MLB Draft: What if? Drafted-but-not-signed players for every franchise

Ryan Fagan

MLB Draft: What if? Drafted-but-not-signed players for every franchise image

When it comes to what-might-have-been draft stories, no professional sport league holds a candle to the MLB Draft. 

Over the past few years, I’ve combed through the draft archives on Baseball-Reference.com (seriously, what an awesome, indispensable site) and found the “ we shoulda picked that guy” draft misses for every single MLB team. This year, I’m taking a bit of a different approach. 

This year, the goal was to find the best players drafted but not signed for each franchise. Things like the Cardinals drafting hometown prep right-hander Max Scherzer in the 43rd round but not signing him, or the Twins drafting college star Jason Varitek in the first round but not ponying up enough money to get a deal done. That kind of thing.

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Truthfully, I love research projects like this, in large part because draft history offers up nuggets of information I wasn’t expecting to find. Stuff like this: Longtime MLB slugger Darrell Evans was drafted five times (back when MLB had January and June drafts), opting not to sign with the Cubs, Yankees, Tigers or Phillies before finally agreeing to a deal with the Kansas City A’s. Gregg Vaughn was drafted five times, too, before beginning a career that produced 355 big-league homers. 

MLB DRAFT: Best No. 1 picks of all-time | Worst No. 1 whiffs 

Sometimes, teams are determined to get their guy. 

The Reds, for example, drafted hometown prep star Barry Larkin in the second round in 1982, but he chose to attend Michigan. So Cincinnati selected him again in the first round in 1985, and this time he signed. Stories like that abound in draft history. The Orioles drafted Mike Mussina twice. Same for Jorge Posada (twice by the Yankees), Craig Kimbrel (twice by the Braves), Tim Hudson (twice by the A’s) and Chuck Finley (twice by the Angels), to name a few. 

But those aren’t the stories we’re looking at today. Ready for the main course? Cool. 

Angels: Buster Posey, 2005

The pick: 50th round, 1,496th overall
Need to know: Posey is a perfect example of the truth that teams — and players — never really know what path a draft prospect’s career might take. We all know Posey as the Giants’ All-Star catcher and postseason rock, and Giants fans know that Posey was originally a shortstop Florida State before moving behind the plate. But did you know that the Angels took a flyer on Posey in the 50th round (his commitment to FSU was strong, which is why he lasted so long in the draft) as a right-handed pitcher? Yep. 
Other notables: Bo Jackson (1985, 20th round), Matt Harvey (2007, third round), Dave Kingman (1967, second round) Tim Wallach (1978, eighth round)

Astros: Jason Varitek, 1990

The pick: 23rd round, 625th overall
Need to know: Long before Varitek became known for contentious holdouts with the Twins (after the 1993 draft) and the Mariners (after the 1994 draft) and then an All-Star in the majors, the Astros drafted Varitek midway through the 1990 draft. He turned down the pros, opting to play college ball at Georgia Tech, where he was incredibly successful; he was the 1993 National Player of the Year (as named by Baseball America) and helped the Yellow Jackets to the 1994 College World Series. 
Other notables: Mike Flanagan (1971, 15th round), Michael Bourn (2000, 19th round), Scott Erickson (1987, 34th round), Eric Byrnes (1997, fourth round)

Athletics: Aaron Judge, 2010

The pick: 31st round, 935th overall
Need to know: Judge was far from polished as a baseball player in high school — Linden High School, relatively close to Sacramento — but the A’s couldn’t resist taking a guy with his size and raw power. The decision for Judge to play college ball at Fresno was clearly the right choice for his development ; the Yankees grabbed him in the first round of the 2013 draft and he’s well on his way to legend status in the pinstripes.

Worth noting a couple other outstanding players were picked in the 31st round of that 2010 draft; Kevin Kiermaier signed with the Rays after being chosen 941st, and the Red Sox picked Hunter Renfroe 953rd, though he didn’t sign.
Other notables: Floyd Bannister (1973, third round), Jonathan Papelbon (2002, 40th round), Jim Sundberg (1969, sixth round)

MLB DRAFT: The greatest No. 1 picks ever

Blue Jays: Kris Bryant, 2010

The pick: 18th round, 546th overall
Need to know: Look, Blue Jays fans, this one was always a longshot. Bryant was a star in high school, and it was well known he would need a ton of money to bypass his college commitment to San Diego and turn pro. That’s why he wasn’t picked until the 18th round, even though he had opening-rounds talent. Still, as Bryant noted in this 2015 story by Shi Davidi , the Jays didn’t make much of an effort: “There was definitely a chance, but I didn’t get offered anything, so obviously my only option was to go to school,” Bryant said. If there’s any solace, the Jays still landed Aaron Sanchez and Noah Syndergaard in that draft, among others, so overall it was a good effort. 
Other notables: Jeffrey Hammonds (1989, ninth round), Ted Lilly (1995, 13th round)

Braves: Randy Johnson, 1982

The pick: Fourth round, 89th overall
Need to know: Imagine, for a moment, Randy Johnson in Atlanta’s early-1990s rotation next to Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Steve Avery and (maybe) Greg Maddux. Could have happened, folks. The Braves picked the tall lefty with the ridiculous fastball — ridiculous because of its speed and the pitcher’s inability to control it early in his career — in the fourth round (one spot before the Royals drafted Will Clark, but more on that in a moment) but Johnson turned down the club’s signing bonus offer of $50,000 . Instead, he opted to pitch collegiately for Southern California. As a side note, know what 1982 draft pick did sign with the Braves? Future college football coach Urban Meyer was the 323rd player picked that year (13th round), but he hit just .182 in 138 career minor-league plate appearances and was done with his baseball dream by 1983. 
Other notables: Tom Seaver (1966, first round), Steve Finley (1986, 11th round), Tim Salmon (1986, 18th round)

Brewers: Nomar Garciaparra, 1991

The pick: Fifth round, 130th overall
Need to know: Like most of the players on this list, Garciaparra’s decision to choose college over money worked out well. Instead of turning pro, he chose to play college ball at Georgia Tech, where he teamed with Jason Varitek and Jay Payton, among others, to turn the Yellow Jackets into one of the nation’s best teams. And then Garciaparra’s pro career was pretty solid, too, eh?
Other notables: Jason Giambi (1989, 43rd round), Hunter Pence (2002, 40th round), Jake Arrieta (2005, 26th round)

Cardinals: Paul Molitor, 1974

The pick: 28th round, 587th overall
Need to know: For most teams, choosing a guy who has two Cy Young Awards in his pocket — one in each league — would have been an easy decision. But as you can see, we didn’t go with Max Scherzer, a St. Louis native the Cardinals picked in the 43rd round of the 2003 draft (he went on to star at Mizzou instead, as expected). See, the basic rule of thumb for breaking ties for any list like this is simple: Go with the Hall of Famer. And Molitor is the Hall of Famer. According to this column , Molitor wanted $8,000 to sign and the Cardinals offered $4,000, so Molitor played college ball at Minnesota and three years later went No. 3 overall in the first round to the Brewers. 
Other notables: Max Scherzer (2003, 43rd round), Bill Madlock (1969, 11th round)

MLB DRAFT: The worst No. 1 picks of all time

Cubs: Tim Lincecum, 2003

The pick: 48th round, 1,408th overall
Need to know: Baseball fans in San Francisco and outside San Francisco pretty much all agree that Lincecum was a perfect fit to be a superstar in that city. So it’s strange to think that might not have ever happened had Lincecum decided to sign a professional contract with the Cubs after they drafted him out of high school. Or even if Cleveland had been able to lure him away from the University of Washington when the Indians picked him in the 2005 draft. But Lincecum didn’t sign either time, a fact Giants fans will eternally be grateful for. 
Other notables: Sonny Gray (2008, 27th round), Terry Francona (1977, second round), Ray Lankford (1986, third round)

Diamondbacks: Ian Kinsler, 2000 and 2001

The picks: 29th and 26th rounds, 879th and 788th overall, respectively
Need to know: Kinsler was born and raised in Arizona, so it’s hard to blame his home-state team for trying twice to get him into the organization. Both times, though, Kinsler passed — out of high school and out of juco — before eventually signing after the Rangers picked him in the 17th round of the 2003 draft out of Mizzou. 
Other notables: Seth Smith (2001, 48th round), David Hernandez (2004, 34th round)

Dodgers: Tom Seaver, 1965

The pick: 10th round, 193rd overall
Need to know: Few players have a more convoluted draft history than Seaver. You can read all about his three-team eligible/ineligible issues involving the 1966 draft here , but we’re going to look at the 1965 draft, when the Dodgers picked him in the 10th round out of USC. He reportedly wanted $70,000 but the Dodgers balked at that price. The scout who said he wasn’t worth that? Tommy Lasorda . Yep. 
Other notables: Paul Goldschmidt (2006, 49th round), David Price (2004, 19th round), Chase Utley (1997, second round)

Giants: Barry Bonds, 1982 

The pick: Second round, 39th overall
Need to know: His dad, Bobby Bonds, was a star for the Giants in the 1970s, but Barry opted to play for Arizona State because, according to this report , the Giants offered $70,000 instead of meeting the asking price of $75,000. Sheesh. Instead, he played at ASU, then was drafted by the Pirates and helped that club to three playoff appearances (winning two NL MVPs) before eventually joining the Giants as a free agent in 1993. 
Other notables: J.D. Drew (1994, 20th round)

Indians: Brian Jordan, 1985

The pick: 20th round, 505th overall
Need to know: Before he was on the NFL’s radar, Jordan was a star baseball player at Milford Mill Academy in Baltimore, and Cleveland wanted him in its organization. His parents, though, insisted that he should go to college first , and that worked out pretty well. At the University of Richmond, Jordan developed into a football star, too, and wound up with a successful dual-sport career (he was a first-round pick of the Cardinals in the 1988 MLB Draft and played parts of three seasons for the Falcons in the NFL). Side note: Jordan wasn’t the only two-sport star drafted in the 20th round of the 1985 draft; six picks after Cleveland drafted Jordan, the Angels drafted Bo Jackson (who didn’t sign). Crazy.  
Other notables: Doug Drabek (1980, fourth round), Tim Lincecum (2005, 42nd round)

Mariners: Tony Phillips, 1977

The pick: Sixth round, 416th overall
Need to know: Only two players the Mariners picked in their first-ever draft made big impacts in the major leagues. Dave Henderson, who was the club’s first pick (No. 26 in the opening round) had a solid 14-year career for six clubs, primarily the Mariners and A’s. Phillips was the other guy, compiling a career WAR of 50.8 over his 18 seasons in the bigs. Problem was, he didn’t sign with Seattle, and was drafted in the first round of the 1978 draft by the Expos. We should point out that Henderson and Phillips eventually made an impact together; both were starters for the 1989 A’s, a club that won the World Series.  
Other notables: Barry Zito (1996, 59th round), Lance Lynn (2005, sixth round), Juan Pierre (1995, 30th round), Lance Johnson (1982, 31st round)

Marlins: Cliff Lee, 1997

The pick: Eighth round, 246th overall
Need to know: In 2005, his fourth season in the big leagues, Lee finished fourth in the AL Cy Young voting. Getting to that point was quite the trip. See, in 1997 Lee was drafted out of high school in Arkansas by the Marlins, but he didn’t sign. Then in 1998, he was drafted by the Orioles in the 20th round out of a Mississippi community college, but didn’t sign. Two years later, he was a fourth-round pick out of the University of Arkansas, and he signed with the Expos. He never pitched in the bigs for that franchise, of course, because in 2002, he was part of that blockbuster deal that sent Bartolo Colon from Cleveland to Montreal and sent Lee, Brandon Phillips, Grady Sizemore and Lee Stevens to Ohio. Yep. Long journey. 
Other notables: Charlie Blackmon (2004, 28th round), Adam LaRoche (1998, 18th round)

Mets: Roger Clemens, 1981

The pick: 12th round, 289th overall
Need to know: Clemens wanted $25,000 to sign with the Mets. They offered $10,000 . They probably should have given him the extra $15,000. They had another chance to get Clemens; they had three first-round picks in the 1983 draft (fourth overall, 20th and 27th), but they chose Eddie Williams with the fourth overall pick and then the Red Sox took Clemens with the 19th overall pick. So close, but so very far away. 
Other notables: Rafael Palmeiro (1982, eighth round), John Olerud (1986, 27th round), Ron Cey (1966, 19th round), Matt Williams (1983, 27th round)

Nationals/Expos: Mark McGwire, 1981

The pick: Eighth round, 199th overall
Need to know: The $8,500 offered by the Expos wasn’t enough to change McGwire’s plan of attending USC. Good choice by the slugger; by the 1984 season his power developed to the point that The Sporting News picked him as our college player of the year, and he also competed for Team USA in the 1984 Olympics. When the A’s selected him in the first round of the 1984 draft, they gave him a healthy $125,000 signing bonus. 
Other notables: Russell Martin (2000, 35th round by the Expos), Marcus Stroman (2009, 18th round by the Nationals), Charles Johnson (1989, first round by the Expos)

Orioles: Dave Winfield, 1969

The pick: 40th round, 884th overall
Need to know: By the time he was done with his time at the University of Minnesota, Winfield’s legend as an athlete was known nation-wide. He was drafted fourth overall in the MLB Draft by the Padres, in the fifth round of the NBA draft by the Hawks — he was a powerful forward for the Golden Gophers’ hoops team — and in the 17th round of the NFL draft by the Vikings, even though he never played college football. None of those things would have happened, though, if Winfield decided to sign with the Orioles in 1969 instead of choosing the college route. Good choice, eh? 
Other notables: Cliff Lee (1998, 20th round), Michael Young (1994, 25th round), Cecil Fielder (1981, 31st round), Glenn Davis (1979, 31st round)

Padres: Todd Helton, 1992

The pick: Second round, 55th overall
Need to know: Before Helton hurt his knee and was replaced by Peyton Manning at quarterback for the University of Tennessee, he was one hell of a prep baseball player in Knoxville (he hit .655 as a senior) and the Padres picked him in the second round of the 1992 draft. This is a good look, written at the time, at Helton’s decision-making process . Helton, of course, eventually opted to attend UT, and while he didn’t quite hit .655 for the Vols, he was a star and the Rockies took him eighth overall in the 1995 draft. That worked out well. 
Other notables: Doug DeCinces (1969, 18th round), Jason Kipnis (2008, fourth round), Troy Glaus (1994, second round)

Phillies: J.D. Drew, 1997

The pick: First round, second overall
Need to know: You knew this one was coming, Phillies fans. No need to rehash what’s probably the most bitter contract negotiation in MLB Draft history ( more here if you want, though ). The Phillies used their 1998 compensation pick for not signing Drew on Eric Valent, an outfielder who played just 29 games for Philadelphia before he was traded away in 2003 for Kelly Stinnett. 
Other notables: Vince Coleman (1981, 20th round), Chuck Knoblauch (1986, 18th round), Casey Blake (1992, 11th round)

Pirates: Lance Johnson, 1981

The pick: 30th round, 742nd overall
Need to know: The exceptionally speedy Johnson was twice drafted but didn’t sign, by the Pirates in 1981 and the Mariners in 31st round of the 1982 draft. He signed with the Cardinals as a sixth-round pick in the 1984 draft and went on to a 14-year big league career that included 327 stolen bases and 117 triples (he led the league in that category five times). 
Other notables: Joe Magrane (1982, third round), Chris Bosio (1981, 29th round), Bip Roberts (1981, fifth round)

Rangers: Bruce Sutter, 1970

The pick: 21st round, overall
Need to know: According to his SABR bio , Sutter was drafted by the Senators, but because he was only 17 (which the club didn't know at the time) he was ineligible to sign a contract and the club never made him an offer. He enrolled at Old Dominion but quit school and played a bit of semipro baseball near his hometown. The Cubs noticed him there and signed him to a free-agent contract for $500 a month, with a $500 signing bonus. Funny how things work out, isn’t it? 
Other notables: Barry Zito (1998, third round), Jim Sundberg (1972, eighth round), Chris Speier (1968, 11th round)

Rays: Jacoby Ellsbury, 2002

The pick: 23rd round, 674th overall
Need to know: Ellsbury has played more games against the Rays than any other team in the majors, which isn’t surprising considering he’s spent his career in the AL East playing for the Red Sox and Yankees. In an alternative universe, though, he would have starred for the Rays instead of compiling 12 homers and 37 stolen bases in 145 games against the Rays. Rather than signing with Tampa Bay as a 23rd-round pick in the 2002 draft, Ellsbury went on to star at Oregon State and three years later he was the 23rd overall pick in the first round by the Red Sox. 
Other notables: Andrew Miller (2003, third round), Wade Miley (2005, 20th round), Adam Ottavino (2003, 30th round)

Red Sox: Mark Teixeira, 1998

The pick: Ninth round, 265th overall
Need to know: Teixeira was clearly a first-round talent, but rumors about his signability made clubs hesitant to draft him in 1998. The Red Sox took a calculated chance with this ninth-round pick, but Teixeira, soured by the entire process , gladly played at Georgia Tech instead. A couple years later, the Rangers made him the fifth overall pick in the draft. 
Other notables: Charlie Blackmon (2005, 20th round), Tino Martinez (1985, third round), Brandon Belt (2006, 11th round), Jack McDowell (1984, 20th round), Pat Burrell (1995, 43rd round)

Reds: Jake Arrieta, 2004

The pick: 31st round, 918th overall
Need to know: Arrieta’s rocky path to stardom in the majors has been well-documented the past couple years, but those stories have mostly focused on his time with the Orioles. If Arrieta had signed with the Reds out of high school in 2004 — or with the Brewers after Milwaukee drafted him in the 26th round out of juco a year later — who knows what his path might have looked like? Instead of throwing a no-hitter against Cincinnati, maybe he would have thrown a no-hitter for the Reds against the Cubs (or some other team). 
Other notables: Nick Markakis (2001, 35th round), Bobby Witt (1982, seventh round), Otis Nixon (1978, 21st round), Chris Chambliss (1967, 31st round)

Rockies: Chris Sale, 2007

The pick: 21st round, 642nd overall
Need to know: If any pitcher could have found success in Colorado, it’s a guy like Sale, right? We will never know, because Sale decided to turn down a reported $100,000 signing bonus and instead attend Florida Gulf Coast to get an education and hone his skills. Three years later, the White Sox took him with the 13th overall pick. 
Other notables: Todd Frazier (2004, 37th round), Matt Garza (2002, 40th round)

Royals: Will Clark, 1982

The pick: Fourth round, 642nd overall
Need to know: Instead of signing with the Royals, Clark headed to Mississippi State, where he had an outstanding college career and teamed with Rafael Palmeiro, Bobby Thigpen and Jeff Brantley to help the Bulldogs into the 1985 College World Series. The Giants, of course, made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 1985 draft, and he quickly became a franchise hero. 
Other notables: Deion Sanders (1985, sixth round), Frank Viola (1978, 16th round), Shane Mack (1981, fourth round)

Tigers: Ozzie Smith, 1976

The pick: Seventh round, 146th overall
Need to know: The Tigers picked two all-time great shortstops in the 1976 draft, selecting Alan Trammell in the second round and Smith in the seventh. Trammel signed and Smith didn’t — the gap in the offered/requested signing bonus was reportedly very little — and baseball fans were deprived of a potential position battle for the ages. Another interesting note: Smith’s future long-time teammate in St. Louis, Willie McGee, was also drafted in the seventh round of the 1976 draft, by the White Sox. He didn’t sign, either. And, one more: Later in that very same seventh round of the 1976 draft, the Red Sox selected Wade Boggs with the 166th overall pick. He, of course, did sign with Boston. 
Other notables: Keith Foulke (1993, 14th round), Andy Messersmith (1965, third round), R.A. Dickey (1993, 10th round)

Twins: Mark Grace, 1984

The pick: 15th round, 316th overall
Need to know: The Twins picked Grace in the January MLB Draft (MLB had both January and June drafts from 1966-86) out of junior college. Instead of taking the money , though, he transferred to San Diego State and hit .395 for the Aztecs, but that didn’t help his stock much. The Cubs picked him in the 24th round of the June draft, and he hit .332 in 270 minor-league games before finishing second in the NL rookie of the year voting in 1988. 
Other notables: Steve Garvey (1966, third round), George Springer (2008, 48th round), Jason Varitek (1993, first round)

White Sox: Willie McGee, 1976

The pick: Seventh round, 152nd overall
Need to know: Instead of signing with the White Sox, McGee opted to attend community college and improved his stock to the point where he was the 15th overall pick in the 1977 January draft by the Yankees. He never quite found his footing in New York’s system, but became an instant star after he was traded to the Cardinals after the 1981 season. 
Other notables: Jimmy Key (1979, 10th round), Eric Gagne (1994, 30th round)

Yankees: Bo Jackson, 1982

The pick: Second round, 50th overall
Need to know: The Yankees pushed hard to sign Jackson out of high school, reportedly offering $250,000 to persuade him not to attend Auburn and play both football and baseball. You know how that worked out, though. Still, it’s fun to imagine what might have happened if Jackson had focused solely on baseball his entire career (and thinking about him on George Steinbrenner’s Yankees is almost too much to comprehend). 
Other notables: Gerrit Cole (2008, first round), Fred Lynn (1970, third round), B.J. Surhoff (1982, fifth round), Mark Prior (1998, first round)

Ryan Fagan

Ryan Fagan Photo

Ryan Fagan, the national MLB writer for The Sporting News, has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2016. He also dabbles in college hoops and other sports. And, yeah, he has way too many junk wax baseball cards.