2008 Major League Baseball draft

Baseball draft of amateur players

2008 Major League Baseball draft

General information
Date(s)| June 5-6, 2008
Network(s)| ESPN[1]
Overview
1504 total selections
First selection| Tim Beckham
Tampa Bay Rays
First round selections| 46

<- 2007

2009 ->

The 2008 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 5 and 6, 2008.

## First round selections

[edit]

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Pedro Álvarez second overall. Alvarez had a breakout season in 2013, where he was named an All-Star, was the National League home run leader, and won the Silver Slugger at third base. The Kansas City Royals selected Eric Hosmer with the third overall pick. With the Royals, Hosmer won 4 Gold Gloves at first base and the 2015 World Series. The San Francisco Giants selected Buster Posey 5th overall. The 7x All-Star won the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award, the 2012 N.L. Most Valuable Player Award, the 2016 Gold Glove Award at catcher, five Silver Sluggers Awards at catcher and the 2010, 2012, and 2014 World Series.

Key
| All-Star

|

*  | Player did not sign
Pick  | Player  | Team  | Position  | School

|
|
|
|

1  | Tim Beckham | Tampa Bay Rays | Shortstop | Griffin High School (GA)
2  | Pedro Álvarez | Pittsburgh Pirates | Third baseman | Vanderbilt
3  | Eric Hosmer | Kansas City Royals | First baseman | American Heritage School (FL)
4  | Brian Matusz | Baltimore Orioles | Left-handed pitcher | San Diego
5  | Buster Posey | San Francisco Giants | Catcher | Florida State
6  | Kyle Skipworth | Florida Marlins | Catcher | Patriot High School (CA)
7  | Yonder Alonso | Cincinnati Reds | First baseman | Miami (FL)
8  | Gordon Beckham | Chicago White Sox | Shortstop | Georgia
9  | Aaron Crow*  | Washington Nationals | Right-handed pitcher | Missouri
10  | Jason Castro | Houston Astros | Catcher | Stanford
11  | Justin Smoak | Texas Rangers | First baseman | South Carolina
12  | Jemile Weeks | Oakland Athletics | Second baseman | Miami (FL)
13  | Brett Wallace | St. Louis Cardinals | Third baseman | Arizona State
14  | Aaron Hicks | Minnesota Twins | Outfielder | Woodrow Wilson High School (CA)
15  | Ethan Martin | Los Angeles Dodgers | Right-handed pitcher | Stephens County High School (GA)
16  | Brett Lawrie | Milwaukee Brewers | Catcher | Brookswood Secondary School (BC)
17  | David Cooper | Toronto Blue Jays | First baseman | California
18  | Ike Davis | New York Mets[Compensation 1] | First baseman | Arizona State
19  | Andrew Cashner | Chicago Cubs | Right-handed pitcher | TCU
20  | Josh Fields | Seattle Mariners | Right-handed pitcher | Georgia
21  | Ryan Perry | Detroit Tigers | Right-handed pitcher | Arizona
22  | Reese Havens | New York Mets | Shortstop | South Carolina
23  | Allan Dykstra | San Diego Padres | First baseman | Wake Forest
24  | Anthony Hewitt | Philadelphia Phillies | Shortstop | Salisbury School (CT)
25  | Christian Friedrich | Colorado Rockies | Left-handed pitcher | Eastern Kentucky
26  | Daniel Schlereth | Arizona Diamondbacks | Left-handed pitcher | Arizona
27  | Carlos Gutiérrez | Minnesota Twins[Compensation 2] | Right-handed pitcher | Miami (FL)
28  | Gerrit Cole*  | New York Yankees | Right-handed pitcher | Orange Lutheran High School (CA)
29  | Lonnie Chisenhall | Cleveland Indians | Shortstop | Pitt Community College (NC)
30  | Casey Kelly | Boston Red Sox | Right-handed pitcher | Sarasota High School (FL)

Supplemental first round selections

Pick  | Player  | Team  | Position  | School

|
|
|
|

31  | Steven Hunt  | Minnesota Twins[Compensation 3] | Right-handed pitcher | Tulane
32  | Jake Odorizzi | Milwaukee Brewers[Compensation 4] | Right-handed pitcher | Highland High School (IL)
33  | Bradley Holt  | New York Mets[Compensation 5] | Right-handed pitcher | UNC Wilmington
34  | Zach Collier | Philadelphia Phillies[Compensation 6] | Outfielder | Chino Hills High School (CA)
35  | Evan Frederickson  | Milwaukee Brewers[Compensation 7] | Left-handed pitcher | San Francisco
36  | Michael Montgomery | Kansas City Royals[Compensation 8] | Left-handed pitcher | Hart High School (CA)
37  | Conor Gillaspie | San Francisco Giants[Compensation 9] | Third baseman | Wichita State
38  | Jordan Lyles | Houston Astros[Compensation 10] | Right-handed pitcher | Hartsville High School (SC)
39  | Lance Lynn | St. Louis Cardinals[Compensation 11] | Right-handed pitcher | Ole Miss
40  | Brett DeVall  | Atlanta Braves[Compensation 12] | Left-handed pitcher | Niceville High School (FL)
41  | Ryan Flaherty | Chicago Cubs[Compensation 13] | Shortstop | Vanderbilt
42  | Jaff Decker | San Diego Padres[Compensation 14] | Outfielder | Sunrise Mountain High School (AZ)
43  | Wade Miley | Arizona Diamondbacks[Compensation 15] | Left-handed pitcher | Southeastern Louisiana
44  | Jeremy Bleich | New York Yankees[Compensation 16] | Left-handed pitcher | Stanford
45  | Bryan Price | Boston Red Sox[Compensation 17] | Right-handed pitcher | Rice
46  | Logan Forsythe | San Diego Padres[Compensation 18] | Third baseman | Arkansas

Compensation picks

1. ^ Pick from Atlanta Braves as compensation for signing of free agent Tom Glavine
2. ^ Pick from Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as compensation for signing of free agent Torii Hunter
3. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for signing of free agent Torii Hunter
4. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for signing of free agent Francisco Cordero
5. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Tom Glavine
6. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Aaron Rowand
7. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Scott Linebrink
8. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent David Riske
9. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Pedro Feliz
10. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Trever Miller
11. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Troy Percival
12. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Ron Mahay
13. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Jason Kendall
14. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Doug Brocail
15. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Liván Hernández
16. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Luis Vizcaíno
17. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Éric Gagné
18. ^ Supplemental pick as compensation for loss of free agent Mike Cameron

## Other notable players

[edit]

The Colorado Rockies selected Charlie Blackmon in the second round. He is a 4x MLB All-Star, 2x Silver Slugger award winner, and the 2017 National League batting champion. The Atlanta Braves selected Craig Kimbrel in the third round. The 9x All-Star won the 2011 National League Rookie of the Year award.  The San Francisco Giants selected Brandon Crawford in the fourth round. The 3x All-Star won four Gold Glove Awards at shortstop, the 2015 Silver Slugger Award at shortstop and the 2012, and 2014 World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Dee Strange-Gordon in the fourth round. A two-time All-Star, his 2015 breakout season saw him win the Gold Glove Award at second base, the Silver Slugger Award at second base, and lead the National League in batting average, and stolen bases. Round  | Pick  | Player  | Team  | Position  | School

|
|
|
|
|

2  | 47  | Kyle Lobstein | Tampa Bay Rays | Pitcher | Coconino High School (AZ)
2  | 48  | Tanner Scheppers | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pitcher | Fresno State
2  | 49  | Johnny Giavotella | Kansas City Royals | Second baseman | New Orleans
2  | 50  | Xavier Avery | Baltimore Orioles | Outfielder | Cedar Grove High School (GA)
2  | 51  | Anthony Gose | Philadelphia Phillies | Outfielder | Bellflower High School (CA)
2  | 52  | Brad Hand | Florida Marlins | Pitcher | Chaska High School (MN)
2  | 57  | Robbie Ross | Texas Rangers | Pitcher | Lexington Christian Academy (KY)
2  | 58  | Tyson Ross | Oakland Athletics | Pitcher | California
2  | 59  | Shane Peterson | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder | Long Beach State
2  | 60  | Tyler Ladendorf | Minnesota Twins | Second baseman | Howard College (TX)
2  | 61  | Josh Lindblom | Los Angeles Dodgers | Pitcher | Purdue
2  | 69  | James Darnell | San Diego Padres | Third baseman | South Carolina
2  | 70  | Zeke Spruill | Atlanta Braves | Pitcher | Kell High School (GA)
2  | 72  | Charlie Blackmon | Colorado Rockies | Outfielder | Georgia Tech
2  | 73  | Bryan Shaw | Arizona Diamondbacks | Pitcher | Long Beach State
2  | 74  | Tyler Chatwood | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Pitcher | Redlands East Valley High School (CA)
3  | 79  | Jordy Mercer | Pittsburgh Pirates | Shortstop | Oklahoma State
3  | 81  | L. J. Hoes | Baltimore Orioles | Second baseman | St. John's College High School (DC)
3  | 82  | Roger Kieschnick | San Francisco Giants | Outfielder | Texas Tech
3  | 83  | Edgar Olmos | Florida Marlins | Pitcher | Birmingham High School (CA)
3  | 84  | Zach Stewart | Cincinnati Reds | Pitcher | Texas Tech
3  | 85  | Stephen Fife | Boston Red Sox | Pitcher | Utah
3  | 86  | Brent Morel | Chicago White Sox | Third baseman | Cal Poly
3  | 87  | Danny Espinosa | Washington Nationals | Shortstop | Long Beach State
3  | 94  | Logan Schafer | Milwaukee Brewers | Outfielder | Cal Poly
3  | 96  | Craig Kimbrel | Atlanta Braves | Pitcher | Wallace State Community College
3  | 97  | Chris Carpenter | Chicago Cubs | Pitcher | Kent State
3  | 100  | Kirk Nieuwenhuis | New York Mets | Outfielder | Azusa Pacific
3  | 101  | Blake Tekotte | San Diego Padres | Outfielder | Miami (FL)
3  | 102  | Vance Worley | Philadelphia Phillies | Pitcher | Long Beach State
3  | 106  | David Adams | New York Yankees | Second Baseman | Virginia
3  | 107  | Cord Phelps | Cleveland Indians | Second Baseman | Stanford
3  | 108  | Kyle Weiland | Boston Red Sox | Pitcher | Notre Dame
3  | 110  | Jonathan Pettibone | Philadelphia Phillies | Pitcher | Esperanza High School (CA)
4  | 114  | Chase d'Arnaud | Pittsburgh Pirates | Shortstop | Pepperdine
4  | 115  | Tim Melville | Kansas City Royals | Pitcher | Wentzville Holt High School (MO)
4  | 116  | Kyle Hudson | Baltimore Orioles | Outfielder | Illinois
4  | 117  | Brandon Crawford | San Francisco Giants | Shortstop | UCLA
4  | 123  | Joe Wieland | Texas Rangers | Pitcher | Bishop Manogue Catholic High School (NV)
4  | 127  | Dee Strange-Gordon | Los Angeles Dodgers | Shortstop | Southeastern University
4  | 135  | Jason Kipnis*  | San Diego Padres | Outfielder | Arizona State
4  | 136  | Trevor May | Philadelphia Phillies | Pitcher | Kelso High School (WA)
4  | 139  | Buddy Boshers | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Pitcher | Calhoun Community College
4  | 140  | Corban Joseph | New York Yankees | Shortstop | Franklin High School (TN)
5  | 144  | Justin Wilson | Pittsburgh Pirates | Pitcher | Fresno State
5  | 145  | John Lamb | Kansas City Royals | Pitcher | Laguna Hills High School (CA)
5  | 150  | Daniel Hudson | Chicago White Sox | Pitcher | Old Dominion
5  | 151  | Adrian Nieto | Washington Nationals | Catcher | American Heritage School (FL)
5  | 155  | Jermaine Curtis | St. Louis Cardinals | Third baseman | UCLA
5  | 159  | Tyler Pastornicky | Toronto Blue Jays | Shortstop | IMG Academy (FL)
5  | 163  | Alex Avila | Detroit Tigers | Catcher | Alabama
5  | 165  | Anthony Bass | San Diego Padres | Pitcher | Wayne State
5  | 167  | Chris Dominguez | Colorado Rockies | Third baseman | Louisville
5  | 168  | Collin Cowgill | Arizona Diamondbacks | Outfielder | Kentucky
5  | 171  | Zach Putnam | Cleveland Indians | Pitcher | Michigan Wolverines
6  | 174  | Robbie Grossman | Pittsburgh Pirates | Outfielder | Cy-Fair High School (TX)
6  | 177  | Eric Surkamp | San Francisco Giants | Pitcher | NC State
6  | 182  | J. B. Shuck | Houston Astros | Outfielder | Ohio State
6  | 183  | Richard Bleier | Texas Rangers | Pitcher | Florida Gulf Coast
6  | 185  | Eric Fornataro | St. Louis Cardinals | Pitcher | Miami Dade College
6  | 191  | Josh Harrison | Chicago Cubs | Second baseman | Cincinnati
6  | 194  | Josh Satin | New York Mets | Second Baseman | California
6  | 195  | Cole Figueroa | San Diego Padres | Shortstop | Florida
6  | 200  | Brett Marshall | New York Yankees | Pitcher | Sterling High School (TX)
6  | 202  | Ryan Lavarnway | Boston Red Sox | Third baseman | Yale
7  | 206  | Caleb Joseph | Baltimore Orioles | Catcher | Lipscomb
7  | 209  | Pedro Villarreal | Cincinnati Reds | Pitcher | Howard
7  | 210  | Jordan Danks | Chicago White Sox | Outfielder | Texas
7  | 219  | Eric Thames | Toronto Blue Jays | Outfielder | Pepperdine
7  | 229  | Will Smith | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Pitcher | Gulf Coast Community College
7  | 230  | Kyle Higashioka | New York Yankees | Catcher | Edison High School (CA)
7  | 232  | Tim Federowicz | Boston Red Sox | Catcher | North Carolina
8  | 237  | Scott Barnes | San Francisco Giants | Pitcher | St. John's
8  | 238  | Isaac Galloway | Florida Marlins | Outfielder | Los Osos High School (CA)
8  | 247  | Nick Buss | Los Angeles Dodgers | Outfielder | USC
8  | 248  | Erik Komatsu | Milwaukee Brewers | Outfielder | Cal State Fullerton
8  | 249  | Evan Crawford | Toronto Blue Jays | Pitcher | Auburn
8  | 250  | Brett Oberholtzer | Atlanta Braves | Pitcher | Seminole State College of Florida
8  | 252  | Bobby LaFromboise | Seattle Mariners | Pitcher | New Mexico
8  | 253  | Andy Dirks | Detroit Tigers | Outfielder | Wichita State
8  | 254  | Eric Campbell | New York Mets | Third baseman | Boston College
9  | 264  | Matt Hague | Pittsburgh Pirates | Third baseman | Oklahoma State
9  | 268  | Dan Jennings | Florida Marlins | Pitcher | Nebraska
9  | 269  | Dave Sappelt | Cincinnati Reds | Outfielder | Coastal Carolina
9  | 281  | Jay Jackson | Chicago Cubs | Pitcher | Furman
9  | 292  | Christian Vázquez | Boston Red Sox | Catcher | Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School (PR)
10  | 296  | Chris Herrmann*  | Baltimore Orioles | Third baseman | Alvin Community College
10  | 301  | Tommy Milone | Washington Nationals | Pitcher | Southern California
10  | 305  | Alex Castellanos | St. Louis Cardinals | Second baseman | Belmont Abbey College
10  | 309  | Danny Farquhar | Toronto Blue Jays | Pitcher | Louisiana
10  | 310  | J. J. Hoover | Atlanta Braves | Pitcher | Calhoun Community College
10  | 311  | Alex Wilson*  | Chicago Cubs | Pitcher | Texas A&M
10  | 313  | Robbie Weinhardt | Detroit Tigers | Pitcher | Oklahoma State
10  | 315  | Andrew Albers | San Diego Padres | Pitcher | Kentucky
10  | 320  | D. J. Mitchell | New York Yankees | Pitcher | Clemson

* Charles Leesman, 11th round, 330th overall by the Chicago White Sox
* Nathan Eovaldi, 11th round, 337th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers
* Dustin Antolin, 11th round, 339th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays
* Michael Stutes, 11th round, 346th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies
* Matt Langwell, 11th round, 351st overall by the Cleveland Indians
* Matt Clark, 12th round, 375th overall by the San Diego Padres
* Ryan Weber, 12th round, 376th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies
* Daniel Webb, 12th round, 378th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks
* Juan Perez, 13th round, 387th overall by the San Francisco Giants
* Mitch Harris, 13th round, 395th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals
* Rob Wooten, 13th round, 398th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers
* Tony Campana, 13th round, 401st overall by the Chicago Cubs
* Erik Davis, 13th round, 405th overall by the San Diego Padres
* B. J. Rosenberg, 13th round, 406th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies
* Michael Kohn, 13th round, 409th overall by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
* Louis Coleman, 14th round, 421st overall by the Washington Nationals
* Michael Schwimer, 14th round, 436th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies
* David Phelps, 14th round, 440th overall by the New York Yankees
* Jason Gurka, 15th round, 446th overall by the Baltimore Orioles
* Joey Butler, 15th round, 453rd overall by the Texas Rangers
* Casey Coleman, 15th round, 461st overall by the Chicago Cubs
* Tyler Moore, 16th round, 481st overall by the Washington Nationals
* Justin Miller, 16th round, 483rd overall by the Texas Rangers
* Kolten Wong, 16th round, 486th overall by the Minnesota Twins
* Billy Burns, 16th round, 490th overall by the Atlanta Braves
* Thad Weber, 16th round, 493rd overall by the Detroit Tigers
* T. J. House, 16th round, 501st overall by the Cleveland Indians
* Brad Glenn, 17th round, 514th overall by the Oakland Athletics
* Daniel Coulombe, 17th round, 517th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers
* Tom Koehler, 18th round, 538th overall by the Florida Marlins
* Allen Webster, 18th round, 547th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers
* Jeff Beliveau, 18th round, 551st overall by the Chicago Cubs
* Collin McHugh, 18th round, 554th overall by the New York Mets
* Nick Vincent, 18th round, 555th overall by the San Diego Padres
* Tyler Cloyd, 18th round, 556th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies
* Brian Flynn, 18th round, 562nd overall by the Boston Red Sox
* Steve Lombardozzi Jr., 19th round, 571st overall by the Washington Nationals
* Xavier Scruggs, 19th round, 575th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals
* David Rollins, 19th round, 577th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers
* Steve Susdorf, 19th round, 586th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies
* Aaron Barrett, 20th round, 606th overall by the Minnesota Twins
* Ryan Lollis, 20th round, 613th overall by the Detroit Tigers
* Pat Venditte, 20th round, 620th overall by the New York Yankees
* Alex Meyer, 20th round, 622nd overall by the Boston Red Sox
* Ryan Carpenter, 21st round, 623 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays, but did not sign
* Lucas Luetge, 21st round, 638th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers
* Logan Watkins, 21st round, 641st overall by the Chicago Cubs
* Bryan Woodall, 21st round, 648th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks
* Blaine Hardy, 22nd round, 655th overall by the Kansas City Royals
* Preston Guilmet, 22nd round, 664th overall by the Oakland Athletics
* Chris Schwinden, 22nd round, 674th overall by the New York Mets
* Anthony DeSclafani, 22nd round, 682nd overall by the Boston Red Sox, but did not sign
* Chris Rusin, 23rd round, 694th overall by the Oakland Athletics
* Brandon Maurer, 23rd round, 702nd overall by the Seattle Mariners
* Tommy Field, 24th round, 737th overall by the Colorado Rockies
* Taylor Jungmann, 24th round, 739th overall by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
* Taylor Thompson, 25th round, 750th overall by the Chicago White Sox
* Tanner Roark, 25th round, 753rd overall by the Texas Rangers
* Jerry Sands, 25th round, 757th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers
* Andy Burns, 25th round, 767th overall by the Colorado Rockies
* Josh Spence, 25th round, 768th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks
* Cory Mazzoni, 26th round, 781st overall by the Washington Nationals
* Dean Anna, 26th round, 795th overall by the San Diego Padres
* Elih Villanueva, 27th round, 808th overall by the Florida Marlins
* Austin Adams, 27th round, 818th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers
* Anthony Rendon, 27th round, 820th overall by the Atlanta Braves, but did not sign
* Sonny Gray, 27th round, 821st overall by the Chicago Cubs, but did not sign
* Ryan Cook, 27th round, 828th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks
* Hunter Cervenka, 27th round, 832nd overall by the Boston Red Sox
* Kevin Mattison, 28th round, 838th overall by the Florida Marlins
* Nate Freiman, 28th round, 843rd overall by the Texas Rangers
* Dusty Coleman, 28th round, 844th overall by the Oakland Athletics
* Chris Heston, 29th round, 871st overall by the Washington Nationals
* Keon Broxton, 29th round, 886th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies
* Michael Tonkin, 30th round, 906th overall by the Minnesota Twins
* James McCann, 31st round, 930th overall by the Chicago White Sox
* Mickey Storey, 31st round, 934th overall by the Oakland Athletics
* Matt Magill, 31st round, 937th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers
* Sean Gilmartin, 31st round, 945th overall by the San Diego Padres
* John Hicks, 31st round, 949th overall by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
* Justin Freeman, 32nd round, 959th overall by the Cincinnati Reds
* Sam Freeman, 32nd round, 965th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals
* Adam Conley, 32nd round, 966th overall by the Minnesota Twins, but did not sign
* Nick Christiani, 32nd round, 981st overall by the Cleveland Indians
* Travis Shaw, 32nd round, 982nd overall by the Boston Red Sox
* Shawn Armstrong, 33rd round, 992nd overall by the Houston Astros, but did not sign
* Dan Robertson, 33rd round, 1005th overall by the San Diego Padres
* Roberto Perez, 33rd round, 1011th overall by the Cleveland Indians
* Marcus Semien, 34th round, 1020th overall by the Chicago White Sox, but did not sign
* Jake Elmore, 34th round, 1038th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks
* Andrew Taylor, 34th round, 1039th overall by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
* Carson Blair, 35th round, 1072nd overall by the Boston Red Sox
* Jon Berti, 36th round, 1084th overall by the Oakland Athletics, but did not sign
* Chris Dwyer, 36th round, 1100th overall by the New York Yankees
* Adam Warren, 36th round, 1101st overall by the Cleveland Indians
* Bradin Hagens, 37th round, 1105th overall by the Kansas City Royals
* Matt Andriese, 37th round, 1113th overall by the Texas Rangers
* Dallas Beeler, 37th round, 1119th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays
* Erik Hamren, 37th round, 1121st overall by the Chicago Cubs
* Jarred Cosart, 38th round, 1156th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies
* Mikie Mahtook, 39th round, 1168th overall by the Florida Marlins
* Brad Miller, 39th round, 1173rd overall by the Texas Rangers
* Kyle Hendricks, 39th round, 1189th overall by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but did not sign
* Yan Gomes, 39th round, 1192nd overall by the Boston Red Sox, but did not sign
* Donn Roach, 40th round, 1219th overall by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
* Kevin Siegrist, 41st round, 1235th overall by the St. Louis Cardinals
* Jett Bandy, 41st round, 1237th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers
* Stephen Pryor, 42nd round, 1263rd overall by the Texas Rangers
* Brad Brach, 42nd round, 1275th overall by the San Diego Padres
* Oliver Drake, 43rd round, 1286th overall by the Baltimore Orioles
* Cody Eppley, 43rd round, 1293rd overall by the Texas Rangers
* Nick Maronde, 43rd round, 1294th overall by the Oakland Athletics
* C. J. Cron, 44th round, 1320th overall by the Chicago White Sox
* Scott McGough, 46th round, 1371st overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates
* Rob Brantly, 46th round, 1378th overall by the Washington Nationals
* J. R. Graham, 46th round, 1381st overall by the Oakland Athletics
* Tony Zych, 46th round, 1386th overall by the Chicago Cubs
* Giovanni Soto, 46th round, 1390th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies
* George Springer, 48th round, 1437th overall by the Minnesota Twins, but did not sign
* Alex Dickerson, 48th round, 1432nd overall by the Washington Nationals
* Rob Scahill, 48th round, 1448th overall by the New York Yankees
* Tyler Anderson, 50th round, 1491st overall by the Minnesota Twins
* Sean Nolin, 50th round, 1492nd overall by the Milwaukee Brewers

### NFL players drafted

[edit]

* Kyle Long, 23rd round, 690th overall by the Chicago White Sox, but did not sign
* Eric Decker, 39th round, 1178th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers, but did not sign
* Pat White, 49th round, 1457th overall by the Cincinnati Reds, but did not sign

## Notes

[edit]

On September 9, 2008, Conor Gillaspie, the 37th pick in the 2008 draft, made his Major League debut, becoming the first from his draft class to do so. Buster Posey was the first 2008 draftee to play in post-season and eventually won the 2010 World Series, the 2012 World Series, and the 2014 World Series with the San Francisco Giants. Posey was also named 2010 NL Rookie of the Year,[2] and he won 2012 National League Most Valuable Player award and the 2012, 2014 & 2015 Silver Slugger awards.

2011 Rookie of the Year Craig Kimbrel was drafted 96th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd round.

Ryan Westmoreland, who the Boston Red Sox drafted in the fifth round, became one of the best prospects in baseball before having brain surgery twice to repair a cavernous malformation.[3]

Brothers Caleb and Corban Joseph were both chosen in the 2008 draft. The New York Yankees selected Corban in the fourth round, with the 140th overall selection, out of Franklin High School in Franklin, Tennessee, while the Baltimore Orioles drafted Caleb in the seventh round, with the 206th overall selection, out of Lipscomb University.[4]

West Virginia quarterback Pat White was drafted in the 49th round by the Cincinnati Reds, even though he had not played baseball since his senior year of high school in 2004, when he was drafted by the Anaheim Angels.

## Negro Leagues Special Draft

[edit]

Prior to the start of the draft, the League held a special round consisting of surviving Negro leagues players to acknowledge and rectify their exclusion from the major leagues on the basis of race in the past. The idea of the special draft was conceived by Hall of Famer Dave Winfield.[5] Each major league team drafted one player from the Negro leagues. Notable in the draft were Emilio Navarro (who, at 101 years of age at the time of the draft, was believed to be the oldest living professional ballplayer) and Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, the first woman ever drafted.[6]

Player  | MLB Team  | Position  | Negro league Team(s)

|
|
|

Hubert Simmons | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Shortstop | Kansas City Monarchs
Neale 'Bobo' Henderson | Baltimore Orioles | Pitcher/Outfielder | Baltimore Elite Giants
Jim 'Fireball' Colzie | Boston Red Sox | Pitcher | Indianapolis Clowns, Atlanta Black Crackers
Hank Presswood | Chicago White Sox | Shortstop/Third baseman | Cleveland Buckeyes, Kansas City Monarchs
Otha "Li'l Catch" Bailey | Cleveland Indians | Catcher | Birmingham Black Barons, Chattanooga Choo-Choos, Cleveland Buckeyes, Houston/New Orleans Eagles
Cecil Kaiser | Detroit Tigers | Pitcher/First baseman/Outfielder | Homestead Grays, Pittsburgh Crawfords
Ulysses Hollimon | Kansas City Royals | Pitcher | Birmingham Black Barons, Baltimore Elite Giants
Bill 'Lefty' Bell | Minnesota Twins | Pitcher | Birmingham Black Barons, Kansas City Monarchs
Emilio 'Millito' Navarro | New York Yankees | Shortstop/Second baseman/Third baseman | Cuban Stars
Irvin Castille | Oakland Athletics | Shortstop | Birmingham Black Barons
John Miles | Seattle Mariners | Third baseman/Outfielder | Chicago American Giants
Walter Lee Gibbons | Tampa Bay Rays | Pitcher | Philadelphia Stars, New York Black Yankees, Indianapolis Clowns
Charley Pride | Texas Rangers | Pitcher | Birmingham Black Barons, Memphis Red Sox
Harold Gould | Toronto Blue Jays | Pitcher | Philadelphia Stars
Bob Mitchell | Arizona Diamondbacks | Pitcher | Kansas City Monarchs
James 'Red' Moore | Atlanta Braves | First baseman | Atlanta Black Crackers, Baltimore Elite Giants, Newark Eagles
Walt Owens | Chicago Cubs | Pitcher/First baseman | Detroit Stars
Charlie Davis | Cincinnati Reds | Pitcher | Memphis Red Sox
Mack 'The Knife' Pride | Colorado Rockies | Pitcher | Memphis Red Sox, Kansas City Monarchs
Enrique Maroto | Florida Marlins | Pitcher | Kansas City Monarchs
Bill Blair | Houston Astros | Pitcher | Detroit Stars, Indianapolis Clowns
Andrew Porter | Los Angeles Dodgers | Pitcher | Baltimore Elite Giants, Newark Eagles, Indianapolis Clowns, Cleveland Buckeyes
Joseph B. Scott | Milwaukee Brewers | First baseman/Outfielder | Memphis Red Sox, New York Black Yankees
Robert Scott | New York Mets | Pitcher/First baseman | Memphis Red Sox, New York Black Yankees
Mahlon Duckett | Philadelphia Phillies | First baseman/Second Baseman | Philadelphia Stars, Indianapolis Clowns
James Tillman | Pittsburgh Pirates | Catcher | Homestead Grays
'Prince' Joe Henry | St. Louis Cardinals | Second baseman/Third Baseman | Philadelphia Stars, Indianapolis ClownsDetroit Stars
Walter McCoy | San Diego Padres | Pitcher | Chicago American Giants, Kansas City Monarchs
Carlos Manuel Santiago | San Francisco Giants | Shortstop/Second baseman | New York Cubans
Mamie 'Peanut' Johnson | Washington Nationals | Pitcher | Indianapolis Clowns

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Brown, Maury (June 10, 2020). "MLB Draft Returns To ESPN For First Time Since 2008". Forbes. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
2. ^ Haft, Chris (November 15, 2010). "Posey catches NL Rookie of the Year honors". MLB.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
3. ^ "Boston Red Sox – Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland's long road back from brain surgery – The Boston Globe". Boston.com. March 20, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
4. ^ Strasinger, Mike (June 9, 2008). "Joseph brothers both selected in major league baseball draft". Nashville City Paper. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
5. ^ Tim Brown, "Winfield's Brainchild Thrills Negro Leaguers", Yahoo! Sports, June 4, 2008
6. ^ 2008 Special Negro Leagues Draft. MLB.com. Retrieved on January 27, 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* MLB Important Dates for 2008
* 2008 MLB Draft Tracker
* Baseball America's First Round Recap

Preceded by

David Price

|  1st Overall Picks
Tim Beckham | Succeeded by

Stephen Strasburg

|
|

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Major League Baseball drafts

First-year player drafts|

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Rule 5 drafts|

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2008 MLB season by team

| AL East|

* Baltimore
* Boston
* New York
* Tampa Bay
* Toronto

|

AL Central|

* Chicago
* Cleveland
* Detroit
* Kansas City
* Minnesota

AL West|

* Los Angeles
* Oakland
* Seattle
* Texas

| NL East|

* Atlanta
* Florida
* New York
* Philadelphia
* Washington

|

NL Central|

* Chicago
* Cincinnati
* Houston
* Milwaukee
* Pittsburgh
* St. Louis

NL West|

* Arizona
* Colorado
* Los Angeles
* San Diego
* San Francisco

* 2008 MLB draft
* 2008 All-Star Game
* 2008 World Series

* v
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* e

2008 Major League Baseball draft first round selections

* Tim Beckham
* Pedro Álvarez
* Eric Hosmer
* Brian Matusz
* Buster Posey
* Kyle Skipworth
* Yonder Alonso
* Gordon Beckham
* Aaron Crow
* Jason Castro
* Justin Smoak
* Jemile Weeks
* Brett Wallace
* Aaron Hicks
* Ethan Martin
* Brett Lawrie
* David Cooper
* Ike Davis
* Andrew Cashner
* Josh Fields
* Ryan Perry
* Reese Havens
* Allan Dykstra
* Anthony Hewitt
* Christian Friedrich
* Daniel Schlereth
* Carlos Gutiérrez
* Gerrit Cole
* Lonnie Chisenhall
* Casey Kelly
* Shooter Hunt
* Jake Odorizzi
* Bradley Holt
* Zach Collier
* Evan Frederickson
* Mike Montgomery
* Conor Gillaspie
* Jordan Lyles
* Lance Lynn
* Brett DeVall
* Ryan Flaherty
* Jaff Decker
* Wade Miley
* Jeremy Bleich
* Bryan Price
* Logan Forsythe

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