| 1977 Major League Baseball draft | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| First selection | Harold Baines Chicago White Sox |
| First round selections | 26 |
| Hall of Famers | |
The1977 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1977 MLB season. The draft saw theChicago White Sox selectHarold Baines first overall.
| = All-Star | = Baseball Hall of Famer |
The following are the first round picks in the 1977 Major League Baseball draft.[1]
| = All-Star | = Baseball Hall of Famer |
| Round | Pick | Player | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 29 | Kevin Bass | Milwaukee Brewers | OF |
| 2 | 38 | Terry Francona* | Chicago Cubs | 1B |
| 2 | 42 | Mookie Wilson | New York Mets | OF |
| 3 | 54 | Scott Sanderson | Montreal Expos | RHP |
| 3 | 57 | Darrell Brown | Detroit Tigers | OF |
| 4 | 84 | Jim Gott | St. Louis Cardinals | RHP |
| 4 | 85 | Brian Harper | California Angels | C |
| 4 | 86 | Ozzie Smith | San Diego Padres | SS |
| 5 | 106 | Tim Raines | Montreal Expos | OF |
| 5 | 124 | Mickey Hatcher | Los Angeles Dodgers | OF |
| 7 | 145 | Jesse Orosco* | St. Louis Cardinals | LHP |
| 9 | 233 | Jesse Barfield | Toronto Blue Jays | OF |
| 11 | 270 | Chili Davis | San Francisco Giants | OF |
| 15 | 389 | Danny Ainge | Toronto Blue Jays | INF |
| 16 | 416 | Tony Phillips* | Seattle Mariners | INF/OF |
| 17 | 429 | Gary Redus* | Boston Red Sox | OF |
| 36 | 762 | Tom Niedenfuer | Los Angeles Dodgers | RHP |
* Did not sign
The White Sox surprised some when they passed on right-handed pitcherBill Gullickson, a native of nearbyOrland Park, Illinois, and selected outfielderHarold Baines as the number one pick in the draft. White Sox ownerBill Veeck had seen Baines playlittle league baseball in Maryland and had followed his progress through the years.[citation needed] After spending three seasons in the minors, Baines was a fixture in the White Sox lineup for 10 seasons, and was eventually elected to the baseball Hall of Fame.
With Gullickson available, Montreal selected the pitcher second overall, and eventually pitcherScott Sanderson in the third round and outfielderTim Raines in the fifth.
Shortstop Tom Goffena fromSidney, Ohio became the Toronto Blue Jays' first draft pick as he was chosen 25th in the first round. The Seattle Mariners picked 26th and took outfielderDave Henderson fromDos Palos, California as their first draft pick. The Blue Jays also pickedDanny Ainge out ofBrigham Young University in the 15th round. Ainge, who was also drafted by the NBA'sBoston Celtics, later quit baseball and played basketball instead, becoming a basketball coach and executive after his playing days ended.[3]
| Preceded by | 1st Overall Picks Harold Baines | Succeeded by |