The best first overall MLB Draft picks ever

The first overall draft choice in the MLB June Draft has featured some Hall of Fame players, but having that pick doesn't always guarantee a sure thing for the team in that position. The following list features the 25 best first overall picks in draft history.

King had a solid but relatively brief career, hitting 154 home runs with a .749 OPS over 11 seasons. He hit .271-30-111 in his last year with the Pirates, in 1996, and followed that up by hitting .238-28-112 the following year in Kansas City.

Taken first overall by the Washington Senators in 1969, Burroughs was the AL MVP with Texas in 1974 and also hit 41 home runs with the Braves in 1977. He retired with 240 career home runs after 16 seasons.

Pat the Bat was taken first overall by the Phils out of Miami in 1998. He was an immediate power producer upon his promotion in 2000 and hit 292 home runs with an .834 OPS for his 12-year career.

McDonald was promoted to the majors the same year he was drafted in 1989 and played nine seasons. He won 78 games with a 3.91 ERA in the majors.

Horner spent nine of his 10 MLB seasons in Atlanta, winning the 1978 NL Rookie of the Year (the same year he was drafted) and making one All-Star appearance. He hit 218 home runs for his career.

Bannister went to the Astros in 1976 out of Arizona State. He made one All-Star appearance and won 134 games during his 15-year career with a 4.06 ERA.

Hamilton never made it to the majors in Tampa Bay due to off-field issues, but he had plenty of success over a five-year run in Texas. He made five All-Star appearances, won three Silver Sluggers and was the AL MVP in 2010 after hitting .359-32-100.

Before the Mariners selected Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez, Moore was their first overall pick in 1981. He played 14 years in the majors, winning 161 games and finishing third in the AL Cy Young voting with Oakland in 1989.

Benes was taken first overall out of Evansville in 1988 and was effective in the majors for the Padres the following year. He threw more than 2,500 innings during his 14-year career with a sub-4.00 ERA and 155 wins.

The Angels selected Erstad first overall out of Nebraska in 1995. A solid all-around player, Erstad won three Gold Gloves and made two All-Star appearances. He also finished eighth in AL MVP voting in 2000, leading the league with 240 hits and hitting above .300 for the only time in his career.

Drafted by the Athletics first overall in 1965, Monday was traded to the Cubs two years later for Ken Holtzman. He made two All-Star appearances during his 19-year career and hit 20-plus home runs three times.

The versatile Surhoff went first overall out of North Carolina in 1985. He played multiple positions in the majors, hitting more than 20 home runs three times with a .282 batting average. His lone All-Star appearance came with the Orioles in 1999.

One of the great young shortstops in baseball, Correa was taken first overall by the Astros in 2012 out of high school in Puerto Rico. He won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2015 and has become one of the faces of the league after helping the Astros win the 2017 World Series. Durability has been an issue for Correa, however, as he's played more than 110 games only once in five seasons.

With his older brother already established in the majors, Upton went first overall to the Diamondbacks in 2005 out of high school. Comparisons to Ken Griffey Jr. were rampant, and Upton has settled in as a solid power hitter and four-time All-Star in the majors. He's hit at least 30 home runs four times in his career.

An excellent power hitter during his career, Baines made six All-Star appearances and hit 384 home runs during his 22-year career with an .820 OPS. The White Sox selected him with the top pick in 1977.

Cole continues to move up the list rapidly as he's moved from the Pirates to the Astros and now the Yankees. Cole has finished in the top five in Cy Young voting three times, including a 2019 season in which he won the ERA title for the Astros with a 2.50 ERA and league-leading 13.8 K/9. The right-hander out of UCLA has a career 3.22 ERA and signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with New York in the 2019-20 offseason.

Strasburg was considered the consensus top player in the draft during his final year at San Diego State, showing epic success and a 100-mph fastball. Washington had the good fortune of owning the first pick in 2009. While Strasburg hasn't quite matched the hype due to injuries, he's still made three All-Star appearances and led the NL in strikeouts in 2014 and innings in 2019. He has a strong 3.17 ERA for his career.

While his time in Boston was rocky after signing a massive deal with the Red Sox in 2016, Price has certainly been worth his top draft billing. Tampa Bay's top pick in 2007 out of Vanderbilt, the lefty won the AL Cy Young in 2012 and has finished second in the voting twice. He was acquired by the Dodgers prior to the 2020 season.

A former Rookie of the Year and eight-time All-Star, Strawberry was selected by the Mets in 1980. He won three World Series during his career despite off-field issues and finished second in the NL MVP race in 1988.

Gonzalez never made it to the majors with the Marlins, but he had a great career with more than 300 career home runs, two Silver Sluggers and four Gold Gloves. Florida took Gonzalez first overall in 2000 before trading him to Texas.

Minnesota took the hometown kid out of high school in 2001, making an astute decision. Mauer has won three batting titles and one MVP with the Twins and still has a career batting average above .300. He called it quits after 15 seasons in Minnesota with a career .306 batting average and .388 on-base percentage.

Harper has the ceiling to get near the top of the list when all is said and done. He's become a star for the Nationals and Phillies since he was drafted first overall in 2010. A former Sports Illustrated cover boy in high school, Harper won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2012 and the NL MVP in 2015. He's made six All-Star appearances in eight full seasons and signed a 13-year, $330 million contract with Philadelphia in 2019.

"The Kid" became an instant star in Seattle, promoted in 1989, just two years after he was drafted out of high school in Cincinnati. Griffey is a Hall of Famer with 13 All-Star appearances, one MVP and 630 career home runs.

Jones was a high school quarterback in Jacksonville and turned into a Hall of Fame player for the Braves. He spent his entire career in Atlanta, hitting 468 home runs with a .303 batting average and .930 OPS.

There's not much question that A-Rod was the best first overall pick ever, even as PEDs cloud his Hall of Fame candidacy. He was taken by the Mariners in 1993 and retired with 696 home runs and a .930 OPS. Rodriguez won three MVP Awards during his career.