| 1976 Major League Baseball draft | |
| First: | Floyd Bannister Houston Astros |
| First Round: | 24 |
| Prev: | 1975 |
| Next: | 1977 |
The 1976 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1976 MLB season. The draft saw the Houston Astros select Floyd Bannister first overall.
| = All-Star | = Baseball Hall of Famer |
The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft.[1]
| = All-Star | = Baseball Hall of Famer |
| Round | Pick | Player | Team | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 26 | Alan Trammell | Detroit Tigers | Shortstop | |
| 2 | 37 | Mike Scott | New York Mets | Pitcher | |
| 4 | 74 | Dan Petry | Detroit Tigers | Pitcher | |
| 4 | 96 | Rickey Henderson | Oakland Athletics | Pitcher | |
| 5 | 98 | Jack Morris | Detroit Tigers | Pitcher | |
| 5 | 99 | Bruce Benedict | Atlanta Braves | Catcher | |
| 7 | 146 | Ozzie Smith | Detroit Tigers | Shortstop | |
| 7 | 152 | Willie McGee | Chicago White Sox | Outfielder | |
| 7 | 166 | Wade Boggs | Boston Red Sox | Shortstop | |
| 8 | 169 | Dave Smith | Houston Astros | Pitcher | |
| 8 | 172 | Lary Sorensen | Milwaukee Brewers | Pitcher | |
| 11 | 253 | Neil Allen | New York Mets | Pitcher | |
| 17 | 401 | Scott Garrett | Milwaukee Brewers | Second Baseman-Pitcher | |
| 17 | 405 | Rick Honeycutt | Pittsburgh Pirates | First Baseman-Pitcher | |
| 18 | 422 | Ron Hassey | Cleveland Indians | Catcher | |
| 22 | 518 | Ray Searage | St. Louis Cardinals | Pitcher |
The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by many to be the best collegiate team ever, played a major role in the draft. Floyd Bannister was picked number one by the Astros while Ken Landreaux was selected sixth by the Angels. In all, 12 players from that team went on to play in the majors.
Bannister and Landreaux anchored a June draft that was one of the most talented ever. The first 10 selections went on to play in the big leagues. Among those picked in the June draft were Rickey Henderson (Oakland), Alan Trammell, Jack Morris and Dan Petry (Detroit), Wade Boggs and Bruce Hurst (Boston), Steve Trout (Chicago White Sox), Leon Durham (St. Louis), and Pat Tabler (New York Yankees).
Willie McGee (Chicago White Sox) and Ozzie Smith (Detroit) were selected in the seventh round but did not sign.In the January phase, Steve Kemp of Southern California was picked first by the Tigers and Jody Davis was picked third by the Mets.