Top five first overall picks in Major League Baseball history

The 2020 Major League Baseball Draft takes place on Wednesday. The draft first took place in 1965 with the Kansas City Athletics selecting outfielder Rick Monday from Arizona State University. Here are the top five first overall picks in the history of the Major League Baseball Draft.

5) Stephen Strasburg–Washington Nationals–The first overall pick in 2009 out of San Diego State University, Strasburg was the World Series most valuable player in 2019. Last season with the Nationals, he led the National League with 209 innings pitched and 18 wins, and led the Nationals to their first World Series title in franchise history. The three-time All-Star from San Diego, California, also led the National League with 242 strikeouts in 2014. Strasburg has a career record of 112 wins and 58 losses, 1695 strikeouts and an earned run average of 3.17, all with Washington.

4) David Price–Tampa Bay Rays–The first overall pick in 2007 out of Vanderbilt University, Price, a native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, won the American League Cy Young Award in 2012 with the Rays. That season he led the American League in wins (20) and earned run average (2.56). Two years later with the Rays and Detroit Tigers, Price led Major League Baseball with 271 strikeouts. A five-time all-star, Price won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018. Now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Price has a career record of 150 wins and 80 losses, 1981 strikeouts and an earned run average of 3.31.

3) Chipper Jones–Atlanta Braves–The first overall pick in 1990 out of Bolles High School in Jacksonville, Florida, Jones was drafted as a shortstop, but played third base in Atlanta for 19 seasons from 1993 to 2012. He batted .303 with 468 home runs and 1623 runs batted in. Jones, a native of DeLand, Florida, was an eight-time all-star with the Braves, won the 1995 World Series, and the 1999 National League Most Valuable Player Award. In 2008, Jones led Major League Baseball with a .364 batting average, and a .470 on base percentage, at age 36. He has his number 10 retired by the Braves, and in 2018 was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

2) Ken Griffey Jr.–Seattle Mariners–The first overall pick in 1987 out of Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Griffey was one of the best outfielders to ever play Major League Baseball. Known for his outstanding defense in center field, Griffey Jr. won 10 straight Gold Glove Awards in the American League with the Mariners from 1990 to 1999. Offensively, Griffey Jr. led the American League in home runs four times, including back-to-back seasons of 56 home runs in 1997 and 1998. A 13-time all-star, Griffey Jr. was the American League Most Valuable Player in 1997. Also that season, he led the American League with 125 runs, 147 runs batted in, a .646 slugging percentage and 393 total bases. The native of Donora, Pennsylvania went on to play nine seasons with the Cincinnati Reds from 2000 to 2008, a stop with the Chicago White Sox, and a return to the Mariners in 2009 before retiring in 2010. Griffey Jr. has had his number 24 retired by the Mariners, and in 2016 was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Griffey Jr. finished his career with a .284 batting average, 630 home runs, and 1836 runs batted in.

1) Alex Rodriguez–Seattle Mariners–The first overall pick in 1993 out of Westminster Christian High School in Palmetto Bay, Florida, Rodriguez played 22 seasons at either third base or shortstop with the Mariners, Texas Rangers, and New York Yankees from 1994 to 2016. The native of New York had his overall image tarnished however when he admitted to using steroids. As a result, he was suspended for the 2014 Major League Baseball season. Rodriguez still batted .295, with 696 home runs and 2086 runs batted in. The 14-time all-star won a World Series with the Yankees in 2009, and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award three times (2003 with Texas, 2005 and 2007 with New York). Rodriguez also holds the Major League Baseball records for most career grand slams (25), most home runs in a season by a shortstop (57 with Texas in 2002), and most runs scored in a season by a shortstop (141 with Seattle in 1996).