1978 Major League Baseball draft
The 1978 Major League Baseball draft was held June 6–8, 1978, consisting of 48 rounds, during which a total of 779 players were selected by 26 Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations.[1] The first overall selection was Bob Horner, drafted by the Atlanta Braves.
| 1978 Major League Baseball draft | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| First selection | Bob Horner Atlanta Braves |
| First round selections | 26 |
Four of the selected players made their professional debuts in MLB without first playing in Minor League Baseball: third baseman Horner from Arizona State University, Oakland High School pitchers Tim Conroy and Mike Morgan, and catcher Brian Milner from Southwest High School in Fort Worth, Texas.
In addition to Horner, the Braves also selected future major-leaguer players Matt Sinatro (2nd round), Steve Bedrosian (3rd round), Rick Behenna (4th round), Jose Alvarez (8th round) and Gerald Perry (11th round).
Others notable players drafted included Lloyd Moseby and Dave Stieb (Toronto), Mike Marshall and Steve Sax (Los Angeles), Cal Ripken Jr. and Mike Boddicker (Baltimore), Kirk Gibson (Detroit), Kent Hrbek (Minnesota) and Hubie Brooks (New York Mets).[2]
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.[3]
| = All-Star | = Baseball Hall of Fame |
Compensation picks
- Pick from Chicago White Sox as compensation for signing of free agent Ron Blomberg
- Pick from Texas Rangers as compensation for signing of free agent Mike Jorgensen
- Pick from Los Angeles Dodgers as compensation for signing of free agent Terry Forster
- Pick from Boston Red Sox as compensation for signing of free agent Mike Torrez
Other notable players
- Danny Heep, 2nd round, 37th overall Houston Astros
- Mel Hall, 2nd round, 39th overall Chicago Cubs
- Cal Ripken Jr., 2nd round, 48th overall Baltimore Orioles
- Steve Balboni, 2nd round, 52nd overall New York Yankees
- Steve Bedrosian, 3rd round, 53rd overall Atlanta Braves
- Britt Burns, 3rd round, 70th overall Chicago White Sox
- Bob Bonner, 3rd round, 74th overall Baltimore Orioles
- Rob Deer, 4th round, 85th overall San Francisco Giants
- Mike Witt, 4th round, 92nd overall California Angels
- Dave Stieb, 5th round, 106th overall Toronto Blue Jays
- Mike Marshall (outfielder), 6th round, 151st overall Los Angeles Dodgers
- Mike Boddicker, 6th round, 152nd overall Baltimore Orioles
- Tim Wallach, 8th round, 196th overall California Angels (did not sign)
- Steve Sax, 9th round, 229th overall Los Angeles Dodgers
- Mark Langston, 15th round, 377th overall Chicago Cubs (did not sign)
- Gary Redus, 15th round, 381st overall Cincinnati Reds
- Frank Viola, 16th round, 415th overall Kansas City Royals (did not sign)
- Kent Hrbek, 17th round, 432nd overall Minnesota Twins
- Eric Show, 18th round, 447th overall San Diego Padres
- John Stuper, 18th round, 460th overall Pittsburgh Pirates
- Kevin McReynolds, 19th round, 475th overall Milwaukee Brewers (did not sign)
- Ryne Sandberg, 20th round, 511th overall Philadelphia Phillies (later played for the Chicago Cubs)
- Dave Dravecky, 21st round, 531st overall Pittsburgh Pirates
- Howard Johnson, 21st round, 577th overall New York Yankees (did not sign)
- Rick Leach, 24th round, 594th overall Philadelphia Phillies (played QB for the Michigan Wolverines)
- Vance Law, 39th round, 758th overall Pittsburgh Pirates
- Ron Reeves, 47th round, 778th overall Cleveland Indians
References
- Henderson, Joe (June 9, 1978). "2 Tampa Pitchers Picked; Draft Ends". The Tampa Tribune. p. 6-C. Retrieved August 26, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
- "Background on the 1978 MLB Draft". Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2008.
- "MLB First Round Draft Picks - 1978". Retrieved August 3, 2008.