Best draft picks in Philadelphia Phillies 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 Philadelphia Phillies 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. Ryan Madson
- Draft: 254th overall pick in 1998
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 740
- Career stats: 61 wins, 3.48 earned run average, 1.24 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 13.5

#24. Brett Myers
- Draft: 12th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 381
- Career stats: 97 wins, 4.25 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 14.6

#23. Ryan Howard
- Draft: 140th overall pick in 2001
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,572
- Career stats: 382 home runs, .259 batting average, .859 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 14.7

#22. Mike Lieberthal
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 1990
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,212
- Career stats: 150 home runs, .274 batting average, .783 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 15.3

#21. Nick Punto
- Draft: 614th overall pick in 1998
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,163
- Career stats: 19 home runs, .245 batting average, .646 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 15.4

#20. Gavin Floyd
- Draft: 4th overall pick in 2001
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 243
- Career stats: 74 wins, 4.37 earned run average, 1.32 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 15.7

#19. J.P. Crawford
- Draft: 16th overall pick in 2013
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 705
- Career stats: 50 home runs, .250 batting average, .716 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 16.5

#18. Pat Burrell
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 1998
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 1,640
- Career stats: 292 home runs, .253 batting average, .834 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.9

#17. John Stearns
- Draft: 2nd overall pick in 1973
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 810
- Career stats: 46 home runs, .260 batting average, .717 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 19.7

#16. J.A. Happ
- Draft: 92nd overall pick in 2004
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 354
- Career stats: 133 wins, 4.13 earned run average, 1.31 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 21.1

#14. Michael Bourn (tie)
- Draft: 115th overall pick in 2003
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,361
- Career stats: 36 home runs, .266 batting average, .687 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.8

#14. Randy Wolf (tie)
- Draft: 54th overall pick in 1997
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 390
- Career stats: 133 wins, 4.24 earned run average, 1.35 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.8

#13. Darren Daulton
- Draft: 628th overall pick in 1980
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,161
- Career stats: 137 home runs, .246 batting average, .784 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 22.9

#12. Larry Hisle
- Draft: 38th overall pick in 1965
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,197
- Career stats: 166 home runs, .273 batting average, .799 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 25.0

#11. Marlon Byrd
- Draft: 306th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,573
- Career stats: 159 home runs, .275 batting average, .759 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 25.8

#10. Greg Luzinski
- Draft: 11th overall pick in 1968
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,821
- Career stats: 307 home runs, .276 batting average, .840 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 26.2

#9. Bob Boone
- Draft: 126th overall pick in 1969
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 2,264
- Career stats: 105 home runs, .254 batting average, .661 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 27.4

#8. Aaron Nola
- Draft: 7th overall pick in 2014
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 247
- Career stats: 97 wins, 3.69 earned run average, 1.12 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 32.9

#7. Lonnie Smith
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 1974
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,613
- Career stats: 98 home runs, .288 batting average, .791 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 38.5

#6. Jimmy Rollins
- Draft: 46th overall pick in 1996
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,275
- Career stats: 231 home runs, .264 batting average, .743 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 47.6

#5. Cole Hamels
- Draft: 17th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 423
- Career stats: 163 wins, 3.43 earned run average, 1.18 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 59.0

#4. Chase Utley
- Draft: 15th overall pick in 2000
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 1,937
- Career stats: 259 home runs, .275 batting average, .823 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 64.5

#3. Ryne Sandberg
- Draft: 511th overall pick in 1978
- Position: Infielder
- Games played: 2,164
- Career stats: 282 home runs, .285 batting average, .796 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 67.9

#2. Scott Rolen
- Draft: 46th overall pick in 1993
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 2,038
- Career stats: 316 home runs, .281 batting average, .855 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 70.1

#1. Mike Schmidt
- Draft: 30th overall pick in 1971
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,404
- Career stats: 548 home runs, .268 batting average, .908 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 106.9

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.