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1987 Major League Baseball draft

Baseball draft of amateur players by Major League Baseball

Field	Value
name	1987 Major League Baseball draft
image	Ken Griffey, Jr. - Mike Harkey - Jack McDowell - Mike Remlinger.jpg
caption	First-round selections Ken Griffey Jr. (top left), Mike Harkey (top right), Jack McDowell (bottom left), and Mike Remlinger (bottom right).
date	June 2–4, 1987
location	Commissioner's office, New York
network	none
first	Ken Griffey Jr.
Seattle Mariners
first_round	32
overall	1,263
hofnum	{{Collapsible list
title	3
1	CF Ken Griffey Jr.
2	OF Craig Biggio
3	P Mike Mussina}}
prev	[1986](1986-major-league-baseball-draft)
next	[1988](1988-major-league-baseball-draft)

Seattle Mariners

The 1987 Major League Baseball draft is the process by which Major League Baseball (MLB) 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 (AL) and the National League (NL) 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, where he got to meet Ken Griffey Jr. 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 was 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 were 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 (top 30 percent of all players), type-B (31 percent to 50 percent), or type-C (51 percent to 60 percent), 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 (their best winning percentage was .469, accomplished in 1982), 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

*	§	†§
Did not sign with team
All-Star
Hall-of-Fame inductee and All-Star

Round	Pick	Player	Selected by	Position
§	§
†§
§


§



§

§

	1	Seattle Mariners	Outfielder	Moeller High School (OH)
	2	Pittsburgh Pirates	Outfielder	Oviedo High School (FL)
	3	Minnesota Twins		St. Anthony High School (NJ)
	4	Chicago Cubs		Cal State Fullerton
	5	Chicago White Sox		Stanford
	6	Atlanta Braves		Georgia
	7	Baltimore Orioles		Plant High School (FL)
	8	Los Angeles Dodgers		Valley High School (NV)
	9	Kansas City Royals		Antelope Valley College
	10	San Diego Padres		Texas
	11	Oakland Athletics	Outfielder	Shelby County High School (KY)
	12	Montreal Expos	Shortstop	Seaford Senior High School
	13	Milwaukee Brewers	Shortstop	Clemson
	14	St. Louis Cardinals		Georgia
	15	Baltimore Orioles		Virginia Tech
	16	San Francisco Giants		Dartmouth
	17	Toronto Blue Jays		UCLA
	18	Cincinnati Reds		Oklahoma
	19	Texas Rangers		North Shore High School (TX)
	20	Detroit Tigers	Catcher	Westminster Christian School (FL)
	21	Detroit Tigers	Outfielder	Pontotoc High School
	22	Houston Astros	Catcher	Seton Hall
	23	Texas Rangers	Catcher	University of California, Los Angeles
	24	New York Mets	Third baseman	Loyola Marymount
	25	California Angels	Catcher	Cal Poly
	26	Boston Red Sox		Waynesboro High School
(supplemental)	27	Baltimore Orioles		Fordham
(supplemental)	28	Montreal Expos	Outfielder	Imperial Valley College
(supplemental)	29	Texas Rangers		Texas
(supplemental)	30	Detroit Tigers	Shortstop	J. M. Tate High School
(supplemental)	31	California Angels		Ocean View High School
(supplemental)	32	Boston Red Sox	Outfielder	Oral Roberts
	33	Seattle Mariners		Ohio State
	34	Pittsburgh Pirates		Oak Park and River Forest High School
	35	Minnesota Twins	Outfielder	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 (CA)
	41	Kansas City Royals	Second baseman	Kentucky
	42	San Diego Padres		Bradley
	43	California Angels		San Diego State
	44	Montreal Expos		Florida State
	45	Milwaukee Brewers		Red Bank High School
	46	St. Louis Cardinals		CSU Northridge
	47	Cleveland Indians	Outfielder	LSU
	48	San Francisco Giants		Portland State
	49	Toronto Blue Jays	Outfielder	C. Leon King High School
	50	Cincinnati Reds	Shortstop	TCU
	51	Texas Rangers		LSU
	52	Philadelphia Phillies		Plano High School (TX)
	53	Detroit Tigers	Outfielder	Nevada
	54	Houston Astros		UCLA
	55	Milwaukee Brewers		Texas
	56	New York Mets		George C. Marshall High School
	57	California Angels	Shortstop	Bonita High School
	58	Boston Red Sox		Hawaii

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:

Pick	Player	Selected by	Position
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 to 1992 but lost in the National League Championship Series all three years.

Notes

References

General

Specific

References

(May 26, 1987). "Baseball". Tribune Company.
Ewing, Creig. (June 1, 1987). "Merchant's Wares On Baseball's Shopping List". Tribune Company.
Nathan, David E. (June 3, 1987). "Mariners Make Griffey Jr. First Pick in Draft". Schenectady Gazette.
Chass, Murray. (October 31, 1991). "Baseball; Rankings No Shock: Ripken Is Just Perfect". The New York Times.
(October 25, 1989). "How the Baseball Ratings Work; American League Catchers". Gannett Company.
Newhan, Ross. (March 7, 1987). "Dawson Will Play for Cubs: Outfielder Breaks a Free-Agent Freeze but on Team's Terms". Los Angeles Times.
(May 29, 1987). "Mariners Expected to Draft Griffey Jr.". The Bulletin.
"Seattle Mariners Team History and Encyclopedia". Sports Reference LLC.
"1986 Seattle Mariners". Sports Reference LLC.
Henneman, Jim. (January 19, 1992). "Dempsey's many Orioles fans can thank him for Glenn Davis, too". Tribune Company.
Chass, Murray. (March 14, 1987). "Parrish Finally Joins the Phillies". The New York Times.
"1st Round of the 1987 MLB June Amateur Draft". Sports Reference LLC.
(June 11, 1987). "1,263 players picked in major league draft". Halifax Media Group.
Eaton, Nick. (January 22, 2013). "Mariners to induct Ken Griffey Jr. into team's hall of fame". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
"Mark Merchant". Sports Reference LLC.
(April 22, 1989). "M's trade Quinones". The Spokesman-Review.
"Pittsburgh Pirates Team History and Encyclopedia". Sports Reference LLC.

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