Major League Baseball (MLB) is notable for using the MLB Draft every year to recruit new and upcoming baseball prospects from high schools and colleges to their teams. These new players inaugurate their professional career by gaining experience in the minors before they eventually make their MLB debut.
College and high-school baseball players display their best performances by competing with one another under the NCAA tournament to become the first overall pick in MLB draft. The first overall picks in the MLB Draft often prove to be valuable because they are very productive players. Notably, Paul Skenes of the LSU Tigers was the first overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft and was chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also won the NCAA Championship with the LSU Tigers in 2023. The 2024 MLB Draft also has several notable names in the first round and one of them will be chosen as the first overall pick.
List of 1st Draft Picks in MLB on a Year-by-Year Basis
The following table details all of the first overall picks in the MLB Draft along with their teams and their colleges/high schools from 1965 to 2023 -
| Year | Player Name | MLB Team | Position | College/High School |
| 1965 | Rick Monday | Kansas City Athletics | Centerfielder | Arizona State University |
| 1966 | Steven Chilcott | New York Mets | Catcher | Antelope Valley High School (Lancaster, California, United States) |
| 1967 | Ron Blomberg | New York Yankees | First Baseman | Druid Hills High School (Druid Hills, Georgia, United States ) |
| 1968 | Tim Foli | New York Mets | Shortstop | Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, California, United States) |
| 1969 | Jeff Burroughs | Washington Senators | Outfielder | Woodrow Wilson Classical High School (Long Beach, California, United States) |
| 1970 | Mike Ivie | San Diego Padres | Catcher | Walker High School (Atlanta, Georgia, United States) |
| 1972 | Dave Roberts | San Diego Padres | Third baseman | University of Oregon |
| 1973 | David Clyde | Texas Rangers | Left-handed pitcher | Westchester High School (Houston, Texas, United States) |
| 1974 | Bill Almon | San Diego Padres | Shortstop | Brown University |
| 1971 and 1975 | Danny Goodwin | California Angels | Catcher | Southern University and A&M College |
| 1976 | Floyd Bannister | Houston Astros | Left-handed pitcher | Arizona State University |
| 1977 | Harold Baines | Chicago White Sox | First Baseman | St. Michael's High School (Easton, Maryland, United States) |
| 1978 | Bob Horner | Atlanta Braves | Third baseman | Arizona State University |
| 1979 | Al Chambers | Seattle Mariners | Outfielder | John Harris High School (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States) |
| 1980 | Darryl Strawberry | New York Mets | Outfielder | Crenshaw High School (Los Angeles, California, United States) |
| 1981 | Mike Moore | Seattle Mariners | Right-handed pitcher | Oral Roberts University |
| 1982 | Shawon Dunston | Chicago Cubs | Shortstop | Thomas Jefferson High School (Brooklyn, New York, United States) |
| 1983 | Tim Belcher | Minnesota Twins | Right-handed pitcher | Mount Vernon Nazarene University |
| 1984 | Shawn Abner | New York Mets | Outfielder | Mechanicsburg Area High School (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, United States) |
| 1985 | B.J. Surhoff | Milwaukee Brewers | Shortstop | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| 1986 | Jeff King | Pittsburgh Pirates | Shortstop | University of Arkansas |
| 1987 | Ken Griffey Jr. | Seattle Mariners | Outfielder | Archbishop Moeller High School (Cincinnati, Ohio, United States) |
| 1988 | Andy Benes | San Diego Padres | Right-handed pitcher | University of Evansville |
| 1989 | Ben McDonald | Baltimore Orioles | Right-handed pitcher | Louisiana State University |
| 1990 | Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves | Shortstop | The Bolles High School (Jacksonville, Florida, United States) |
| 1991 | Brien Taylor | New York Yankees | Left-handed pitcher | East Carteret High School (Beaufort, North Carolina, United States) |
| 1992 | Phil Nevin | Houston Astros | Third baseman | California State University, Fullerton |
| 1993 | Alex Rodriguez | Seattle Mariners | Shortstop | Westminster Christian High School (Palmetto Bay, Florida, United States) |
| 1994 | Paul Wilson | New York Mets | Right-handed pitcher | Florida State University |
| 1995 | Darin Erstad | California Angels | Outfielder | University of Nebraska |
| 1996 | Kris Benson | Pittsburgh Pirates | Right-handed pitcher | Clemson University |
| 1997 | Matt Anderson | Detroit Tigers | Right-handed pitcher | Rice University |
| 1998 | Pat Burrell | Philadelphia Phillies | Third Baseman | University of Miami |
| 1999 | Josh Hamilton | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Outfielder | Athens Drive High School (Raleigh, North Carolina, United States) |
| 2000 | Adrián González | Florida Marlins | First baseman | Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, California, United States) |
| 2001 | Joe Mauer | Minnesota Twins | Catcher | Cretin High School (St. Paul, Minnesota, United States) |
| 2002 | Bryan Bullington | Pittsburgh Pirates | Right-handed pitcher | Ball State University |
| 2003 | Delmon Young | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Outfielder | Adolfo Camarillo High School (Camarillo, California, United States) |
| 2004 | Matt Bush | San Diego Padres | Shortstop | Mission Bay High School (San Diego, California, United States) |
| 2005 | Justin Upton | Arizona Diamondbacks | Shortstop | Great Bridge High School (Chesapeake, Virginia, United States) |
| 2006 | Luke Hochevar | Kansas City Royals | Right-handed pitcher | University of Tennessee |
| 2007 | David Price | Tampa Bay Rays | Left-handed pitcher | Vanderbilt University |
| 2008 | Tim Beckham | Tampa Bay Rays | Shortstop | Griffin High School (Griffin,Georgia, United States) |
| 2009 | Stephen Strasburg | Washington Nationals | Right-handed pitcher | San Diego State University |
| 2010 | Bryce Harper | Washington Nationals | Outfielder | Southern Nevada College |
| 2011 | Gerrit Cole | Pittsburgh Pirates | Right-handed pitcher | University of California, Los Angeles |
| 2012 | Carlos Correa | Houston Astros | Shortstop | Puerto Rico Baseball Academy |
| 2013 | Mark Appel | Houston Astros | Right-handed pitcher | Stanford University |
| 2014 | Brady Aiken | Houston Astros | Left-handed pitcher | Cathedral Catholic High School (San Diego, California, United States) |
| 2015 | Dansby Swanson | Arizona Diamondbacks | Shortstop | Vanderbilt University |
| 2016 | Mickey Moniak | Philadelphia Phillies | Outfielder | La Costa Canyon High School (Carlsbad, California, United States) |
| 2017 | Royce Lewis | Minnesota Twins | Shortstop | JSerra Catholic High School (San Juan Capistrano, California, United States) |
| 2018 | Casey Mize | Detroit Tigers | Right-handed pitcher | Auburn University |
| 2019 | Adley Rutschman | Baltimore Orioles | Catcher | Oregon State University |
| 2020 | Spencer Torkelson | Detroit Tigers | Third baseman | Arizona State University |
| 2021 | Henry Davis | Pittsburgh Pirates | Catcher | University of Louisville |
| 2022 | Jackson Holliday | Baltimore Orioles | Shortstop | Stillwater High School (Stillwater, Oklahoma , United States) |
| 2023 | Paul Skenes | Pittsburgh Pirates | Right-handed pitcher | Louisiana State University |
FAQ's On MLB Draft
A. Danny Goodwin was the only man to be drafted #1 overall twice in 1971 and 1975.
A. The Cleveland Guardians will have the 1st pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.
A. Paul Skenes was the number 1 overall draft pick in 2023.
A. Bryce Harper was the #1 overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft.
A. A lottery system determines the MLB Draft order.
