MLB Draft 2017: Ranking the No. 1 overall picks since 2000
A complete ranking of the best No. 1 overall picks of the century.
The 2017 MLB Draft begins on June 12, and the Minnesota Twins have the No. 1 overall pick, which they hope will change their franchise. Before this year’s draft takes place, let’s rank all the past No. 1 picks since 2000, see how they have played in their careers and how they have impacted the league:
1. Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals (2010) — The 24-year-old slugger and right fielder has lived up to all the hype of being a No. 1 overall pick, as he is one of the game’s best players. In six seasons, he has been a four-time All-Star and was voted the unanimous NL MVP in 2015, when he became the youngest player ever to be named a unanimous MVP.
2. David Price, Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2007) — Out of the eight pitchers taken No. 1 since 2000, the 31-year-old Price is the only one to have won a Cy Young award, as he did it 2012 with the Rays. Price also helped the Devil Rays reach the World Series in 2008 as a rookie, became a five-time All-Star and signed the largest contract by a pitcher in baseball history by inking a seven-year, $217-million deal with the RedSox last year.
3. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (2001) — It didn’t take long for Mauer to make an impact on the league after he was drafted. Mauer reached the majors in 2004, earned the first of six All-Star selections and first of five Silver Slugger awards in 2006, and was named AL MVP in 2009. He is also a three-time Gold Glove winner and is playing in his 14th season, which is tied with our next player for the most seasons played out of all the No. 1 picks since the turn of the century.
4. Adrian Gonzalez, Florida Marlins (2000)— Like Mauer, Gonzalez is in his 14th big league season, but he has become the ironman of these No. 1 picks. After being traded to the Rangers for the 2004 played in 2003 and being called up in 2004, he played in 1.815 games for the Rangers, Padres, Red Sox and Dodgers before being put on the disabled list for the first time in his career. During this stretch, he was named an All-Star five times, a Gold Glove winner four times and received votes for MVP in eight of his previous 13 seasons.
5. Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals (2009) — After being dubbed “the most-hyped picked in draft history” by ESPN, Strasburg has had a nice run in pro ball. The right-hander out of San Diego State University has become a two-time All-Star and helped the Nationals reach the postseason twice. He also led the NL in strikeouts in 2014.
6. Carlos Correa, Houston Astros (2012)— Since being the first of three straight No. 1 overall picks for the Astros, Correa has become one of the game’s top players. The 22-year-old shortstop won Rookie of the Year in 2015 and has slashed .316/.390/.524 while leading the Astros to the best record in baseball this year at 38-16.
7. Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondbacks (2005) — Out of the No. 1 picks on this list, Upton has had the third-longest career at 11 seasons. The outfielder, who made his debut in 2007, has become a three-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger award winner while slashing .268/.347/.472 during his time with the D-backs, Braves, Padres and Tigers.
8. Gerrit Cole, Pittsburgh Pirates (2011) — Cole has become a quality arm in the majors since being drafted. After making his debut in 2013, the 26-year-old righty has gone 49-35 with a 3.27 ERA in 105 starts for the Pirates. In 2015, he was an All-Star and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting. He is also one of the top pitchers this season who are rumored to be traded before this year’s deadline.
9. Delmon Young, Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003) — The younger brother of Dmitri Young played 10 season in the bigs, but never turned into an All-Star who could make a big impact for a franchise. His best seasons were in 2007 and 2010, with his 2007 season ending with him being second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting and his 2010 campaign ending with him finishing 10th in the MVP voting for the Twins. Outside of that, he was known to have issues with his temper and was arrested in both 2012 and 2016. In 2012, he was charged with a hate crime, as the drunken outfielder got into an altercation and began yelling anti-Semetic slurs. In 2016, He was charged with battery after allegedly choking and threatening a valet in Miami.
10. Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals (2006) — Hochevar was one of only two players out of these 17 No. 1 picks since 2000 that stayed with the team that drafted him for more than nine years, as he played all of his nine seasons in Kansas City. He was a starting pitcher for six seasons, but never had a record above .500 and had a career 5.39 ERA in 128 starts. He turned into a reliever for his final three years and did well, but the Royals declined his mutual option after the 2016 season.
11. Matt Bush, San Diego Padres (2004) — Bush has had a crazy roller coaster ride since being chosen No. 1. Originally drafted as a shortstop, he tried to become a pitcher for the Padres, but issues with alcohol that led to suspensions and assault charges forced them to trade him to the Blue Jays in 2009. His stint with the Blue Jays lasted 50 days, as he was released after being involved in another assault in which alcohol was a factor. He then played two seasons with the Rays’ organization, but was arrested in Florida in 2012 after driving drunk and running over a motorcyclist with his vehicle, almost killing the man. He was sentenced to 51 months in prison after agreeing to a plea. He managed to come to grips with his alcoholism and managed to get one last chance in the majors with the Rangers in 2015. A year later, he made his debut for them as a reliever and has gone 9-2 with a 2.21 ERA in 78 appearances.
12. Tim Beckham, Tampa Bay Rays (2008) — Projected as a five-tool player coming out of Griffin High School in Georgia, Beckham is starting to come into his own for the Rays. He is in his fourth season with the club and is ranked in the top 10 in some statistical categories among MLB shortstops, such as home runs (third), RBI (fifth) and average (10th).
13. Dansby Swanson, Arizona Diamondbacks (2015) — The No. 1 pick and shortstop didn’t last long in the D-backs organization, as he was traded to the Braves in a package for starter Shelby Miller. The move turned out well for the 23-year-old Swanson, as he has played in 84 games for the Braves since 2016 and is their starter at short.
14. Mickey Moniak, Philadelphia Phillies (2016) — Last year, the Phillies chose the 18-year-old outfielder out of La Costa Canyon (Calif.) High School in hopes he can reach his high ceiling, which is being an All-Star and Gold Glove-winning center fielder who can hit for average and over. He is currently playing in Single-A Lakewood, where he has slashed .282/.330/.418 in 47 games, and is ranked 15th among the top 100 prospects in baseball, per MLBPipeline.com.
15. Mark Appel, Houston Astros (2013) — Appel has not reached the majors yet since being picked. He spent two seasons in the Astros’ organization before being traded to the Phillies in 2015. Appel is currently playing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but has had numerous injuries and consistency issues that have prevented him from making the big leagues.
16. Bryan Bullington, Pittsburgh Pirates (2002) — Bullington’s career as a pitcher in the majors didn’t last long. In parts of five seasons with the Pirates, Indians, Blue Jays and Royals, he appeared in only 29 games and had a career 5.62 ERA. After the 2010 season, he went over to Japan to play for pro ball for five seasons before arm and shoulder injuries ended his career.
17. Brady Aiken, Houston Astros (2014) — There are not too many times that a No. 1 pick doesn’t sign with a team, but the 18-year-old Aiken did not ink his deal with the Astros after they had concerns with his health (elbow inflammation in his throwing arm) and the two sides disputed over an adjusted signing bonus ($6.5 million to $5 million). After being the first No. 1 pick to not sign since Tim Belcher in 1983, Aiken went to IMG Academy in Florida, had Tommy John Surgery and was drafted 17th overall by the Indians. He is currently playing in Single-A Lake County.