1978 Major League Baseball draft
In 1978, four American baseball players were promoted from amateur baseball to the major leagues, including Arizona State University third baseman Bob Horner, who was selected number one overall by the Atlanta Braves. Oakland High School pitchers Tim Conroy and Mike Morgan, and Brian Milner of Toronto also went directly to the big leagues.
| 1978 Major League Baseball draft | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| First selection | Bob Horner Atlanta Braves |
| First round selections | 26 |
In addition to Horner, the Braves also selected future major leaguers Matt Sinatro (2nd round), Steve Bedrosian (3rd round), Rick Behenna (4th round), Jose Alvarez (8th round) and Gerald Perry (11th round).
Others drafted in June 1978 included Lloyd Moseby and Dave Stieb (Toronto), Mike Marshall and Steve Sax (Los Angeles), Cal Ripken, Jr. and Mike Boddicker (Baltimore), Kirk Gibson (Detroit), Kent Hrbek (Minnesota) and Hubie Brooks (New York Mets).[1]
First round selections
The following are the first round picks in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.[2]
| = All-Star | = Baseball Hall of Fame |
Compensation picks
- Pick from Chicago White Sox as compensation for signing of free agent Ron Blomberg
- Pick from Texas Rangers as compensation for signing of free agent Mike Jorgensen
- Pick from Los Angeles Dodgers as compensation for signing of free agent Terry Forster
- Pick from Boston Red Sox as compensation for signing of free agent Mike Torrez
Other notable players
- Danny Heep, 2nd round, 37th overall Houston Astros
- Mel Hall, 2nd round, 39th overall Chicago Cubs
- Cal Ripken Jr., 2nd round, 48th overall Baltimore Orioles
- Steve Balboni, 2nd round, 52nd overall New York Yankees
- Steve Bedrosian, 3rd round, 53rd overall Atlanta Braves
- Britt Burns, 3rd round, 70th overall Chicago White Sox
- Bob Bonner, 3rd round, 74th overall Baltimore Orioles
- Rob Deer, 4th round, 85th overall San Francisco Giants
- Mike Witt, 4th round, 92nd overall California Angels
- Dave Stieb, 5th round, 106th overall Toronto Blue Jays
- Mike Marshall (outfielder), 6th round, 151st overall Los Angeles Dodgers
- Mike Boddicker, 6th round, 152nd overall Baltimore Orioles
- Tim Wallach, 8th round, 196th overall California Angels (did not sign)
- Steve Sax, 9th round, 229th overall Los Angeles Dodgers
- Mark Langston, 15th round, 377th overall Chicago Cubs (did not sign)
- Gary Redus, 15th round, 381st overall Cincinnati Reds
- Frank Viola, 16th round, 415th overall Kansas City Royals (did not sign)
- Kent Hrbek, 17th round, 432nd overall Minnesota Twins
- Eric Show, 18th round, 447th overall San Diego Padres
- John Stuper, 18th round, 460th overall Pittsburgh Pirates
- Kevin McReynolds, 19th round, 475th overall Milwaukee Brewers (did not sign)
- Ryne Sandberg, 20th round, 511th overall Philadelphia Phillies (later played for the Chicago Cubs)
- Dave Dravecky, 21st round, 531st overall Pittsburgh Pirates
- Howard Johnson, 21st round, 577th overall New York Yankees (did not sign)
- Rick Leach, 24th round, 594th overall Philadelphia Phillies (played QB for the Michigan Wolverines)
- Vance Law, 39th round, 758th overall Pittsburgh Pirates
- Ron Reeves, 47th round, 778th overall Cleveland Indians
References
- "Background on the 1978 MLB Draft". Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- "MLB First Round Draft Picks - 1978". Retrieved 2008-08-03.