The 2023 MLB draft takes place July 9-11 in Seattle, Washington, in conjunction with the 2023 MLB All-Star game.
The first amateur Major League Baseball draft took place in 1965. Since then, 1,646 players have been drafted in the first round of the MLB draft.
Of those, around 700 came from an NCAA school.
And no school is more represented on that list than Stanford. Tommy Troy, drafted No. 12 by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, became the Cardinal’s 25th player taken in the first round — more than any other college.
But Arizona State isn’t far behind with 21. The Sun Devils’ Spencer Torkelson went No. 1 overall in 2020.
Vanderbilt leaped into the top 3 in 2023, tying Arizona State and passing Texas, after Enrique Bradfield Jr. was selected No. 17 overall by the Baltimore Orioles.
There are almost 100 other NCAA schools that have had at least two players taken in the first round.
Based on data from MLB.com, here’s a list of schools with the most first-round draft picks:
*Note: Only first-round picks from the primary June draft were considered, meaning draftees from secondary drafts and supplemental picks were omitted.
| RANK | COLLEGE | FIRST-ROUND DRAFT PICKS | NO. 1 OVERALL PICKS | CONFERENCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford | 23 | 1 | Pac-12 |
| T-2 | Arizona State | 21 | 4 | Pac-12 |
| T-2 | Vanderbilt | 21 | 2 | SEC |
| 4 | Texas | 17 | 0 | Big 12 |
| T-5 | Florida State | 16 | 1 | ACC |
| T-5 | North Carolina | 16 | 1 | ACC |
| 7 | LSU | 15 | 2 | SEC |
| T-8 | Southern California | 14 | 0 | Pac-12 |
| T-8 | UCLA | 14 | 1 | Pac-12 |
| 10 | Florida | 13 | 0 | SEC |
| 10 | Clemson | 13 | 1 | ACC |
| T-11 | Cal State Fullerton | 12 | 1 | Big West |
| T-11 | Arizona | 12 | 0 | Pac-12 |
| T-13 | Mississippi State | 11 | 0 | SEC |
| T-13 | Rice | 11 | 1 | American |
| T-13 | Wichita State | 11 | 0 | American |
| T-13 | Oklahoma | 11 | 0 | Big 12 |
TWO-TIME CHAMPS: Players to win a CWS and MLB World Series
Only 28 of the No. 1 draft picks since 1965 have been from NCAA schools, and the SEC, ACC and Pac-12 combine for 18 of them. Those three conferences account for close to half of all NCAA first-round draftees since 1965.
But no individual school has more No. 1 overall picks than Arizona State.
The very first player ever taken in the amateur draft was Arizona State outfielder Rick Monday, drafted No. 1 overall in 1965 by the Kansas City Athletics. In 1976, the Houston Astros selected pitcher Floyd Bannister, and in 1978, the Atlanta Braves took outfielder Bob Horner, both Sun Devils. Torkelson then joined the list in 2020 after the Detroit Tigers chose the ASU first baseman with the top pick.
MORE: College World Series: MLB No. 1 overall draft picks to play in the CWS
Vanderbilt and LSU are the only other schools to have more than one player taken first overall.
