985. He won the 1995 NL MVP and made 13 All-Star appearances over his career.

Certainly one of the best hitters of his era, Ramirez hit 555 home runs over his career with a .996 OPS. He was up with the Indians from 1993-2000 before a long stint in Boston. Ramirez retired after testing positive for PEDs in 2011.

The best Rockies player ever, Helton put up gaudy numbers with the help of Coors Field. Over 17 seasons, he hit .316 with 369 home runs and a career .953 OPS. He was also replaced by Peyton Manning as quarterback at Tennessee.

Verlander isn't as dominant as he was early in his career, but he's still a very good pitcher for the Tigers. The second overall pick in 2004, Verlander won the AL Cy Young in 2011 and is well on his way to 200-plus career wins.

Astros fans hope shortstop Carlos Correa can some day match Biggio, but he has a long way to go. Biggio had a Hall of Fame career with more than 3,000 hits and 291 home runs over 20 seasons. He also won four Gold Gloves.

The Royals couldn't afford to keep Greinke around for long, but he's still clearly their best first-round pick. He won the Cy Young with the Royals in 2009 and has a sub-3.40 ERA over his career through his age 31 season.

Trout is on a historic run, putting him in line with some of the best hitters to ever play the game. Over the last four seasons he has one MVP and finished second in voting the three other seasons. He's still only 24.

Kershaw has a chance to become one of the greatest pitchers ever when his career is over. He's won three Cy Young Awards over the last five seasons and finished second and third in the voting during the other two seasons. He's had the lowest ERA in the league in four of the last five years and has an incredible 2.40 ERA for his career.

Gonzalez went first overall in 2000 but was never able to help the Marlins, getting traded to Texas in 2003. He's had a very productive career going on 300 home runs and has made five All-Star appearances.

Young barely edges out Paul Molitor and Gary Sheffield in what has been a very rich history of first-round picks in Milwaukee, despite the organization's lack of great success. Yount is a Hall of Famer after getting 3,142 hits and 251 home runs during his career.

The first overall pick in 2001, Mauer was a Twin Cities product and franchise changer for the Twins. He's hit .312 for his career with an OBP near .400 and won the 2009 AL MVP.

Gooden looked like a sure Hall of Famer early in his career, finishing second in Cy Young voting during his rookie season and winning the award in his sophomore campaign. Off-field struggles hindered him later in his career, but he retired with 194 wins and a 3.51 ERA.

The Captain was the sixth pick in 1992 and a sure Hall of Famer after getting 3,465 hits over his career. He's in the conversation with the greatest Yankees of all time.

McGwire has the edge over Reggie Jackson (1966), but the competition is quite close. Big Mac spent 11-plus seasons in Oakland and retired with 583 home runs. Jackson had 563 home runs in nearly 1,000 more games but played in a more offensive-limited era and is renowned for his playoff success.

Utley won four straight Silver Slugger Awards from 2006-09 and has made six All-Star appearances over his career. Injuries have probably taken him out of Hall of Fame consideration, however.

Bonds was taken sixth overall in 1985 and spent seven seasons with the Pirates before signing with his hometown Giants. The all-time home run leader over both a single season and career, Bonds won seven MVP Awards and has the stats to stack up to anyone in the history of the game. Given his association with PEDs, he may never actually enter the Hall of Fame.

Taken fourth in 1973, Winfield had 3,110 hits and 465 home runs over his storied career. He entered the majors almost immediately after being drafted and stayed with the Padres through the 1980 season before signing with the Yankees.

Posey still has a bit of ground to cover to match some other Giants first-round picks in WAR, namely Will Clark and Matt Williams, but he'd probably be a Hall of Famer if he retired tomorrow. Clearly the best catcher of the recent era, Posey has won three World Series, the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year and 2012 NL MVP over his six full seasons.

A-Rod's numbers, especially given his position, are more impressive than 1987 first overall draft pick Ken Griffey Jr. Of course, there will always be arguments over Rodriguez's history of PED use, but based purely on numbers he's one of the 10 best players to ever put on a baseball uniform, now closing in on 700 career home runs. Both players were first overall draft choices.

For all the success the Cardinals have had over the last 40-plus years, they haven't had overwhelming success in the first round of the draft. Simmons was the 10th pick in 1967 and had 2,472 hits and 248 home runs over his career.

Longoria gets the nod over David Price (2007) on this list, at least for now. He had more than 200 home runs before turning 30 and has been at the center of Tampa Bay's lineup since he was called up in 2008.

Brown used a power sinker to throw more than 3,000 MLB innings. While he never won a Cy Young Award, Brown had 211 wins and a 3.28 ERA during his career.

Halladay won a Cy Young Award in both leagues and retired with 203 wins and a 3.38 ERA. He finished top three in the Cy Young voting three more times, which should help him get serious consideration for the Hall of Fame.

The Expos/Nationals organization has taken some strong first-round picks over the years, but Harper should easily lap them within the next few seasons. He's become one of the game's biggest stars after winning the NL MVP at age 22 in 2015, hitting .330-42-99 with an OPS above 1.100. He's off to another sizzling start in 2016.