First-Year Player Draft History

Draft Report: 1960s

In Major League Baseball's first Free Agent Amateur Draft, the Kansas City Athletics selected Arizona State sophomore Rick Monday as the number one pick. Kansas City also chose 10 future major leaguers, including Sal Bando (6th round) and Gene Tenace (11th round), building the base for the Athletics' championship teams of the early 1970s.

A total of 813 players were selected. Some of the more significant picks were catcher Johnny Bench by the Cincinnati Reds and pitcher Nolan Ryan by the New York Mets in the second round, and infielder Graig Nettles by Minnesota in the fourth round. The first player to reach the majors was pitcher Joe Coleman, the Washington Senators' first pick and third pick overall. Two players fall in the category of the ones who got away -- Los Angeles selected pitcher Tom Seaver in the 24th round only to have him return to the University of Southern California campus, and Baltimore chose catcher Carlton Fisk in the 37th round, but was unable to sign him. In fact, of the 70 players the Orioles selected, only three eventually played in the big leagues.

First Round - June, Regular Phase

* Did not sign

1966

A January Free Agent Amateur Draft was added for the first time in 1966. Ninety-five prospects were selected in the regular phase and 102 in the secondary phase of the January draft, which featured only players previously drafted who did not sign. With the number one pick in the regular phase of the June draft, the New York Mets passed on Arizona State slugger Reggie Jackson and instead chose high school catcher Steve Chilcott. He spent six seasons in the minors before injuries ended his career.

Although the Mets will be remembered for choosing Chilcott over Jackson, many forget they landed Tom Seaver that year. Seaver, who was declared ineligible by the NCAA to play college baseball and who also was ineligible to be selected in the winter draft, was signed by the Mets for $50,000 in a special draft.

The Yankees tabbed left-handed pitcher Ken Stabler in the 10th round. Stabler went on to star in the NFL as a quarterback during the Oakland Raiders' championship years. Steve Garvey was the one who got away in 1966. Selected by the Minnesota Twins, Garvey elected to enroll at Michigan State.

First Round - June, Regular Phase

* Did not sign

1967

The June draft was filled with talented prospects who would go on to pro careers. Some of the selections included Bobby Grich and Don Baylor (Baltimore), Vida Blue (Kansas City Athletics), Dusty Baker (Atlanta), Ken Singleton and Jon Matlack (Mets), and Ted Simmons and Jerry Reuss (St. Louis). In the January draft, Boston tabbed catcher Carlton Fisk.

In the category of the one who got away, the Cincinnati Reds selected Chris Chambliss in the 31st round only to have him enroll in junior college. The Mets chose Dan Pastorini in the 32nd round, but Pastorini chose football and would later play several seasons in the NFL.

First Round - June, Regular Phase

1968

The Los Angeles Dodgers laid the groundwork for their championship clubs of the 1970s with an outstanding draft. Among the players the Dodgers selected were: Dave Lopes (2nd round) in the January secondary phase, Bill Buckner (2nd round), Joe Ferguson (6th round), Tom Paciorek (40th round), and Doyle Alexander (42nd round) in the June regular phase; and Steve Garvey (1st round) and Ron Cey (3rd round) in the June secondary phase.

The Dodgers didn't grab all the talent. Other draftees included Al Bumbry (Baltimore), Thurman Munson (Yankees), Greg Luzinksi (Philadelphia) and Gary Matthews (San Francisco). The biggest steal of the June draft was Cecil Cooper, chosen in the 6th round by the Boston Red Sox.

The 1968 June draft also included the four expansion teams that began play in 1969. Montreal, San Diego, Kansas City and Seattle began the selection process at the end of the fourth round of the regular phase.

First Round - June, Regular Phase

1969

The Washington Senators tabbed slugging outfielder Jeff Burroughs of Wilson High School in Long Beach, CA as the nation's number one pick. The Kansas City Royals made a record 90 selections in the June regular phase, including Al Cowens in the 84th round. Other notable players selected were Bill Madlock (Washington), Buddy Bell (Cleveland), Bob Boone (Philadelphia) and Ken Griffey, Sr. (Cincinnati).

Right-handed pitcher Dave Winfield was chosen in the 40th round by the Baltimore Orioles, but the St. Paul, MN native opted to attend the University of Minnesota. Pitcher Don Gullett was the first player to reach the majors. As the Reds' number one pick and 14th overall in the June regular phase, he joined the Cincinnati staff the following spring. Besides Griffey and Gullett, the Reds also tabbed pitchers Rawley Eastwick in the 3rd round in June and Ross Grimsley in the 1st round of the January secondary phase.

First Round - June, Regular Phase

* Did not sign