1987 Major League Baseball draft
The Major League Baseball Draft is the process by which Major League Baseball teams select athletes to play for their organization. High school seniors, college juniors and seniors, and anyone who had never played under a professional contract were considered eligible for the draft. The 1987 MLB Draft took place as a conference call to the Commissioner of Baseball's office in New York from June 2–4. As opposed to the National Football League Draft which appeared on ESPN, no network aired the MLB Draft.
The American League and the National League alternated picks throughout the first round; because an NL team drafted first in the 1986 MLB Draft, an AL team had the first selection in 1987. Having finished 67–95 in 1986, the Seattle Mariners had the worst record in the AL and thus obtained the first overall selection. The second selection went to the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had the worst record in the NL.
With the first overall pick, the Mariners drafted Ken Griffey, Jr. from Moeller High School. Griffey, Jr. became a 13-time All-Star and helped Seattle make its first postseason appearance in franchise history. Mark Merchant, the second overall pick, however, never played in a major league game. Two years after he was drafted, the Pirates traded Merchant to Seattle. Chicago White Sox' first overall selection Jack McDowell won the 1993 Cy Young Award as Chicago made a League Championship Series appearance that year. The total number of athletes drafted, 1,263, broke a record for the most players ever chosen in a draft. In total, 27 All-Stars were selected in 1987, although not all signed a professional contract., only three players from the draft has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame– Craig Biggio, Griffey, Jr, and Mike Mussina, though Mussina did not sign in this draft.
Background
As with prior drafts, the team with the worst overall record from the previous season selected first, with teams from the AL and NL alternating picks. If two or more teams had the same record, the team with the worse record from two seasons prior would draft higher. Because the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NL selected first overall in 1986 Major League Baseball Draft, an AL team had the first pick in the 1987 draft. The final two selections in the first round both came from American League teams, as the AL had two more organizations than the NL.The date of the draft was set for June 2–4, and would occur as a conference call to the Commissioner of Baseball's office in New York. Unlike the 1987 NFL Draft, which aired on ESPN, no network televised the MLB draft. High school seniors, college juniors and seniors, and anyone who had never played under a professional contract were considered eligible to be drafted. For the first time, junior college players would also be included in the June draft; in years past, teams would select junior college players in a separate draft.
Selections could be transferred or added if a team signed a certain type of free agent: the Elias Sports Bureau ranked players as either type-A, type-B, or type-C, based on the athlete's performance over the past two seasons. If a "type-A" player became a free agent, the team that lost the type-A player would receive the first-round draft pick from the team that signed the player, as well as a "sandwich pick" between the first and second rounds. If a "type-B" became a free agent, the team that lost him would receive a second-round pick from the team that signed the player. If a "type-C" became a free agent, the team that lost him would receive a compensation pick between the second and third rounds. The top 13 selections were considered "protected picks" and exempt from this rule.
With a record of 67–95, the Seattle Mariners ended the 1986 Major League Baseball season with the worst record in the AL and thus obtained the first overall selection. The Mariners never had a winning record in the twelve years since the franchise's creation, and during the 1986 season, changed managers three times. In the NL, the Pirates finished with the league's worst record for the second year in a row and were given the second overall pick. The 1986 World Series champion New York Mets drafted third-to-last, with the runner-up Boston Red Sox selecting last.
First two rounds
| Round | Pick | Player | Selected by | Position | School |
| 1 | †§ | Seattle Mariners | Outfielder | Moeller High School | |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Outfielder | Oviedo High School | ||
| 3 | Minnesota Twins | St. Anthony High School | |||
| 4 | Chicago Cubs | California State University, Fullerton | |||
| 5 | § | Chicago White Sox | Stanford University | ||
| 6 | Atlanta Braves | University of Georgia | |||
| 7 | Baltimore Orioles | Henry B. Plant High School | |||
| 8 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Valley High School | |||
| 9 | § | Kansas City Royals | Antelope Valley College | ||
| 10 | San Diego Padres | University of Texas at Austin | |||
| 11 | Oakland Athletics | Outfielder | Shelby County High School | ||
| 12 | Montreal Expos | Shortstop | Seaford Senior High School | ||
| 13 | Milwaukee Brewers | Shortstop | Clemson University | ||
| 14 | St. Louis Cardinals | University of Georgia | |||
| 15 | * | Baltimore Orioles | Virginia Tech | ||
| 16 | § | San Francisco Giants | Dartmouth College | ||
| 17 | Toronto Blue Jays | University of California, Los Angeles | |||
| 18 | § | Cincinnati Reds | University of Oklahoma | ||
| 19 | Texas Rangers | North Shore Senior High School | |||
| 20 | Detroit Tigers | Catcher | Westminster Christian School | ||
| 21 | Detroit Tigers | Outfielder | Pontotoc High School | ||
| 22 | †§ | Houston Astros | Catcher | Seton Hall University | |
| 23 | Texas Rangers | Catcher | University of California, Los Angeles | ||
| 24 | New York Mets | Third baseman | Loyola Marymount University | ||
| 25 | California Angels | Catcher | California Polytechnic State University | ||
| 26 | Boston Red Sox | Waynesboro High School | |||
| 27 | § | Baltimore Orioles | Fordham University | ||
| 28 | | Montreal Expos | Outfielder | Imperial Valley College | |
| 29 | | Texas Rangers | University of Texas at Austin | ||
| 30 | § | Detroit Tigers | Shortstop | J. M. Tate High School | |
| 31 | California Angels | Ocean View High School | |||
| 32 | | Boston Red Sox | Outfielder | Oral Roberts University | |
| 33 | Seattle Mariners | Ohio State University | |||
| 34 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Oak Park and River Forest High School | |||
| 35 | Minnesota Twins | Outfielder | University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh | ||
| 36 | Montreal Expos | Pflugerville High School | |||
| 37 | Chicago White Sox | Ocean View High School | |||
| 38 | Atlanta Braves | Catcher | Canoga Park High School | ||
| 39 | § | New York Mets | Catcher | William Fremd High School | |
| 40 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Outfielder | Granite Hills High School | ||
| 41 | Kansas City Royals | Second baseman | University of Kentucky | ||
| 42 | San Diego Padres | Bradley University | |||
| 43 | California Angels | San Diego State University | |||
| 44 | Montreal Expos | Florida State University | |||
| 45 | Milwaukee Brewers | Red Bank High School | |||
| 46 | St. Louis Cardinals | California State University, Northridge | |||
| 47 | § | Cleveland Indians | Outfielder | Louisiana State University | |
| 48 | San Francisco Giants | Portland State University | |||
| 49 | Toronto Blue Jays | Outfielder | C. Leon King High School | ||
| 50 | Cincinnati Reds | Shortstop | Texas Christian University | ||
| 51 | Texas Rangers | Louisiana State University | |||
| 52 | Philadelphia Phillies | Plano Senior High School | |||
| 53 | Detroit Tigers | Outfielder | University of Nevada, Reno | ||
| 54 | Houston Astros | University of California, Los Angeles | |||
| 55 | Milwaukee Brewers | University of Texas at Austin | |||
| 56 | New York Mets | George C. Marshall High School | |||
| 57 | California Angels | Shortstop | Bonita High School | ||
| 58 | Boston Red Sox | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa |
Other players to reach MLB
The following players were drafted outside of the first two rounds and played in at least one major league game:| Round | Pick | Player | Selected by | Position | School |
| 60 | * | Pittsburgh Pirates | Shortstop | Lewisville High School | |
| 62 | Chicago Cubs | Third baseman | George Washington High School | ||
| 65 | Baltimore Orioles | San Jose State University | |||
| 66 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Northwestern University | |||
| 67 | Kansas City Royals | Shortstop | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | ||
| 69 | * | Oakland Athletics | Third baseman | Texas A&M University | |
| 70 | Montreal Expos | Outfielder | Western Michigan University | ||
| 71 | Milwaukee Brewers | Miami Dade College | |||
| 72 | § | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder | Modesto Junior College | |
| 74 | San Francisco Giants | Shortstop | Arizona State University | ||
| 77 | Texas Rangers | Third baseman | University of Texas at Austin | ||
| 78 | Philadelphia Phillies | Shortstop | St. Amant High School | ||
| 86 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Outfielder | Jackson State University | ||
| 89 | Chicago White Sox | North Marion High School | |||
| 90 | Atlanta Braves | Outfielder | Lincoln High School | ||
| 91 | Baltimore Orioles | Shawnee High School | |||
| 95 | Oakland Athletics | Santa Clara University | |||
| 98 | * | St. Louis Cardinals | University of Michigan | ||
| 103 | Texas Rangers | Spartanburg Methodist College | |||
| 104 | Philadelphia Phillies | La Grange High School | |||
| 105 | Detroit Tigers | Outfielder | Georgia Institute of Technology | ||
| 109 | California Angels | Mullen High School | |||
| 115 | Chicago White Sox | Third baseman | St. Thomas University | ||
| 122 | Montreal Expos | Shortstop | Purdue University | ||
| 123 | Milwaukee Brewers | Sam Houston State University | |||
| 124 | St. Louis Cardinals | First baseman | University of Florida | ||
| 125 | Cleveland Indians | Roger Bacon High School | |||
| 127 | Toronto Blue Jays | Southwestern University | |||
| 129 | Texas Rangers | University of Louisiana at Monroe | |||
| 131 | Detroit Tigers | Second baseman | University of California, Los Angeles | ||
| 137 | * | Seattle Mariners | University of New Orleans | ||
| 139 | Minnesota Twins | California State University, Fullerton | |||
| 140 | Chicago Cubs | Eastwood High School | |||
| 141 | Chicago White Sox | William Penn University | |||
| 144 | § | Los Angeles Dodgers | Catcher | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | |
| 146 | § | San Diego Padres | Third baseman | University of South Carolina | |
| 148 | Montreal Expos | Third baseman | Fontana High School | ||
| 149 | Milwaukee Brewers | Second baseman | Louisiana Tech University | ||
| 155 | Texas Rangers | Outfielder | Navarro College | ||
| 156 | Philadelphia Phillies | Catcher | Seminole State College of Florida | ||
| 164 | §* | Pittsburgh Pirates | Shortstop | Indiana University Bloomington | |
| 165 | Minnesota Twins | Louisiana State University | |||
| 166 | Chicago Cubs | Third baseman | Westlake High School | ||
| 170 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Third baseman | Willamette University | ||
| 174 | Montreal Expos | Jackson State University | |||
| 180 | § | Cincinnati Reds | Shortstop | Spartanburg Methodist College | |
| 181 | Texas Rangers | Outfielder | University of California, Los Angeles | ||
| 182 | Philadelphia Phillies | Deer Park High School | |||
| 185 | New York Yankees | University of South Florida | |||
| 189 | * | Seattle Mariners | Catcher | Patrick Henry High School | |
| 190 | * | Pittsburgh Pirates | American River College | ||
| 192 | Chicago Cubs | Catcher | Sacramento Charter High School | ||
| 194 | Atlanta Braves | First baseman | Cerritos College | ||
| 198 | * | San Diego Padres | Shortstop | Bishop Gorman High School | |
| 206 | * | Cincinnati Reds | Third baseman | University of Arkansas | |
| 209 | * | Detroit Tigers | Infielder | University of South Florida | |
| 212 | New York Mets | Shortstop | Eastern Illinois University | ||
| 214 | Boston Red Sox | Shortstop | Seminole State College of Florida | ||
| 221 | Baltimore Orioles | Outfielder | Louisiana State University | ||
| 226 | * | Montreal Expos | Carson High School | ||
| 227 | Milwaukee Brewers | Third baseman | Georgia Institute of Technology | ||
| 230 | San Francisco Giants | University of Arizona | |||
| 231 | * | Toronto Blue Jays | Braggs High School | ||
| 233 | * | Texas Rangers | Catcher | Clemson University | |
| 238 | New York Mets | Outfielder | Vigor High School | ||
| 245 | Chicago White Sox | Shortstop | Brookdale Community College | ||
| 255 | Cleveland Indians | Shortstop | Texas A&M University | ||
| 257 | * | Toronto Blue Jays | Shortstop | Warren County High School | |
| 266 | Boston Red Sox | University of Maine | |||
| 273 | §* | Baltimore Orioles | Montoursville High School | ||
| 275 | * | Kansas City Royals | Outfielder | William R. Boone High School | |
| 277 | * | Oakland Athletics | Florida State University | ||
| 291 | California Angels | Outfielder | Stanford University | ||
| 292 | Boston Red Sox | Third baseman | Poway High School | ||
| 295 | Minnesota Twins | Shortstop | California State University, Fresno | ||
| 297 | Chicago White Sox | University of Mary Hardin–Baylor | |||
| 314 | Houston Astros | Infielder | California State University, Fullerton | ||
| 323 | Chicago White Sox | Outfielder | — | ||
| 324 | § | Atlanta Braves | Alvin Community College | ||
| 325 | § | Baltimore Orioles | Outfielder | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | |
| 330 | Montreal Expos | Catcher | University of California, San Diego | ||
| 331 | Milwaukee Brewers | Outfielder | Cypress High School | ||
| 335 | Toronto Blue Jays | Outfielder | Kent County High School | ||
| 342 | New York Mets | St. John's University | |||
| 350 | Atlanta Braves | Duncanville High School | |||
| 355 | § | Oakland Athletics | Third baseman | Taft College | |
| 362 | Cincinnati Reds | Harry S Truman College | |||
| 367 | New York Yankees | Outfielder | Grambling State University | ||
| 388 | Cincinnati Reds | El Paso High School | |||
| 396 | * | Boston Red Sox | First baseman | Glen Cove High School | |
| 405 | Kansas City Royals | Outfielder | Eastern Kentucky University | ||
| 411 | Cleveland Indians | Portland State University | |||
| 418 | Houston Astros | Stanford University | |||
| 420 | New York Mets | Eastern Illinois University | |||
| 424 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Outfielder | University of Georgia | ||
| 425 | Minnesota Twins | Second baseman | University of Arizona | ||
| 445 | * | New York Yankees | Shortstop | Windsor High School | |
| 449 | Seattle Mariners | Indiana State University | |||
| 455 | Baltimore Orioles | First baseman | Louisiana Tech University | ||
| 462 | St. Louis Cardinals | University of Arkansas | |||
| 464 | San Francisco Giants | Shortstop | University of California, Santa Barbara | ||
| 465 | * | Toronto Blue Jays | Wichita State University | ||
| 472 | New York Mets | Ford City High School | |||
| 476 | * | Pittsburgh Pirates | Shortstop | Ocean View High School | |
| 482 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Infielder | Florida State University | ||
| 486 | Montreal Expos | University of Tampa | |||
| 491 | Toronto Blue Jays | Rutgers University | |||
| 508 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Shortstop | Florida College | ||
| 511 | §* | Oakland Athletics | Third baseman | Linfield College | |
| 513 | * | Milwaukee Brewers | Catcher | Long Beach City College | |
| 520 | Philadelphia Phillies | Outfielder | California State University, Northridge | ||
| 522 | Houston Astros | College of the Siskiyous | |||
| 524 | New York Mets | Bishop Ludden Junior/Senior High School | |||
| 534 | Los Angeles Dodgers | California State University, Fresno | |||
| 539 | Milwaukee Brewers | Fullerton College | |||
| 547 | Detroit Tigers | Arizona State University | |||
| 555 | * | Minnesota Twins | Apple Valley High School | ||
| 559 | * | Baltimore Orioles | Third baseman | New York City College of Technology | |
| 567 | Cleveland Indians | Old Dominion University | |||
| 579 | * | Seattle Mariners | Shortstop | McLennan Community College | |
| 588 | San Diego Padres | Shortstop | Pepperdine University | ||
| 594 | San Francisco Giants | Grand Valley State University | |||
| 617 | §* | Milwaukee Brewers | Catcher | Conroe High School | |
| 621 | * | Toronto Blue Jays | Alameda High School | ||
| 643 | * | Milwaukee Brewers | Orange County High School | ||
| 645 | Cleveland Indians | Outfielder | Lamar University | ||
| 656 | * | Boston Red Sox | Catcher | Glen Este High School | |
| 658 | Pittsburgh Pirates | University of Nevada, Las Vegas | |||
| 666 | * | San Diego Padres | La Habra High School | ||
| 680 | §* | New York Mets | Catcher | Barrington High School | |
| 682 | * | Boston Red Sox | Columbia River High School | ||
| 696 | Philadelphia Phillies | Quitman High School | |||
| 711 | §* | Minnesota Twins | Shortstop | El Dorado High School | |
| 726 | Cincinnati Reds | Georgia Perimeter College | |||
| 742 | Los Angeles Dodgers | El Camino College | |||
| 746 | Montreal Expos | Third baseman | Evanston Township High School | ||
| 777 | Toronto Blue Jays | California State University, Fresno | |||
| 782 | § | Houston Astros | Chaffey College | ||
| 805 | Texas Rangers | Tulane University | |||
| 821 | Kansas City Royals | San Diego State University | |||
| 831 | § | Texas Rangers | Los Alamitos High School | ||
| 841 | Chicago Cubs | Outfielder | New Mexico State University | ||
| 846 | Kansas City Royals | Catcher | Los Angeles Harbor College | ||
| 858 | Detroit Tigers | Indian River State College | |||
| 869 | * | Baltimore Orioles | Pearland High School | ||
| 870 | * | Los Angeles Dodgers | Georgia Institute of Technology | ||
| 884 | §* | Houston Astros | San Jose City College | ||
| 902 | San Francisco Giants | Crowder High School | |||
| 905 | * | Texas Rangers | Outfielder | Glendora High School | |
| 914 | * | Minnesota Twins | Third baseman | Rancho Alamitos High School | |
| 929 | Philadelphia Phillies | Central High School | |||
| 938 | §* | Chicago Cubs | Providence High School | ||
| 952 | Philadelphia Phillies | Springfield High School | |||
| 954 | * | Houston Astros | Grossmont High School | ||
| 958 | Seattle Mariners | Second baseman | University of Texas at Austin | ||
| 961 | Chicago Cubs | Edison High School | |||
| 978 | New York Mets | University of Houston | |||
| 1,034 | * | Cincinnati Reds | Shortstop | Glenbard Township High School | |
| 1,041 | * | Seattle Mariners | Palm Beach State College | ||
| 1,057 | * | New York Yankees | Shortstop | Luther Burbank High School | |
| 1,064 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Lurleen B. Wallace Community College | |||
| 1,097 | * | Los Angeles Dodgers | Pepperdine University | ||
| 1,102 | * | Toronto Blue Jays | Outfielder | Chabot College | |
| 1,103 | Cincinnati Reds | Catcher | Spartanburg Methodist College | ||
| 1,109 | * | Seattle Mariners | Bonham High School | ||
| 1,136 | * | Texas Rangers | Shortstop | Shoreham-Wading River High School | |
| 1,152 | § | New York Yankees | Catcher | Cheshire High School | |
| 1,159 | * | Kansas City Royals | Catcher | Simi Valley High School | |
| 1,190 | * | Seattle Mariners | South Florida State College | ||
| 1,199 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Carthage College | |||
| 1,223 | * | Toronto Blue Jays | Outfielder | Miami Southridge High School | |
| 1,226 | §* | Kansas City Royals | Third baseman | University of California, Los Angeles | |
| 1,230 | * | Kansas City Royals | West Seattle High School | ||
| 1,247 | * | Kansas City Royals | Infielder | Cerritos College | |
| 1,249 | * | Kansas City Royals | Newport High School | ||
| 1,258 | * | Toronto Blue Jays | University of Toledo |
Aftermath
The Kansas City Royals had the most picks of any team, with 74; following the Royals, the Toronto Blue Jays made 71, and the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets made 61 apiece. The total number of players drafted, 1,263, broke a record for the most players ever selected in a draft. The previous record of 1,162 was set during the 1967 draft. The California Angels drafted the fewest future MLB players, with only four of their draftees appearing in an MLB game, while the Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers both drafted 13 future MLB players, the most of any team.With their first overall pick, the Mariners selected Ken Griffey, Jr., an outfielder from Moeller High School. Over his 22-year career, Griffey, Jr. was elected to thirteen All-Star games, won seven Silver Slugger Awards, and helped Seattle make their first playoff appearance as a franchise during the 1995 season. Mark Merchant, whom the Pirates drafted second overall, never played in an MLB game; two years after they drafted him, Pittsburgh traded Merchant to Seattle. The Pirates made the playoffs for three consecutive seasons from 1990–1992 but lost in the National League Championship Series all three years.