2005 Major League Baseball draft
The 2005 Major League Baseball draft was the annual amateur player selection meeting held on June 7 and 8, 2005, in which Major League Baseball teams chose eligible high school and college players, with the Arizona Diamondbacks selecting shortstop Justin Upton from Great Bridge High School as the first overall pick.[1] This draft class is widely regarded as one of the most talented in MLB history, producing numerous All-Stars, award winners, and long-term contributors who collectively amassed significant value across the majors.[2] Key first-round selections included third baseman Alex Gordon (second overall, Kansas City Royals, University of Nebraska), third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (fourth overall, Washington Nationals, University of Virginia), third baseman Ryan Braun (fifth overall, Milwaukee Brewers, University of Miami), shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (seventh overall, Colorado Rockies, Long Beach State University), and outfielder Andrew McCutchen (eleventh overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates from Fort Meade High School, where he was an 18-year-old prospect).[3][1] Other notable later-round picks who emerged as stars encompassed outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury (twenty-third overall, first round, Boston Red Sox, Oregon State University), third baseman Chase Headley (second round, San Diego Padres), and outfielder Brett Gardner (third round, New York Yankees).[1] The draft featured a strong emphasis on college players, who comprised two-thirds of the first-round selections, alongside 13 pitchers chosen in that round, reflecting teams' preferences for more polished prospects amid varying team needs following the 2004 season.[1] Among the quickest to reach the majors was pitcher Joey Devine, selected 27th overall by the Atlanta Braves, who debuted on August 20, 2005.[1] Overall, the class's depth and impact—spanning multiple franchises and positions—have cemented its legacy, with players like Braun (a former National League MVP), McCutchen (a five-time All-Star and 2013 NL MVP), and Tulowitzki (a two-time Gold Glove winner) exemplifying its enduring success.[2]Background
Historical Context
The Major League Baseball (MLB) amateur draft was established in 1965 as a mechanism to regulate the procurement of amateur talent and stem the rapid escalation of signing bonuses that had characterized the preceding era of "bonus babies," where top prospects were auctioned to the highest-bidding teams without restriction.[4][5] Prior to this, amateur players could negotiate freely with any franchise, leading to multimillion-dollar deals for unproven talents as early as the 1950s, which strained smaller clubs and prompted the commissioner's office to impose the draft as a tool for more equitable distribution of prospects across the league.[6] Over the subsequent decades, the draft evolved into a cornerstone of team-building, particularly for rebuilding franchises, by providing access to young players under cost-controlled contracts for six years before free agency eligibility.[7] The 2002 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) marked a pivotal shift in the draft's strategic importance, introducing revenue sharing and a refined luxury tax system that alleviated financial pressures on small- and mid-market teams while penalizing high-spending clubs.[8] These provisions incentivized under-resourced teams to invest heavily in scouting and selections as a low-cost pathway to contention, contrasting with the free-agent spending dominated by large-market powerhouses.[9] By 2005, this framework had solidified the draft's role in promoting competitive balance, with small-market teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers leveraging supplemental draft picks to stock farm systems amid rising operational costs.[10] Leading into the 2005 draft, the 2004 selections highlighted ongoing challenges with ballooning signing bonuses, as top picks like shortstop Matt Bush (No. 1 overall, San Diego Padres, $3.15 million) and pitcher Justin Verlander (No. 2 overall, Detroit Tigers, $3.12 million) commanded sums that exceeded inflation-adjusted norms from earlier drafts, prompting teams to refine evaluation processes for value and signability.[11][12] The 2004 class's relatively modest long-term impact—yielding only six players with 20+ Wins Above Replacement through 2015—further influenced 2005 strategies, encouraging clubs to prioritize college players perceived as lower-risk amid disputes over high school bonuses and holdouts.[13][14] Economically, the mid-2000s backdrop featured surging MLB player salaries—averaging $2.3 million in 2004 and climbing toward $2.5 million by 2005—exacerbated by the luxury tax's escalating rates, which for 2005 were 30% for first-time offenders, 40% for second-time offenders, and 50% for third-time or more on amounts over $128 million in payroll and discouraged aggressive free-agent pursuits by payroll-constrained teams.[15] Small-market franchises, facing revenue disparities, increasingly viewed the draft as an essential counterbalance, using it to acquire controllable talent without triggering tax penalties or eroding revenue-sharing receipts.[16][17]Eligibility and Rules
The eligibility criteria for the 2005 Major League Baseball draft, governed by Rule 4 of the official MLB rules, focused on amateur players from the United States, Canada, and U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico. High school graduates who had not yet enrolled in college were eligible immediately upon graduation in the draft year, while junior college players became eligible after completing at least one year of enrollment. Four-year college players were eligible if they had completed their junior year, were seniors, or had turned 21 years old by the draft date.[18][19] International amateurs from outside these regions were not subject to the draft and instead could be signed directly as free agents if under 23 years old with no more than limited professional experience in foreign leagues. The draft explicitly excluded players eligible for the Rule 5 draft, which targeted minor leaguers with specific service time thresholds rather than pure amateurs.[19] Unique to the 2005 draft, teams had until August 1, 2005, to sign their selections; unsigned players generally retained their amateur status and could re-enter the pool the following year, though college-bound draftees faced additional pressures tied to enrollment timelines. MLB's commissioner's office issued non-binding recommended signing bonuses for each draft slot—expanded to cover the first five rounds by then—as precursors to later formal slotting systems, aimed at curbing escalating costs without enforceable penalties.[19][6] Compared to prior years, the 2005 draft showed an increased emphasis on college players, who comprised two-thirds of first-round selections—the highest proportion to date—driven by teams' desire for lower-risk evaluations and more predictable bonuses amid rising expenditures on high school talents in drafts like 2004.[1]Draft Process
Date and Format
The 2005 Major League Baseball draft occurred over two days, June 7 and 8, with proceedings beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET on the first day and 12:00 p.m. ET on the second.[20] It was conducted entirely via conference call from Major League Baseball headquarters in New York, involving representatives from each of the league's 30 teams, marking the standard format for drafts at that time before live on-site events began in 2007.[4] The draft spanned 50 rounds and resulted in 1,501 total selections, covering amateur players eligible under MLB rules for high school graduates, college players, and junior college participants.[21][22] Day 1 focused on the initial 18 rounds, running from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET, while Day 2 handled the remaining 32 rounds (19 through 50) over a similar six-hour window.[20] Selections were announced in real time during the conference call, with live text-based coverage available on MLB.com for public access, though no televised broadcast or in-person audience was present, consistent with the pre-2007 era of remote proceedings.[20][4] This structure allowed teams to deliberate picks sequentially without on-site fan interaction, emphasizing the draft's logistical efficiency over spectacle.[4]Selection Order Determination
The selection order for the first round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft followed the standard procedure of reverse order based on the 2004 regular-season standings across both leagues, with the team posting the worst winning percentage receiving the No. 1 overall pick. This system incentivized competitive balance by granting priority to underperforming teams from the prior year. The Arizona Diamondbacks, who finished the 2004 season with the league's worst record of 51 wins and 111 losses, thus held the top selection.[23] Following the first round, supplemental selections were determined by allocations for teams that lost eligible free agents in the 2004-05 offseason, governed by the free agent compensation provisions of the 2002 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. Under these rules, departing free agents were categorized as Type A (top 20% in their position per the Elias Sports Bureau rankings and arbitration-eligible without a qualifying offer), Type B (next 20% in rankings and similarly eligible), or Type C (the remainder). Teams losing a Type A free agent received a "sandwich" pick between the first and second rounds, provided they had extended a qualifying offer, while the signing team forfeited its first-round pick unless it ranked in the top half of its league (protected status). For Type B losses, the losing team obtained the signing team's first-round pick directly, without an additional sandwich selection. Type C losses yielded picks later, typically between the second and third rounds.[8][24] In the 2005 draft, these compensation mechanisms resulted in 18 picks sandwiched between the first and second rounds, specifically tied to losses of Type A and Type B free agents, which adjusted the overall order by inserting these selections after pick No. 30 and before the second round began at No. 49. This structure, unique to the 2002 CBA era, aimed to offset talent loss for non-contending teams while discouraging excessive spending on free agents by imposing draft penalties on signers. The supplemental picks were assigned in reverse order of the losing teams' 2004 standings, ensuring fairness in distribution.[25]Primary Selections
First Round Picks
The first round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft took place on June 7, 2005, and featured 30 selections by MLB teams in reverse order of their 2004 regular-season finish, with compensation picks awarded based on free-agent losses integrated into the order.[1] Of these picks, 20 came from college programs and 10 from high school, reflecting a strong emphasis on collegiate talent that year.[1] The round produced several high-profile prospects, highlighted by shortstop Justin Upton's record-setting $6.1 million signing bonus as the No. 1 overall selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks.[21] The selections emphasized position players early, with eight of the top 10 picks being infielders or outfielders, while pitching talent dominated the middle and late portions of the round. No major trades occurred on draft day affecting first-round picks, though signability concerns arose for a few prospects due to prior draft histories or leverage negotiations; most first-round selections signed professional contracts by the August 1, 2005, deadline, though Justin Upton signed on January 6, 2006, after a holdout.[1] Notable bonuses included $4 million for third baseman Alex Gordon (No. 2 overall, Kansas City Royals) and $3.5 million for right-hander Mike Pelfrey (No. 9 overall, New York Mets), underscoring the financial stakes for top talents.[26] Notably, Justin Upton held out through the signing deadline and signed on January 6, 2006, for his $6.1 million bonus.[27]| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School (Type) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Justin Upton | SS | Great Bridge HS (HS) |
| 2 | Kansas City Royals | Alex Gordon | 3B | Univ. of Nebraska (Col.) |
| 3 | Seattle Mariners | Jeff Clement | C | USC (Col.) |
| 4 | Washington Nationals | Ryan Zimmerman | 3B | Univ. of Virginia (Col.) |
| 5 | Milwaukee Brewers | Ryan Braun | 3B | Univ. of Miami (Col.) |
| 6 | Toronto Blue Jays | Ricky Romero | LHP | Cal State-Fullerton (Col.) |
| 7 | Colorado Rockies | Troy Tulowitzki | SS | Long Beach State (Col.) |
| 8 | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | Wade Townsend | RHP | Rice Univ. (Col.) |
| 9 | New York Mets | Mike Pelfrey | RHP | Wichita State (Col.) |
| 10 | Detroit Tigers | Cameron Maybin | OF | T.C. Roberson HS (HS) |
| 11 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Andrew McCutchen | OF | Fort Meade HS (HS) |
| 12 | Cincinnati Reds | Jay Bruce | OF | West Brook HS (HS) |
| 13 | Baltimore Orioles | Brandon Snyder | C | Westfield HS (HS) |
| 14 | Cleveland Indians | Trevor Crowe | OF | Univ. of Arizona (Col.) |
| 15 | Chicago White Sox | Lance Broadway | RHP | TCU (Col.) |
| 16 | Florida Marlins | Chris Volstad | RHP | Palm Beach Gardens HS (HS) |
| 17 | New York Yankees | C.J. Henry | SS | Putnam City HS (HS) |
| 18 | San Diego Padres | Cesar Carrillo | RHP | Univ. of Miami (Col.) |
| 19 | Texas Rangers | John Mayberry Jr. | OF | Stanford Univ. (Col.) |
| 20 | Chicago Cubs | Mark Pawelek | LHP | Springville HS (HS) |
| 21 | Oakland Athletics | Cliff Pennington | SS | Texas A&M (Col.) |
| 22 | Florida Marlins | Aaron Thompson | LHP | Second Baptist HS (HS) |
| 23 | Boston Red Sox | Jacoby Ellsbury | OF | Oregon State (Col.) |
| 24 | Houston Astros | Brian Bogusevic | LHP | Tulane Univ. (Col.) |
| 25 | Minnesota Twins | Matt Garza | RHP | Fresno State (Col.) |
| 26 | Boston Red Sox | Craig Hansen | RHP | St. John's Univ. (Col.) |
| 27 | Atlanta Braves | Joey Devine | RHP | NC State (Col.) |
| 28 | St. Louis Cardinals | Colby Rasmus | OF | Russell County HS (HS) |
| 29 | Florida Marlins | Jacob Marceaux | RHP | McNeese State (Col.) |
| 30 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tyler Greene | SS | Georgia Tech (Col.) |
Supplemental First Round Picks
The supplemental first round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft consisted of 18 selections, numbered overall picks 31 through 48, awarded as compensation to teams that lost eligible free agents from the 2004–05 offseason without receiving player or other draft pick compensation in return. Under MLB's free agency rules at the time, Type A free agents—defined as the top 20% of players at their position based on salary and performance metrics from the prior two seasons—triggered compensation for the losing team in the form of the signing team's first-round pick plus an additional supplemental pick if the signing team did not offer arbitration. Type B free agents, comprising the next 20% of eligible players, resulted in a supplemental pick for the losing team if arbitration was not offered and accepted. Examples include the Arizona Diamondbacks' loss of first baseman Richie Sexson (Type A) to the Seattle Mariners and the Boston Red Sox's losses of multiple players such as Pedro Martínez (Type A) to the New York Mets, Orlando Cabrera (Type B) to the Los Angeles Angels, and Derek Lowe (Type B) to the Los Angeles Dodgers.[25][1] These picks allowed teams to acquire additional high-upside amateur talent immediately following the primary first round, enhancing their prospect pools despite free agency losses. The selections emphasized college and high school pitchers and position players with strong defensive or power potential, reflecting scouting trends toward athleticism and projectability. Most teams received one or two such picks, with the Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals each awarded three due to multiple qualifying losses. The following table lists all supplemental first round picks, including the team, player, position, and school or college:| Overall Pick | Team | Player | Position | School/College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Matt Torra | RHP | University of Massachusetts Amherst |
| 32 | Colorado Rockies | Chaz Roe | RHP | Lafayette High School (VA) |
| 33 | Cleveland Indians | John Drennen | OF | Rancho Bernardo High School (CA) |
| 34 | Florida Marlins | Ryan Tucker | RHP | Temple City High School (CA) |
| 35 | San Diego Padres | César Ramos | LHP | Long Beach State University |
| 36 | Oakland Athletics | Travis Buck | OF | Arizona State University |
| 37 | Los Angeles Angels | Trevor Bell | RHP | Crescenta Valley High School (CA) |
| 38 | Houston Astros | Eli Iorg | OF | University of Tennessee |
| 39 | Minnesota Twins | Henry Sanchez | 1B | Mission Bay High School (CA) |
| 40 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Luke Hochevar | RHP | University of Tennessee |
| 41 | Atlanta Braves | Beau Jones | LHP | Destrehan High School (LA) |
| 42 | Boston Red Sox | Clay Buchholz | RHP | Angelina College (TX) |
| 43 | St. Louis Cardinals | Mark McCormick | RHP | Baylor University |
| 44 | Florida Marlins | Sean West | LHP | Captain Shreve High School (LA) |
| 45 | Boston Red Sox | Jed Lowrie | SS | Stanford University |
| 46 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tyler Herron | RHP | Wellington High School (FL) |
| 47 | Boston Red Sox | Michael Bowden | RHP | Waubonsie Valley High School (IL) |
| 48 | Baltimore Orioles | Garrett Olson | LHP | Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo |
Additional Selections
Compensation Picks
The compensation picks in the 2005 Major League Baseball draft consisted of 18 supplemental selections inserted between the first and second rounds, with 17 awarded to 13 teams that lost Type A free agents to other clubs during the 2004-05 offseason and one additional pick to the Baltimore Orioles for failure to sign 2004 draftee Wade Townsend. These "sandwich picks" served as a mechanism to offset the departure of high-value players, with the order determined by the reverse standings of the losing teams from the previous season. The system, governed by MLB's free agency rules in place at the time, aimed to maintain competitive balance by granting extra opportunities to select amateur talent without requiring the forfeiture of existing picks from the signing teams.[29][24] The Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, and St. Louis Cardinals each earned multiple picks due to losing several qualifying players. Representative examples include:| Overall Pick | Team | Player | Position | School | Compensation For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Matthew Torra | RHP | University of Massachusetts | Losing Richie Sexson (signed by Seattle Mariners) |
| 34 | Florida Marlins | Ryan Tucker | RHP | Temple City HS (CA) | Losing Armando Benítez (signed by San Francisco Giants) |
| 35 | San Diego Padres | César Ramos | LHP | Long Beach State University | Losing David Wells (signed by Boston Red Sox) |
| 36 | Oakland Athletics | Travis Buck | OF | Arizona State University | Losing Damian Miller (signed by Milwaukee Brewers) |
| 40 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Luke Hochevar | RHP | University of Tennessee | Losing Adrián Beltré (signed by Seattle Mariners) |
| 42 | Boston Red Sox | Clay Buchholz | RHP | Angelina College (TX) | Losing Pedro Martínez (signed by New York Mets) |
| 45 | Boston Red Sox | Jed Lowrie | 2B | Stanford University | Losing Orlando Cabrera (signed by Los Angeles Angels) |
| 47 | Boston Red Sox | Michael Bowden | RHP | Waubonsie Valley HS (IL) | Losing Derek Lowe (signed by Los Angeles Dodgers) |