Best draft picks in Oakland Athletics 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 Oakland Athletics 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 Mulder
- Draft: 2nd overall pick in 1998
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 205
- Career stats: 103 wins, 4.18 earned run average, 1.34 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.0

#24. Max Muncy
- Draft: 169th overall pick in 2012
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 887
- Career stats: 189 home runs, .227 batting average, .823 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.4

#22. Andre Ethier (tie)
- Draft: 62nd overall pick in 2003
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,455
- Career stats: 162 home runs, .285 batting average, .822 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.5

#22. Nick Swisher (tie)
- Draft: 16th overall pick in 2002
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,527
- Career stats: 245 home runs, .249 batting average, .799 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.5

#21. Mike Morgan
- Draft: 4th overall pick in 1978
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 597
- Career stats: 141 wins, 4.23 earned run average, 1.40 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 26.2

#20. Terry Steinbach
- Draft: 215th overall pick in 1983
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,546
- Career stats: 162 home runs, .271 batting average, .746 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 28.0

#19. Kevin Tapani
- Draft: 40th overall pick in 1986
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 361
- Career stats: 143 wins, 4.35 earned run average, 1.31 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 29.2

#18. Mickey Tettleton
- Draft: 118th overall pick in 1981
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,485
- Career stats: 245 home runs, .241 batting average, .818 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 29.3

#17. Matt Olson
- Draft: 47th overall pick in 2012
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 957
- Career stats: 239 home runs, .255 batting average, .866 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 30.2

#16. Sonny Gray
- Draft: 18th overall pick in 2011
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 289
- Career stats: 105 wins, 3.46 earned run average, 1.20 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 31.0

#15. Barry Zito
- Draft: 9th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 433
- Career stats: 165 wins, 4.04 earned run average, 1.34 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 31.9

#14. Rick Monday
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 1965
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,986
- Career stats: 241 home runs, .264 batting average, .804 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 33.1

#13. Dwayne Murphy
- Draft: 359th overall pick in 1973
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,360
- Career stats: 166 home runs, .246 batting average, .758 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 33.3

#12. Matt Chapman
- Draft: 25th overall pick in 2014
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 929
- Career stats: 163 home runs, .240 batting average, .786 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 33.8

#11. Eric Chavez
- Draft: 10th overall pick in 1996
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,615
- Career stats: 260 home runs, .268 batting average, .818 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 38.3

#10. José Canseco
- Draft: 392nd overall pick in 1982
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,887
- Career stats: 462 home runs, .266 batting average, .867 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 42.4

#9. Vida Blue
- Draft: 27th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 502
- Career stats: 209 wins, 3.27 earned run average, 1.23 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 45.1

#8. Gene Tenace
- Draft: 340th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,555
- Career stats: 201 home runs, .242 batting average, .817 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 46.8

#7. Jason Giambi
- Draft: 58th overall pick in 1992
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 2,260
- Career stats: 440 home runs, .277 batting average, .916 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 50.5

#6. Chet Lemon
- Draft: 22nd overall pick in 1972
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,988
- Career stats: 215 home runs, .273 batting average, .797 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 55.7

#5. Tim Hudson
- Draft: 185th overall pick in 1997
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 482
- Career stats: 222 wins, 3.49 earned run average, 1.24 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 57.9

#4. Sal Bando
- Draft: 119th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 2,019
- Career stats: 242 home runs, .254 batting average, .760 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 61.5

#3. Mark McGwire
- Draft: 10th overall pick in 1984
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,874
- Career stats: 583 home runs, .263 batting average, .982 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 62.1

#2. Reggie Jackson
- Draft: 2nd overall pick in 1966
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,820
- Career stats: 563 home runs, .262 batting average, .846 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 74.0

#1. Rickey Henderson
- Draft: 96th overall pick in 1976
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 3,081
- Career stats: 297 home runs, .279 batting average, .820 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 111.1

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.