1992 Major League Baseball expansion draft


On November 17, 1992, during the 1992–93 offseason, Major League Baseball held an expansion draft in New York City to allow two expansion teams, the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies, to build their rosters prior to debuting in the National League's East and West divisions, respectively, in the 1993 MLB season.
The 1990 collective bargaining agreement between MLB owners and the MLB Players Association allowed the NL to expand by two members to match the American League. In June 1991, MLB accepted bids of groups from Miami, Florida, and Denver, Colorado, with debuts set for 1993.
The Marlins and Rockies used the expansion draft to build their teams using different strategies. As the Rockies had a smaller operating budget than the Marlins, the Rockies targeted prospects with low salaries, while the Marlins selected older players intended to provide more immediate impact. All three rounds of the draft were televised by ESPN.

Background

team owners and the MLB Players Association agreed to expand the National League by two teams in the 1990 collective bargaining agreement. Prior to expansion, the NL had 12 teams while the American League had 14.
In June 1991, MLB accepted two bids for expansion franchises: one for Miami, Florida, and the other for Denver, Colorado. Both teams were set to debut in 1993. Expansion was approved unanimously by all teams in July 1991. The Denver group chose to call their franchise the Colorado Rockies, the same name used as the National Hockey League franchise that played in Denver from 1976 to 1982. The Miami group chose to call themselves the Florida Marlins to broaden their fanbase to the entire state, while reviving the nickname of a defunct minor league team. An expansion draft to stock both franchises was set for November 1992.

Procedure

In contrast to previous expansion drafts, players from both the American League and National League were available to the expansion clubs. Each existing club could protect 15 players on their 40-man roster from being drafted and only one player could be drafted from each team in each round. At the end of each round, NL teams could protect an additional three players and AL teams could protect an additional four. To further protect the AL teams, a maximum of eight AL teams could have three players chosen.
All unprotected MLB and minor league players were eligible except those chosen in the amateur drafts of 1991 or 1992 and players who were 18 or younger when signed in 1990. Players who were free agents after the 1992 season were not eligible for selection in the draft. The Rockies and Marlins, however, were not restricted in offering contracts to free agents. The Rockies signed their first free agent, Andrés Galarraga, to a one-year contract the day before the expansion draft.
The draft order was determined by a coin toss, the winner of which could choose either: the first overall pick in the expansion draft and the 28th, and last, pick in the first round of the 1993 MLB amateur draft; or allow the other team to pick first and receive both the second and third overall expansion draft picks, the right to pick first in the subsequent rounds of the expansion draft, and the 27th, and next-to-last, overall pick in the 1993 MLB amateur draft. Colorado won the toss and chose to pick first overall. The three rounds of the draft were televised by ESPN.

Results

With the first pick, the Rockies chose David Nied, who had a 3–0 win–loss record with a 1.17 earned run average in six MLB appearances with the Atlanta Braves. The Marlins' first selection, Nigel Wilson, spent the 1992 season with the Double-A Knoxville Smokies of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, and had no MLB experience.
In total, the Rockies and Marlins chose 41 pitchers with their combined 72 selections. Of the 72 players chosen, 11 were All-Stars during their careers. Jack Armstrong, Bryan Harvey, and Danny Jackson had been All-Stars before the expansion draft, while Andy Ashby, Brad Ausmus, Vinny Castilla, Jeff Conine, Carl Everett, Joe Girardi, Harvey, Trevor Hoffman, Jackson, and Eric Young became All-Stars later on in their careers. Hoffman would also be elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018.
All-Star
Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

, the one-time career leader in saves, was selected with the 7th pick overall.|alt=A man in a white baseball uniform in his pitching motion.
never played for the Rockies, but had an 18-year MLB career.|alt=A man in a red baseball uniform stands and looks towards his left.
managed the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners after his playing career.|alt=A man in a blue jacket with the word "Indians" written across the chest
played for the Rockies and managed the Marlins.|alt=A man in a navy blue baseball uniform with the word "New York" written across the front
RoundPickPlayerPositionSelected fromSelected by
1Atlanta BravesColorado Rockies
2OutfielderToronto Blue JaysFlorida Marlins
3Third basemanNew York YankeesColorado Rockies
4New York MetsFlorida Marlins
5Milwaukee BrewersColorado Rockies
6ShortstopMontreal ExposFlorida Marlins
7OutfielderSan Diego PadresColorado Rockies
8Cincinnati RedsFlorida Marlins
9OutfielderTexas RangersColorado Rockies
10San Francisco GiantsFlorida Marlins
11Second basemanLos Angeles DodgersColorado Rockies
12Chicago White SoxFlorida Marlins
13Second basemanBoston Red SoxColorado Rockies
14OutfielderSt. Louis CardinalsFlorida Marlins
15Detroit TigersColorado Rockies
16OutfielderCleveland IndiansFlorida Marlins
17OutfielderPittsburgh PiratesColorado Rockies
18CatcherOakland AthleticsFlorida Marlins
19CatcherChicago CubsColorado Rockies
20California AngelsFlorida Marlins
21Houston AstrosColorado Rockies
22First baseman/OutfielderKansas City RoyalsFlorida Marlins
23CatcherMinnesota TwinsColorado Rockies
24Baltimore OriolesFlorida Marlins
25Philadelphia PhilliesColorado Rockies
26OutfielderSeattle MarinersFlorida Marlins
27ShortstopCincinnati RedsColorado Rockies
28OutfielderNew York YankeesFlorida Marlins
29Second basemanLos Angeles DodgersColorado Rockies
30Toronto Blue JaysFlorida Marlins
31Montreal ExposColorado Rockies
32New York MetsFlorida Marlins
33San Diego PadresColorado Rockies
34ShortstopPittsburgh PiratesFlorida Marlins
35Houston AstrosColorado Rockies
36CatcherSan Francisco GiantsFlorida Marlins
37Chicago CubsColorado Rockies
38St. Louis CardinalsFlorida Marlins
39ShortstopAtlanta BravesColorado Rockies
40Cleveland IndiansFlorida Marlins
41California AngelsColorado Rockies
42Texas RangersFlorida Marlins
43Third basemanMilwaukee BrewersColorado Rockies
44Minnesota TwinsFlorida Marlins
45Detroit TigersColorado Rockies
46Kansas City RoyalsFlorida Marlins
47CatcherBoston Red SoxColorado Rockies
48Chicago White SoxFlorida Marlins
49Philadelphia PhilliesColorado Rockies
50Oakland AthleticsFlorida Marlins
51Seattle MarinersColorado Rockies
52Baltimore OriolesFlorida Marlins
53CatcherNew York YankeesColorado Rockies
54Pittsburgh PiratesFlorida Marlins
55Toronto Blue JaysColorado Rockies
56Los Angeles DodgersFlorida Marlins
57Atlanta BravesColorado Rockies
58CatcherMontreal ExposFlorida Marlins
59San Francisco GiantsColorado Rockies
60OutfielderCalifornia AngelsFlorida Marlins
61Cincinnati RedsColorado Rockies
62OutfielderKansas City RoyalsFlorida Marlins
63Third basemanChicago CubsColorado Rockies
64Houston AstrosFlorida Marlins
65Minnesota TwinsColorado Rockies
66St. Louis CardinalsFlorida Marlins
67San Diego PadresColorado Rockies
68Third basemanNew York MetsFlorida Marlins
69OutfielderPhiladelphia PhilliesColorado Rockies
70OutfielderTexas RangersFlorida Marlins
71Cleveland IndiansColorado Rockies
72Milwaukee BrewersFlorida Marlins

Draft-day trades

The following trades were announced at the conclusion of the expansion draft:
Several older star players who were left unprotected, including Danny Tartabull, Jack Morris, and Shawon Dunston, were not selected due to their high salaries and advanced age. Based on the results of the expansion draft, the Marlins were projected to have a higher payroll in 1993 than the Rockies. The Rockies' payroll appeared to be $4 million, less than what the Marlins would pay Bryan Harvey.
The New York Yankees challenged the validity of the draft on the basis that the Marlins did not compensate the Yankees for the loss of territory in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where the Yankees had a minor league team. They attempted to revoke the assignment of Hayes and Ausmus to the Rockies and Everett to the Marlins. Invoking the "best interests of baseball" clause, Commissioner Bud Selig and the major league executive council affirmed the draft results.
In the 1993 Major League Baseball season, the Marlins and Rockies both finished sixth out of seven teams in their respective divisions. The Rockies were the first team to reach the playoffs, using the roster they developed through the expansion draft to win the wild card in 1995, a record for the shortest amount of time for an expansion team to make the playoffs in any sport at the time. Ritz and Painter, both selected in the expansion draft, started Games 1 and 2 of the 1995 National League Division Series for the Rockies. The Rockies added free agent acquisition Larry Walker to a lineup of power hitters in Galarraga, Bichette, and Castilla, known collectively as the "Blake Street Bombers".
Meanwhile, the Marlins kept fewer players they selected in the expansion draft than the Rockies. In 1996, the Rockies retained 13 players from the draft, while the Marlins had six. Jeff Conine, nicknamed "Mr. Marlin", was the only player selected in the expansion draft on the Marlins' 1997 World Series championship roster. However, the Marlins used the players selected in the expansion draft to craft their 1997 roster. The Marlins traded three players selected in the draft, Hoffman, Martínez and Berumen, to the San Diego Padres for Gary Sheffield, a key member of the 1997 Florida Marlins. However, other key players to the Marlins' World Series championship were signed as free agents. The 1997 Marlins set records by reaching and winning the World Series in the team's fifth year and were the first wild card team to win the World Series.