| 1978 Major League Baseball draft | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| First selection | Bob Horner Atlanta Braves |
| First round selections | 26 |
| Hall of Famers | |
The1978 Major League Baseball draft was held June 6–8, 1978, consisting of 48 rounds, during which a total of 779 players were selected by 26Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations.[1] The first overall selection wasBob Horner, drafted by theAtlanta Braves.
Four of the selected players made their professional debuts in MLB without first playing inMinor League Baseball: third baseman Horner fromArizona State University,Oakland High School pitchersTim Conroy andMike Morgan, and catcherBrian Milner fromSouthwest High School inFort Worth, Texas.
In addition to Horner, the Braves also selected future major-leaguer playersMatt Sinatro (2nd round),Steve Bedrosian (3rd round),Rick Behenna (4th round),Jose Alvarez (8th round) andGerald Perry (11th round).
Others notable players drafted includedLloyd Moseby andDave Stieb (Toronto),Mike Marshall andSteve Sax (Los Angeles),Cal Ripken Jr. andMike Boddicker (Baltimore),Kirk Gibson (Detroit),Kent Hrbek (Minnesota) andHubie Brooks (New York Mets).[2]
The following are the first round picks in the 1978 Major League Baseball draft.[3]
| = All-Star | =Baseball Hall of Fame |
| = All-Star | = Baseball Hall of Famer |
| Round | Pick | Player | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 37 | Danny Heep | Houston Astros | OF |
| 39 | Mel Hall | Chicago Cubs | ||
| 48 | Cal Ripken Jr. | Baltimore Orioles | 3B | |
| 52 | Steve Balboni | New York Yankees | 1B | |
| 3 | 53 | Steve Bedrosian | Atlanta Braves | RHP |
| 70 | Britt Burns | Chicago White Sox | LHP | |
| 74 | Bobby Bonner | Baltimore Orioles | SS | |
| 4 | 85 | Rob Deer | San Francisco Giants | OF |
| 92 | Mike Witt | California Angels | RHP | |
| 5 | 106 | Dave Stieb | Toronto Blue Jays | OF |
| 6 | 151 | Mike Marshall | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1B |
| 152 | Mike Boddicker | Baltimore Orioles | RHP | |
| 8 | 196 | Tim Wallach* | California Angels | 1B |
| 9 | 229 | Steve Sax | Los Angeles Dodgers | SS |
| 15 | 377 | Mark Langston* | Chicago Cubs | LHP |
| 381 | Gary Redus | Cincinnati Reds | SS | |
| 16 | 415 | Frank Viola* | Kansas City Royals | LHP |
| 17 | 432 | Kent Hrbek | Minnesota Twins | 1B |
| 18 | 447 | Eric Show | San Diego Padres | RHP |
| 460 | John Stuper | Pittsburgh Pirates | ||
| 19 | 475 | Kevin McReynolds* | Milwaukee Brewers | OF |
| 20 | 511 | Ryne Sandberg | Philadelphia Phillies | IF |
| 21 | 531 | Dave Dravecky | Pittsburgh Pirates | LHP |
| 23 | 577 | Howard Johnson* | New York Yankees | RHP |
| 24 | 594 | Rick Leach | Philadelphia Phillies | 1B |
| 39 | 758 | Vance Law | Pittsburgh Pirates | SS |
| 47 | 778 | Ron Reeves | Cleveland Indians | RHP |
* Did not sign
| Preceded by | 1st Overall Picks Bob Horner | Succeeded by |