1979 Major League Baseball draft

Baseball draft of amateur players

The 1979 Major League Baseball draft was held on June 5–7, 1979, via conference call.^[1]

First round selections

The following are the first-round picks in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.^[2]

* Did not sign

Compensation Picks

1. Pick from California Angels as compensation for signing of free agent Jim Barr
2. Pick from Pittsburgh Pirates as compensation for signing of free agent Lee Lacy
3. Pick from Baltimore Orioles as compensation for signing of free agent Steve Stone
4. Pick from Philadelphia Phillies as compensation for signing of free agent Pete Rose
5. Pick from Milwaukee Brewers as compensation for signing of free agent Jim Slaton
6. Pick from Los Angeles Dodgers as compensation for signing of free agent Derrel Thomas
7. Pick from New York Yankees as compensation for signing of free agent Tommy John
8. Pick from Boston Red Sox as compensation for signing of free agent Steve Renko

Other notable selections

Later rounds of the draft included the following notable players:^[3]

• Milt Thompson, 2nd round, 29th overall Atlanta Braves
• Dan Marino, 4th round, 99th overall Kansas City Royals
• Mark Thurmond, 5th round, 118th overall San Diego Padres
• Ron Gardenhire, 6th round, 132nd overall New York Mets
• Bill Doran, 6th round, 138th overall Houston Astros
• Harold Reynolds, 6th round, 144th overall San Diego Padres (did not sign)
• Von Hayes†, 7th round 163rd overall Cleveland Indians
• Johnny Ray, 12th round, 294th overall Houston Astros
• Pete O'Brien, 15th round 381st overall Texas Rangers
• Bud Black, 17th round, 417th overall Seattle Mariners
• Orel Hershiser†, 17th round, 440th overall Los Angeles Dodgers
• John Elway, 18th round, 463rd overall Kansas City Royals (did not sign)
• Don Mattingly†, 19th round, 493rd overall New York Yankees
• Brett Butler†, 23rd round, 573 overall Atlanta Braves
• Curt Warner, 32nd round, 784th overall Philadelphia Phillies

† All-Star
‡ Hall of Famer

A number of future football players were drafted in 1979, including John Elway (Kansas City), Kevin House (St. Louis), Dan Marino (Kansas City), Jay Schroeder (Toronto), Jack Thompson (Seattle), and Curt Warner (Philadelphia).^[3]

See also

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.

References

1. "Baseball Draft Today". Wilmington, NC: Wilmington Morning Star. June 5, 1979. p. 3B.
2. "MLB First Round Draft Picks - 1979". Retrieved August 3, 2008.
3. "Background on the 1979 MLB Draft". Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2008.

External links

• Complete draft list from The Baseball Cube database