Since the MLB draft began in 1965, 51 players have been selected first overall. Three never signed and two never played an MLB game. But 23 players have appeared in at least one All-Star Game. This includes Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Stephen Strasburg, while teams that guessed wrong ended up with Brien Taylor, Kris Benson and Bryan Bullington. The Philadelphia Phillies are on the clock for the 2016 draft, which starts Thursday.
Rick Monday (1965, Kansas City Athletics)
Monday, the first player ever drafted in 1965, made his MLB debut in September 1966 as a 20-year-old. In 19 seasons, Monday had a respectable 1,619 hits, 241 home runs and 775 RBI. He made All-Star Games in 1968 and 1978, but overall, did not set the No. 1 overall pick bar high.
Jeff Burroughs (1969, Washington Senators)
Burroughs became the first No. 1 overall pick to win the MVP in 1974 (.301 batting average, 25 home runs, 118 RBI), but his prime was short-lived. After 1974, Burroughs made one more All-Star Game in 1978. He finished his career with 240 home runs and 882 RBI in very Rick Monday-like form. Burroughs' son, Sean, was the No. 9 pick by the Padres in 1998.
Floyd Bannister (1976, Houston Astros)
Bannister was a career 134-143 pitcher with a 4.06 ERA. He played for six MLB teams and one in Japan. But at least he had the 1982 season when he led the American League with 209 strikeouts. Bannister earned his only All-Star Game trip that season. His son, Brian, was a seventh-round pick by the Mets in 2003.
Harold Baines (1977, Chicago White Sox)
Baines finally set a high bar for first overall picks. In a 22-season career with nine teams (including three stints each with the White Sox and Orioles), Baines made six All-Star Games, collected 2,866 hits and set White Sox records for left-handed hitters with 221 home runs, 981 RBI and 585 extra-base hits. His No. 3 is retired on the south side of Chicago.
Bob Horner (1978, Atlanta Braves)
Horner was the first top pick to win Rookie of the Year, hitting 23 home runs in 359 plate appearances in 1978. By 1982, a season he hit 32 home runs with 97 RBI, Horner was an All-Star. But that would be it. Despite putting up 27 home runs, 87 RBI and a .273 batting average in 1986, Horner, a free agent in 1987, did not receive lucrative MLB offers, and instead, signed a one-year deal for the Yakult Swallows of Japan. He returned to MLB in 1988 with the Cardinals, but a shoulder injury sidelined him after 60 games. Horner retired with 218 home runs in 4,213 plate appearances.
Darryl Strawberry (1980, New York Mets)
Strawberry won the NL Rookie of the Year as a 21-year-old in 1983 and was an All-Star from 1984-1991, winning the 1986 World Series with the Mets. Although his prime made him a beloved figure in Queens, Strawberry left for the Dodgers in 1991, and after one good season, never looked the same. Strawberry played more than 100 games only once from 1992-1999, in stints with the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees. As a role player in the Bronx, Strawberry added three World Series rings in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Mike Moore (1981, Seattle Mariners)
A career 161-176 pitcher with a 4.39 ERA, Moore will cherish his 1989 season. He went 19-11 with a 2.61 ERA and 172 strikeouts. Moore went 2-0 in the World Series with a 2.08 ERA, as the Athletics swept the Giants. The earthquake moments before Game 3's scheduled start pushed the series back 10 days, allowing Moore to start Games 2 and 4. Moore lost his one start in the 1990 World Series, as the Reds swept the A's.
Shawon Dunston (1982, Chicago Cubs)
Dunston showed some early speed, stealing 30 bases in 1988, his first All-Star season. He made another mid-summer classic in 1990, but for the second half of his career, Dunston was a journeyman infielder. After leaving the Cubs in 1996, Dunston played with nine teams until his retirement in 2002.
B.J. Surhoff (1985, Milwaukee Brewers)
The son of NBA player Dick Surhoff, B.J. was a steady outfielder with the Brewers, Orioles and Braves in 19 seasons. His best year came in 1999, his only All-Star season, as Surhoff belted 28 home runs with 107 RBI and a .308 batting average. Surhoff had 2,326 career hits.
Ken Griffey, Jr. (1987, Seattle Mariners)
Griffey is the only No. 1 overall pick elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame so far. "The Kid" made 13 All-Star Games from 1990-2007. He won an MVP, four AL home run crowns, 10 Gold Glove Awards, seven Silver Slugger Awards, three Home Run Derbies and the 1992 MLB All-Star Game MVP award. Griffey's 99.32 percent of the 2016 Hall of Fame vote is a record.
Andy Benes (1988, San Diego Padres)
Benes had a solid career that saw him go 155-139 with a 3.97 ERA and 2,000 strikeouts on the nose. His lone All-Star season in 1993 was good, as he posted a 3.78 ERA. He may have stronger memories of his 1994 season, as he led the NL with 189 strikeouts before the strike, and his 1996 year, as he finished third in NL Cy Young voting behind John Smoltz and Kevin Brown.
Chipper Jones (1990, Atlanta Braves)
The Braves were patient with Larry Jones. He was a September call-up in 1993, but a torn ACL in spring training in 1994 sidelined him for the season. When Jones finally became a starter in 1995, he hit 23 home runs with 86 RBI and 87 runs. Jones then made eight All-Star Games in a 19-year career with 468 home runs, 1,623 RBI, 2,726 hits and a .303 batting average. Jones, the 1999 NL MVP, is expected to join Griffey in the Hall of Fame.
Phil Nevin (1992, Houston Astros)
Nevin played 12 respectable MLB seasons, batting .270 with 208 home runs. He peaked in 2001, clocking 41 home runs and 126 RBI. In his final season in 2006, Nevin joined the Twins on Aug. 31, playing in his only postseason series, a three-game sweep at the hands of the A's.
Alex Rodriguez (1993, Seattle Mariners)
Ignoring the PED-use, A-Rod is statistically the greatest first overall pick of all time. He has made 14 All-Star Games, won three AL MVP Awards, won two Gold Glove Awards and won ten Silver Slugger Awards. Rodriguez has been a batting champ and a home run champ. Only Rodriguez, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays have 500 home runs and 3,000 hits.
Darin Erstad (1995, California Angels)
Erstad made All-Star Games in 1998 and 2000, but he is remembered more for his glove than his bat. After batting .355 in 2000, Erstad never hit above .300 again in the regular season. However, he did bat .300 in the Angels' 2002 seven-game World Series title over the Giants. Erstad won three Gold Glove Awards in 2000, 2002 and 2004. He has been head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers since 2012.
Josh Hamilton (1999, Tampa Bay Devil Rays)
Drug and alcohol abuse derailed Hamilton's minor league career, and he did not make his MLB debut until 2007. But the world was introduced to Hamilton at the 2008 All-Star Game when he hit 28 home runs in the first round of the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. Hamilton was an All-Star from 2008-2012. In 2010, he batted .359 with 32 home runs and 100 RBI to win the AL MVP.
Adrian Gonzalez (2000, Florida Marlins)
Another late bloomer, Gonzalez did not become a starter until joining the Padres, his third organization, in 2006. Gonzalez starred for his hometown team, hitting at least 24 home runs in his five seasons in San Diego. He was traded to the Red Sox in a deal that included 21-year-old Anthony Rizzo going the other way. Gonzalez made four straight All-Star Games from 2008-2011 with the Padres and Red Sox, and he added another in 2015 with the Dodgers.
Joe Mauer (2001, Minnesota Twins)
Mauer, a St. Paul native, fell into the Twins lap at No. 1. The local kid debuted in 2004, made the All-Star Game in 2006 and won an MVP in 2009. Now a full-time first baseman, Mauer began his career as a catcher, where he won three Gold Gloves. Mauer is a six-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger winner and three-time AL batting champion. He has the highest season and career batting average for a catcher, but Mauer's stats have declined considerably since 2014.
Justin Upton (2005, Arizona Diamondbacks)
Three years after his brother, Melvin, was picked second overall, Upton headed a 2005 class that included Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Ricky Romero, Troy Tulowitzki, Andrew McCutchen, Jay Bruce and Jacoby Ellsbury. He has made three All-Star Games -- 2009, 2011 and 2015 -- and after signing a six-year, $137.25 million contract with the Tigers this past offseason, he has to back up the hype further.
David Price (2007, Tampa Bay Rays)
One year after getting drafted, Price became a September call-up with the Rays. A month later, he won his first career game in Game 2 of the ALCS against the Red Sox. He then closed out Game 7 of the ALCS and recorded his second save in the World Series. Since then, Price has made five All-Star Games, won a Cy Young, won an MLB strikeout crown, led the AL in wins and led the AL in ERA twice. Price, now with the Red Sox, has reached age 30 at 111-57 with 1,456 strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA, as of June 6.
Stephen Strasburg (2009, Washington Nationals)
Strasburg made his MLB debut on June 8, 2010, a day short of the one-year anniversary of his draft. He struck out 14 batters in seven innings, giving up four hits and two earned runs in a win. Strasburg was 5-3 with a 2.91 ERA in his rookie season when he tore a ligament in his elbow. He underwent Tommy John Surgery and only made five starts in 2011. In 2012, Strasburg returned in full force, going 15-6 with a 3.16 ERA and 197 strikeouts. The 2012 All-Star Game is Strasburg's only such midsummer classic to date, but he is currently 9-0 with a 2.85 ERA this season, and should be heading to his hometown of San Diego.
Bryce Harper (2010, Washington Nationals)
The Nationals chose the right years to be bad. One year after drafting Strasburg, Washington took 17-year-old Bryce Harper with the first overall pick. After his sophomore year of high school, Harper earned his GED and played junior college ball at College of Southern Nevada in what would have been his junior year, making him eligible for the draft. After almost two years in the minors, Harper was called up in late April 2012. Harper was an injury replacement in the All-Star Game during his rookie season. He again made the All-Star Game in 2013 and 2015. Harper won his first NL MVP in 2015. He is still only 23.
Gerrit Cole (2011, Pittsburgh Pirates)
The Yankees drafted Cole 28th overall in 2008 and planned to offer a $4 million signing bonus. Cole, represented by Scott Boras, did not negotiate and went to UCLA instead. Three years late, Cole went No. 1 and teammate Trevor Bauer, currently with the Indians, went No. 3. Cole debuted in 2013, going 10-7 with a 3.22 ERA, and he earned NL Rookie of the Month honors in September. In 2015, Cole made his first All-Star Game, going 19-8 with a 2.60 ERA and 202 strikeouts. He was fourth in Cy Young voting behind Jake Arrieta, Zack Grienke and Clayton Kershaw. The 25-year-old is 5-4 with a 2.85 ERA in 11 starts in 2016.
More Baseball:
-- Military Dad Dresses As Ump, Surprises Kids
-- Minor League Baseball Team Hosting 'Keep Brady Suspended' Night
-- Miguel Cabrera Gives Pitcher Jeremy Hellickson Thumbs Up
Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
