Best first-round MLB Draft picks by slot

While both Chipper Jones and Ken Griffey Jr. provide formidable candidates for the honor, hate him or love him, A-Rod is the cream of the crop for top picks in draft history. He delivered on the hype after being selected out of Westminster Christian Academy, reaching the majors by the time he was 18 and winning a batting title at age 20. A three-time MVP, 14-time All-Star, and member of both the 600-home run and 3,000-hit club, Rodriguez stands as one of four players ever to accomplish those feats.

Long before he became Mr. October, Jackson stood as half of a divide between scouts on who was the top talent available in 1966 between himself and catcher Steve Chilcott. Jackson easily won that debate, as he quickly became a superstar for the A’s when they moved west to Oakland. Jackson won five World Series overall between the A’s and Yankees, and hit 563 career home runs, with another 18 in the postseason.

When the Brewers pick third, things seem to work out historically good for them. The Crew has selected a pair of Hall of Famers third overall, with both Yount and Paul Molitor originating from the spot. The edge, however, goes to Yount, who reached Milwaukee by age 18 and spent the next 20 years there. He became AL MVP in 1982 and 1989 — winning first at shortstop and then as a center fielder — and rang up 3,142 hits.

The 1985 draft was stacked at the top with B.J. Surhoff, Will Clark, Bobby Witt and Larkin all going to lead it off, not mention Barry Bonds going in the top six as well. Larkin’s selection was a golden one for the Reds. He became a 12-time All-Star, 1995 MVP and led the team to its first World Series title since the Big Red Machine days in 1990. The Hall of Famer hit .353 against the A’s in the Fall Classic that year and owned a .338 career postseason batting average.

Less than two years after being taken out of Hillsborough High School in Tampa, "Doc" was already in the majors and one of the greatest pitching prodigies of all time. He won NL Rookie of the Year at 19 and the NL Cy Young at 20, becoming the youngest pitcher in history to win the award. Drug problems curbed him from reaching his full potential, but Gooden still won 194 games and was a member of three World Series champion teams between the Mets and Yankees.

The Pirates became the big winners of the ’85 draft when they landed the multi-skilled son of Bobby Bonds sixth overall. Bonds’ arrival in Pittsburgh signaled a turnaround for the club, as he twice won MVP for the Bucs and led the club to three consecutive NLCS appearances from 1990-92. Of course, his career continued on to even greater heights (and infamy) once he reached San Francisco, but getting arguably the most productive player of all time at No. 6 is massive win.

The Sox landed arguably the greatest player in the franchise’s history when they selected the hulking slugger seventh out of Auburn. He won back-to-back AL MVP Awards in 1993 and 1994 and became the franchise’s all-time leader in a host of categories, including home runs (448), RBI (1,465), extra-base hits (906) and runs scored (1,327). He became the first White Sox player ever to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2014.

It is safe to say Helton bounced back well from the injury that caused his run as quarterback at the University of Tennessee to come to an end — well, the injury and some guy named Peyton Manning. He went on to become one of the most dangerous all-around batters in the National League, becoming a .316 career hitter with 592 doubles. Helton won a batting title in 2000 when he hit .372, which came amid a seven-year streak of hitting .320 or better.

Appier’s career gets lost in time somewhat, but he was the undisputed ace of the Royals through the club’s lean years of the '90s, winning 115 games over 13 seasons in K.C. His best season came in 1993, when he finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting after leading the AL with a 2.56 ERA and winning 18 games. He became an All-Star for the club in 1995 and was a part of the Anaheim Angels' World Series-winning team in 2002.

From the time of his then-record-setting rookie mark of 49 home runs in 1987, McGwire paid massive dividends for the A’s, becoming a nine-time All-Star in his 12 seasons in Oakland. He helped lead the club to three straight World Series appearances from 1988-1990, winning it all in ’89. McGwire twice led the AL in home runs for the A’s in 1987 and 1996 before going on to become one of the most prolific power hitters in baseball history with the St. Louis Cardinals.

With all  due respect to former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen, who came off the board 11th in 2005, Scherzer’s numbers are likely to be staggering if he continues at the pace he is currently on. The three-time Cy Young winner and reigning top arm in the game was taken here by the Diamondbacks, who ultimately only got nine of his 150 career wins and 240 of his over 2,200 strikeouts. Arizona dealt him in his second season to Detroit in a package that netted only Ian Kennedy and Edwin Jackson in return. Ouch.

The Red Sox landed one of the great pure hitters of the last few decades when Garciaparra fell into their lap at No. 12. He hit .313 for his career and over .320 in three seasons with the Red Sox, highlighted by a Rookie of the Year win in 1997 and consecutive batting title years hitting .357 and .372 in 1999-2000. Injuries ultimately shortened his top-performing years, but he still became a six-time All-Star in an era of great competition at AL shortstop alongside Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

The Indians gave the eventual 12-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion his start with the 13^th pick in 1991. Ramirez went on to drive in 100 runs in nine consecutive years from 1998 to 2006 and post five 40-homer seasons. While his exploits off the field grew to rival his talent in the batter’s box, it is undeniable that few have brought the flare to the field that Manny did.

While the deciding factor for most players on this list is career WAR, an exception is made for Heyward over Derrek Lee, whose 34.6 career WAR slightly bests Heyward's for the time being. The current Cubs outfielder could eclipse Lee by the end of the summer, mainly due to his defensive mastery. He has picked up Gold Glove honors in Atlanta, St. Louis and Chicago and owns 11.4 defensive wins for his career.

Utley’s presence here is honestly a surprising one considering that Hall of Famer Jim Rice was drafted from the same spot in 1971, but the longtime Phillies second baseman has turned in a career worth nearly 20 more wins than Rice, leading Philadelphia to five consecutive NL East titles and World Series appearances in 2008 and 2009. He is the all-time leader in World Series home runs by a second baseman with seven.

The 16 spot in the draft has not been particularly fruitful in the past few decades, which has allowed Parrish to remain the best player the slot has produced for over 40 years. The catcher had a very productive career, however, which was mostly spent with the Tigers and Angels. His 324 home runs are sixth all-time among catchers.

The Jays struck gold when they landed Halladay as a prep hurler out of Colorado, as he went on to become the greatest pitcher in franchise history. He became the sixth pitcher ever to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues and won 203 career games, including a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter with the Phillies in 2010. Halladay will be up for the Hall of Fame for the first time in 2019.

Wilson enjoyed a long and underrated career with the Royals, finishing with 2,207 hits and 668 stolen bases in his career. He twice finished in the top 10 in AL MVP voting and picked up a Gold Glove along with a pair of Silver Slugger Awards. He also helped the Royals to the World Series twice and hit .367 in K.C.’s 1985 World Series victory.

For Clemens to even be available at 19 is astonishing considering his dominant run at the University of Texas. The Red Sox cashed in the opportunity and landed the player responsible for by far the most career wins outside of the draft’s top 15. Clemens became the only player to win a Cy Young Award in three different decades and won AL MVP after going 24-4 for the Red Sox in 1986.

The O’s drafted Mussina out of both high school and college, and their long-term interest in him paid off in a big way. Mussina won 147 games over 10 years in Baltimore and made five All-Star teams. Overall, "Moose" is one of the most consistent pitchers in history, reaching double digits in victories for an AL-record 17 consecutive years.

Winner of the NL Rookie of the Year in 1979 and later the league’s Cy Young Award in 1984 with the Cubs, Sutcliffe was a productive pitcher for 18 seasons. Sutcliffe’s Cy Young season is one of the more unique in history, as he won NL honors after starting the season in the American League with the Indians. He went 16-1 after relocating to Wrigley, becoming the first player to win the award after switching leagues midseason.

Palmeiro, who had a career that would have been Hall of Fame worthy if not for controversy around his PED associations, narrowly edges out a HOF inducted Craig Biggio (65.5 WAR) as the best 22^nd pick of all time. With 3,020 hits and 569 home runs, he is one of six players to reach both prestigious levels. Palmeiro was an All-Star with the Cubs, Rangers and Orioles in his 20-year career.

The 23^rd  pick has been kind to the Red Sox, yielding not only Vaughn, but also Jacoby Ellsbury in 2005. While Ellsbury has accounted for more wins in his career (31.1), his impact simply was not greater than that of Vaughn, who won AL MVP honors in 1995 after launching 39 homers and an AL-best 126 RBI. The season marked the first of six consecutive years he topped 30 homers, with a high of 44 in 1996.

There are not may standouts who have gone at 24th overall, thus allowing the solid career of White to carry the torch. In his 15-year career, he made the All-Star team once when he hit 22 home runs while driving in 87 in a year spent between the Padres and Royals. Overall, he hit .284 for his career with 198 home runs.

Trout is only halfway through his seventh season and is already on pace to become the greatest first-round value ever. He was the Angels' second first-round pick in 2009 after taking Randal Grichuk one pick earlier. Trout’s career WAR is already halfway to Willie Mays’ career total, and he is playing as if his best days could still be ahead of him.

Getting a six-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop who became a World Series MVP and Hall of Famer 26^th in the draft is a job well done. After breaking in with the Tigers at 19, Trammell spent his entire 20-year career in Detroit, spending 19 of those seasons paired with second baseman Lou Whitaker in the Tiger infield. In a bit a loophole, Trammell was actually a second-round pick at the time, as there were only 24 teams in the league back then.

Technically, Pete Harnisch has had the most accomplished career of any 27^th pick, accounting for 18 wins in his career, but Porcello is on pace to take over the slot’s throne by year’s end. The 2016 AL Cy Young winner with the Red Sox after going 22-4, he has 125 wins in his career and has reached double-digit victories in all but one of his nine full seasons.

Smith’s career redefined the role of a relief pitcher and set the modern closer role into action. He stood in at an intimidating 6-6 frame and was known for his leisurely strolls to the mound. He compiled 478 saves in a career spent between eight franchises and stood as baseball’s all-time saves leader from 1993 to 2006. Like Trammell, Smith was actually a second-round pick at 28 with fewer teams in MLB at the time.

Originally drafted as a shortstop — in the second round before expansion to 30 teams — Brett made the move to the hot corner shortly after joining the Royals organization, and the rest is history. He went on to become AL MVP in 1980, a 13-time All-Star and collected the most hits by a third baseman in MLB history. Brett is the only player to win a batting title in three different decades (.333 in 1976, .390 in 1980 and .329 in 1990).

The greatest top 30 value of all time is Schmidt, who was technically a second-round pick when the Phillies selected him in 1971. He debuted with the Phillies the next season and embarked on a career that brought him three NL MVP Awards. He led the NL in home runs in eight seasons and won 10 Gold Gloves. His 548 home runs are the most by a third baseman in history.