2008 Major League Baseball draft explained
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
- Key
| All-Star |
| !scope="row" style="background:#bfb;" | | Player did not sign | |
Supplemental first round selections
Compensation picks
Other notable players
- 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
- 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
Notes
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
Prior to the start of the draft, the League held a special round consisting of the 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 |
|
External links
Notes and References
- News: MLB Draft Returns To ESPN For First Time Since 2008 . Maury . Brown . . June 10, 2020 . June 10, 2020.
- Web site: Posey catches NL Rookie of the Year honors . MLB.com . Haft . Chris . 15 November 2010 . 29 October 2014 . 12 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150712162116/http://m.mlb.com/news/article/16099576/ . dead .
- Web site: Boston Red Sox – Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland's long road back from brain surgery – The Boston Globe . Boston.com . March 20, 2011 . August 27, 2012.
- Web site: Mike . Strasinger . June 9, 2008 . Joseph brothers both selected in major league baseball draft . Nashville City Paper . 2012-09-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131202221930/http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/sports/joseph-brothers-both-selected-major-league-baseball-draft . December 2, 2013 . dead . mdy-all .
- Tim Brown, "Winfield's Brainchild Thrills Negro Leaguers", Yahoo! Sports, June 4, 2008
- http://mlb.mlb.com/content/printer_friendly/mlb/y2008/m05/d29/c2795840.jsp 2008 Special Negro Leagues Draft
