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Every sports fan knows that the MLB Draft is not nearly as exciting as the draft of other sports. That’s because it takes at least three to five years for even the top baseball prospects to show up in the majors. But that doesn’t mean the MLB Draft doesn’t matter. Just like other sports, the strongest MLB draft classes are always remembered fondly, especially since they can change the course of a franchise. That’s why we did the leg work to rank the top MLB draft classes and find the best MLB draft class of all time.
5. Red Sox, 1976
The Red Sox have had plenty of quality draft classes over the years, but 1976 produced two long-time big league pitchers in Bruce Hurst and John Tudor.
However, the player who makes this one of the best draft classes of all time is Wade Boggs.
Scouts weren’t sure if Boggs had enough power and athleticism to make an impact in the majors. But he showed them, winning five batting titles and ending up in the Hall of Fame.
4. Cubs, 1984
Unfortunately for the Cubs, this wasn’t the draft class that helped them win a World Series. In fact, they didn’t benefit from the players chosen as much as some other teams. However, the Cubs did have the foresight to select both Greg Maddux and Jamie Moyer.
Together, those two would end up winning 624 games. There were a few more memorable players in that class as well. But Maddux and Moyer won more games than any pair from one team’s draft class in MLB history.
3. Yankees, 1990
The Yankees may not have won four championships in five years from 1996 to 2000 without the 1990 draft.
It was in this draft that they found Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada, who was a 24th-round pick who was a shortstop in junior college when the Bronx Bombers found him.
Shane Spencer and Ricky Ledee were also part of this class, as was first-round pick Carl Everett. But Pettitte in the 22nd round and Posada in the 24th round make this a draft class worth remembering.
2. Angels, 2009
There are close to two dozen other teams that are kicking themselves for passing on Mike Trout, who went 25th overall.
Trout by himself would have made a great draft class. But the Angels didn’t stop there.
In the 2009 MLB Draft, the Halos also found Patrick Corbin, Garrett Richards, and the late Tyler Skaggs. They also found Randal Grichuk, who actually went one pick before Trout.
That’s a lot of talent that all panned out, highlighted by the best player of his generation.
1. Dodgers, 1968
This class takes the cake with the Dodgers finding 11 future big leaguers and six future all-stars who would eventually combine for 23 all-star selections.
Bill Buckner and Steve Garvey are perhaps the two biggest names from the draft, not to mention Bobby Valentine, who was the fifth overall pick in the June draft.
The likes of Davey Lopes, Tom Paciorek, Doyle Alexander, Geoff Zahn, and Joe Ferguson were all part of the class of players drafted by the Dodgers in 1968, a class that will be difficult to top.
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