Best draft picks in Arizona Diamondbacks history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Arizona Diamondbacks history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Mark Reynolds (tie)
- Draft: 476th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,688
- Career stats: 298 home runs, .236 batting average, .780 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 6.8

#23. Jake Lamb (tie)
- Draft: 213th overall pick in 2012
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 723
- Career stats: 96 home runs, .235 batting average, .753 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 7.3

#23. Josh Collmenter (tie)
- Draft: 463rd overall pick in 2007
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 214
- Career stats: 38 wins, 3.64 earned run average, 1.20 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 7.3

#22. Javier López
- Draft: 133rd overall pick in 1998
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 839
- Career stats: 30 wins, 3.48 earned run average, 1.35 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 8.0

#21. Chase Anderson
- Draft: 276th overall pick in 2009
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 234
- Career stats: 59 wins, 4.36 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 8.1

#20. Junior Spivey
- Draft: 1085th overall pick in 1996
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 457
- Career stats: 48 home runs, .270 batting average, .790 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 8.2

#19. Chris Capuano
- Draft: 238th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 316
- Career stats: 77 wins, 4.38 earned run average, 1.36 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 8.9

#18. Brad Keller
- Draft: 240th overall pick in 2013
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 157
- Career stats: 38 wins, 4.32 earned run average, 1.45 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 9.0

#17. Jack Cust
- Draft: 30th overall pick in 1997
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 670
- Career stats: 105 home runs, .242 batting average, .813 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 9.4

#16. Carlos Quentin
- Draft: 29th overall pick in 2003
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 834
- Career stats: 154 home runs, .252 batting average, .831 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 10.5

#15. Brett Anderson
- Draft: 55th overall pick in 2006
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 222
- Career stats: 67 wins, 4.07 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 10.9

#14. Daulton Varsho
- Draft: 68th overall pick in 2017
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 497
- Career stats: 71 home runs, .227 batting average, .719 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 13.0

#13. Stephen Drew
- Draft: 15th overall pick in 2004
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,268
- Career stats: 123 home runs, .252 batting average, .741 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 15.9

#12. Lyle Overbay
- Draft: 538th overall pick in 1999
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,587
- Career stats: 151 home runs, .266 batting average, .776 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 16.5

#11. Dan Uggla
- Draft: 338th overall pick in 2001
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 1,346
- Career stats: 235 home runs, .241 batting average, .783 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.2

#10. Adam Eaton
- Draft: 571st overall pick in 2010
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 914
- Career stats: 66 home runs, .276 batting average, .763 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.4

#9. Wade Miley
- Draft: 43rd overall pick in 2008
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 317
- Career stats: 108 wins, 4.07 earned run average, 1.36 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 18.8

#8. Brad Penny
- Draft: 155th overall pick in 1996
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 349
- Career stats: 121 wins, 4.29 earned run average, 1.38 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 18.9

#7. Dansby Swanson
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 2015
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,024
- Career stats: 129 home runs, .251 batting average, .733 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.7

#6. Trevor Bauer
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 2011
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 222
- Career stats: 83 wins, 3.79 earned run average, 1.24 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 21.1

#5. AJ Pollock
- Draft: 17th overall pick in 2009
- Position: Centerfielder
- Games played: 1,087
- Career stats: 145 home runs, .273 batting average, .791 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.3

#4. Brandon Webb
- Draft: 249th overall pick in 2000
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 199
- Career stats: 87 wins, 3.27 earned run average, 1.24 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 31.1

#3. Justin Upton
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 2005
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,845
- Career stats: 325 home runs, .261 batting average, .812 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 32.3

#2. Paul Goldschmidt
- Draft: 246th overall pick in 2009
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,831
- Career stats: 347 home runs, .290 batting average, .899 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 61.8

#1. Max Scherzer
- Draft: 11th overall pick in 2006
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 457
- Career stats: 214 wins, 3.15 earned run average, 1.08 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 75.0

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.