Not always is the best player drafted with the first overall pick. We have seen this all the time as Michael Jordan was third overall as an example and baseball is even more difficult.
There were 24 players selected before the Los Angeles Angels chose Mike Trout. Who are those 24 players and what did they do?
1. Stephen Strasburg — Washington Nationals — RHP
The right-handed pitcher from San Diego State was the first overall pick by the Washington Nationals. The hype around Strasburg was strong as he climbed through the minors. He quickly made his debut on June 8, 2010, and has done a lot. Strasburg is a three-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger, World Series Champion and World Series MVP. Injuries have plagued him ever since as he has made eight starts in the last three seasons.
2. Dustin Ackley — Seattle Mariners — Outfielder
The first position player selected was Dustin Ackley. He had a six-year career in the bigs as he was called up by the Seattle Mariners and traded to the New York Yankees for the final year and a half. He was a below-average hitter with a career 91 OPS+ but was sixth in the 2011 AL Rookie of the Year voting.
3. Donovan Tate — San Diego Padres — Outfielder
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Donovan Tate was drafted out of high school by the San Diego Padres and did not progress into a major leaguer. He never made it passed Single-A throughout six seasons before calling it quits in 2016.
4. Tony Sanchez — Pittsburgh Pirates — Catcher
Getting a catcher is difficult for the fact that there are not many all-around great ones. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him fourth overall but did not do much in the majors. Between 2013 and 2017 he would appear in 52 games and had a .676 OPS. He did a decent job throwing out runners as he threw out 17 percent of runners attempting to steal but retired in 2019 as a minor leaguer.
5. Matt Hobgood — Baltimore Orioles — RHP
The Baltimore Orioles selected high schooler Matt Hobgood with the fifth pick and he never was able to get out of Double-A. He finished with a 17-24 record with a 4.98 ERA over 325.1 innings in the minor leagues before hanging it up in 2015.
6. Zack Wheeler — San Francisco Giants — RHP
Zack Wheeler was drafted by the San Francisco Giants out of high school and has had a good career thus far. He is a one-time All-Star that made his debut with the New York Mets in 2013. After the 2019 season, Wheeler tested free agency and signed with the rival Philadelphia Phillies. He is currently 17 wins away from 100 for his career and less than a year away from 10 years of service time.
7. Mike Minor — Atlanta Braves — LHP
Vanderbilt is a pitching factory and that’s where Mike Minor came out of asas he was selected by the Braves. He was drafted out of high school by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006 but declined. He would make his debut in August 2010 and had a respectable career. He finished 83-90 with a 4.25 ERA over the course of 11 seasons in the bigs.
8. Mike Leake — Cincinnati Reds — RHP
Mike Leake was selected eighth overall out of Arizona State and was fast-tracked to the bigs. He made his debut on April 11, 2010, and had a respectable career himself. He won the 2019 AL Gold Glove, despite being traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks at the Trade Deadline. Leake played 10 years and was 105-98 with a 4.05 ERA throughout his big league career.
9. Jacob Turner — Detroit Tigers — RHP
Jacob Turner was drafted ninth overall out of high school by the Detroit Tigers and struggled throughout his MLB career. He pitched in 102 games (56 starts) and was 14-31. He had a -2.6 bWAR throughout his seven-year career and never really found his footing.
10. Drew Storen — Washington Nationals — RHP
The Nationals had this pick as compensation for failing to sign Aaron Crow the year before. Storen had a decent career as he would finish going 29-18 with a 3.45 ERA over the course of 440.1 innings. He pitched six seasons with the Nationals before making stops in Toronto, Seattle and Cincinnati. He officially retired after the 2019 season in the Royals farm system.
11. Tyler Matzek — Colorado Rockies — LHP
Another pitcher was taken in the draft as Tyler Matzek was selected 11th overall out of high school by the Colorado Rockies. He had a longer road to the bigs as he didn’t make his MLB debut until 2014. However, he still is on the mound today after being out of the majors from 2016 until 2020. Today, he is with the Atlanta Braves and was part of their bullpen during their World Series victory.
12. Aaron Crow — Kansas City Royals — RHP
After not signing with Washington the year before, Aaron Crow was selected 12th by the Kansas City Royals. Crow pitched four seasons in the big leagues as he went 20-11 with a 3.43 ERA out of the bullpen. He was an All-Star in 2011 as a rookie for the team but never reached that height again. Crow spent 2018 playing in Mexican leagues before retiring.
13. Grant Green — Oakland Athletics — Shortstop
We finally had another position player selected as the Oakland Athletics selected Grant Green out of USC. He did not have a great MLB career as he finished with a -1.7 WAR and a .620 OPS over the course of a five-year career. He would play only five games with the Athletics so it feels like a wasted pick by Oakland.
14. Matt Purke — Texas Rangers — LHP
The Texas Rangers selected Matt Purke here but he did not sign with the team. He instead elected to go to TCU to play college baseball and only pitched in 12 games in his MLB career.
15. Alex White — Cleveland Indians — RHP
The then-Cleveland Indians drafted pitcher Alex White out of UNC with the 15th selection. He would quickly find his way to the bigs in 2011 but would only pitch three games with Cleveland before being shipped to Colorado. White would pitch in 2012 with the Rockies and never see another batter at the MLB level before retiring in 2015.
16. Bobby Borchering — Arizona Diamondbacks — Third Baseman
Bobby Borchering was a third baseman taken straight out of high school by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He would never play above Single-A and retire in the 2015 season.
17. AJ Pollock —Arizona Diamondbacks — Outfield
Another pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks was outfielder A.J. Pollock as they were able to get the draft pick as the Dodgers signed Orlando Hudson and this was compensation for it. Pollock has been a good player in the majors as he is still playing today. He was with the D-Backs from 2012 until 2018 before leaving as a free agent. He most recently has been with the San Francisco Giants this season but Pollock was an All-Star, Golden Glove winner and an NL MVP candidate in 2015.
18. Chad James — Florida Marlins — LHP
Another high school pick was southpaw pitcher Chad James by the then-Florida Marlins. He would make it as far as Double-A in 2015 but after six seasons, he would call it quits at 24 years old.
19. Shelby Miller — St. Louis Cardinals — RHP
Shelby Miller was drafted 19th in the 2009 MLB draft by the St. Louis Cardinals out of high school and has been doing well throughout his career. He has pitched 11 seasons so far and was third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2013 as well as being named to the 2015 All-Star Game. Miller currency pitches for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
20. Chad Jenkins — Toronto Blue Jays — RHP
Chad Jenkins did not have the career many expected when taken by the Toronto Blue Jays 20th overall. He pitched in the majors from 2012-15 and was 3-4 with a 3.31 ERA in 100.2 innings but never pitched in the majors again. Jenkins pitched 20 games in Triple-A in 2016 before retiring.
21. Jiovanni Mier — Houston Astros — Shortstop
Mier was the 21st pick in the draft out of high school by the Houston Astros. He never was able to get out of the minors before retiring from baseball in 2018 after playing in Tijuana, Mexico.
22. Kyle Gibson — Minnesota Twins — RHP
Gibson was selected by the Minnesota Twins out of the University of Missouri and he had success. He did not debut until 2013 but still has been a solid pitcher. He pitched for Minnesota, Texas, Philadelphia and Baltimore now. He was named an All-Star in 2021 and has bee a veteran presence on a young Orioles team in 2023.
24. Jared Mitchell — Chicago White Sox — Outfielder
Outfielder Jared Mitchell was selected 23rd overall in the MLB draft and never reached the big leagues. He last played in 2022 in the Independent League so it could be that he has retired from the game.
24. Randal Grichuk — Los Angeles Angels — Outfielder
The final person to be selected before Mike Trout was outfielder Randal Grichuk and this pick was due to compensation for the New York Mets signing closer Francisco Rodriguez. Grichuk has had a good MLB career thus far as he has played in parts of 10 seasons and has a .762 OPS. He is currently back with the Angels after being traded from the Colorado Rockies at the Trade Deadline.
