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Baseball

Oct. 28, 1997

Sun Devils Baseball and the MLB Draft

ASU Players in Major League Baseball

No school has played a bigger role in major league baseball's amateur free agent draft than Arizona State.

Since the inception of the draft in 1965, ASU has had more players chosen (262), more first round selections (20) and more No. 1 picks (3) than any other school in the nation. The Sun Devils average eight players chosen in each draft.

That's a marvelous testimony to Arizona State's reputation among major league scouts and top baseball executives. It also makes quite a statement about the school's tradition and its amazing consistency.

  • Not surprisingly, the first player ever drafted was from ASU - Rick Monday, who went to Charles O. Finley and the Kansas City A's as the No. 1 overall pick in 1965.
  • The Sun Devils' three overall No. 1 picks were Rick Monday (1965, Kansas City), Floyd Bannister (1976, Houston) and Bob Horner (1978, Atlanta). No other school has more than one No. 1 selection. Mike Kelly narrowly missed joining this elite club in 1992 when he was chosen second by Atlanta.
  • In 1976, Arizona State had a record 13 players drafted. They included Bannister, Horner, Ken Landreaux, Ken Phelps, Chris Bando and Ricky Peters. Of the 27 players on the '76 roster, 26 were drafted at some point in their career. A whopping 13 of them would eventually reach the big leagues. Baseball America says "it may have been the greatest collection of college talent ever assembled."
  • Luis Medina, who played at Arizona State in 1984 and '85, was drafted a total of seven times, beginning in 1981. That makes him one of six players who share the all-time lead for number of selections.
  • Only 18 drafted players have ever gone directly to the major leagues. Two were Sun Devils: Eddie Bane in 1973 and Bob Horner in 1978.
  • In terms of national fanfare surrounding a big league debut, Baseball America says that two Sun Devils rank among the top five. Bob Horner's first game with the Braves in 1978 and Eddie Bane's initial start with the Twins in 1973 trail only Jim Abbot (Angels '89) and David Clyde (Rangers '73). Ken Griffey Jr. rated fifth.
  • How's this for a partial listing of players who originally signed national letters-of-intent with ASU but never made it to the Tempe campus? Instead they were drafted and opted for the signing bonus: Jim Palmer, Dale Murphy, Robin Yount, Lee Mazzilli, Ryan Klesko, Lenny Dykstra, Gary Templeton, Billy Hatcher and Jeff Burroughs.

    Kendall Carter, National Supervisor for Scouting, Arizona Diamondbacks
    "Traditionally, Arizona State has recruited players with strong tools and gone after the premier athlete. Their facilities are first class and when you factor in the tremendous tradition and their great schedule, its an ideal place to develop as a baseball player."

    Sal Bando, General Manger, Milwaukee Brewers
    "Arizona State first and foremost recruits great athletes. The facilities are first-rate and the weather and schedule are outstanding. The decision (to turn pro out of high school) is still up to the player, but ASU gives them a great springboard to develop their game that other schools don't have."

    Eddie Bane, National Scout, Los Angeles Dodgers
    "Arizona State is isolated, it's the only game in town for college baseball unlike the Southern California area. Every club has a scout in the area, so players get seen more often by pro scouts. You play against the best competition, the facilities are fabulous and the coaching staff is outstanding. The tradition has been built up over a long period of time and its a great alternative to have." 

    ASU's 20 First-Round 
Draft Selections
Name                Year    Overall Pick    Team
Rick Monday         1965    1               Athletics
Reggie Jackson      1966    2               Athletics
Paul Ray Powell     1969    7               Twins
Eddie Bane          1973    11              Twins
Floyd Bannister     1976    1               Astros
Ken Landreaux       1976    6               Angels
Bob Horner          1978    1               Braves
Hubie Brooks        1978    3               Mets
Mike Sodders        1981    11              Twins
Oddibe McDowell     1984    12              Rangers
Barry Bonds         1985    6               Pirates
Anthony Manahan     1990    38              Mariners
Mike Kelly          1992    2               Braves
Sean Lowe           1992    15              Cardinals
Todd Steverson      1992    25              Blue Jays
Marc Barcelo        1993    33              Twins
Antone Williamson   1994    4               Brewers
Jacob Cruz          1994    32              Giants
Ryan Bradley        1997    40              Yankees
Dan McKinley        1997    49              Giants