These are the best late-round picks in Draft history

In the MLB Draft, good things can come for those who wait. So while much of the hype is about the high-profile prospects who hear their names called near the top of the first round, there are plenty of potential stars who have to wait.

Sometimes they even have to wait all the way to Day 3 of the Draft, which this year will be held on Tuesday, featuring the final 10 rounds of the event (11-20). No, the depth of future MLB talent is not the same in this range as it is earlier in the Draft, but every year, teams uncover hidden gems.

With that in mind, here is a look at the most productive players -- by Baseball Reference's wins above replacement (WAR) -- ever selected in each Day 3 round, counting only picks who signed. We'll also touch on some of the top players taken after the 20th round, before the Draft was scaled back to its current size.

Round 11: Andre Dawson, Expos, 1975, 64.9 WAR

The Hawk was the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year with Montreal and the '87 NL MVP with the Cubs, collecting 438 homers and eight Gold Gloves during a Hall of Fame career.

Honorable mentions: Trevor Hoffman, Reds, 1989; Chili Davis, Giants, 1977; Jeff Cirillo, Brewers, 1991

Most notable active players: Nathan Eovaldi, Dodgers, 2008; Brandon Woodruff, Brewers, 2014; Joc Pederson, Dodgers, 2010

Round 12: Nolan Ryan, Mets, 1965, 81.3 WAR

In the first year of the Draft, 294 players were chosen before the Hall of Fame right-hander. Ryan, baseball's all-time strikeout king (5,714), won 324 games while tossing a record seven no-hitters.

Honorable mentions: Bill North, Cubs, 1969; Johnny Ray, Astros, 1979; John Smiley, Pirates, 1983

Most notable active players: Jeff McNeil, Mets, 2013; Robbie Ray, Nationals, 2010; Alexis Díaz, Reds, 2015

Round 13: Albert Pujols, Cardinals, 1999, 101.4 WAR

A three-time MVP, Pujols hit 703 home runs and drove in 2,218 runs in a 22-year career. He joined Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez as the only players with 3,000 hits in addition to 600 home runs -- with Aaron the only other one to hit 700 homers.

Honorable mentions: Jim Thome, Cleveland, 1989; Jack Clark, Giants, 1973; Steve Finley, Orioles, 1987

Most notable active players: Matt Carpenter, Cardinals, 2009; Cedric Mullins, Orioles, 2015; Nathaniel Lowe, Rays, 2016

Round 14: Dave Parker, Pirates, 1970, 40.1 WAR

The right fielder was the 1978 NL MVP for Pittsburgh, when he won his second straight batting title, and went on to post a 121 career OPS+, capturing a pair of World Series.

Honorable mentions: Dexter Fowler, Rockies, 2004; Jamey Carroll, Expos, 1996; John Jaha, Brewers, 1984

Most notable active players: Mike Yastrzemski, Orioles, 2013; Dean Kremer, Dodgers, 2016; Colin Poche, D-backs, 2016

Round 15: Jose Canseco, A's, 1982, 42.4 WAR

He was a big part of the great A's teams of the late 1980s, taking AL Rookie of the Year honors in '86 and MVP honors in '88, when he became baseball's first 40-40 man.

Honorable mentions: Jake Peavy, Padres, 1999; Dwayne Murphy, A's, 1973; Bill Mueller, Giants, 1993

Most notable active players: Jack Suwinski, Padres, 2016; Tyler Wells, Twins, 2016; Josh Winckowski, Blue Jays, 2016

Round 16: Buddy Bell, Cleveland, 1969, 66.4 WAR

Only 10 third basemen in history have accrued more career WAR than the underrated Bell, who won six straight Gold Gloves and made four All-Star teams for Texas from 1979-84.

Honorable mentions: James Shields, Rays, 2000; Dave Stewart, Dodgers, 1975; Oscar Gamble, Cubs, 1968

Most notable active players: Chris Bassitt, White Sox, 2011; Tommy Pham, Cardinals, 2006; Kutter Crawford, Red Sox, 2017

Round 17: Kenny Lofton, Astros, 1988, 68.4 WAR

The former Arizona University basketball player spent only 20 games with Houston, one of his 11 teams. He posted a .372 career OBP and ranks 15th all time in stolen bases (622).

Honorable mentions: Orel Hershiser, Dodgers, 1979; Ian Kinsler, Rangers, 2003; Lorenzo Cain, Brewers, 2004

Most notable active players: Evan Phillips, Braves, 2015; Alex Vesia, Marlins, 2017; Seth Martinez, A's, 2016

Round 18: Mike Cameron, White Sox, 1991, 46.7 WAR

One of only 16 players to collect at least 275 homers and steals, Cameron got to double digits in both categories for 10 straight seasons, from 1999-2008.

Honorable mentions: Ken Forsch, Astros, 1968; Lyle Overbay, D-backs, 1999; Kirk Rueter, Expos, 1991

Most notable active players: Matt Waldron, Cleveland, 2019; Nick Martinez, Rangers, 2011; Edouard Julien, Twins, 2019

Round 19: Bret Saberhagen, Royals, 1982, 58.9 WAR

Before the age of 26, the right-hander had won two AL Cy Young Awards and a World Series MVP Award for the Royals, having led the league in wins (23), ERA (2.16), FIP (2.45) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.5) in 1989.

Honorable mentions: Don Mattingly, Yankees, 1979; Placido Polanco, Cardinals, 1994, 41.5 WAR; David Eckstein, Red Sox, 1997

Most notable active players: Josh Hader, Orioles, 2012; Aaron Bummer, White Sox, 2014; Kerry Carpenter, Tigers, 2019

Round 20: Ryne Sandberg, Phillies, 1978, 68 WAR

Traded to the Cubs after playing 13 games for Philly, Sandberg emerged as a Hall of Fame second baseman, taking NL MVP honors in 1984, when he made the first of 10 straight All-Star teams.

Honorable mentions: Jeff Kent, Blue Jays, 1989; Gene Tenace, A's, 1965; Jose Bautista, Pirates, 2000

Most notable active players: J.D. Martinez, Astros, 2009; Cade Marlowe, Mariners, 2019; Anthony Bender, Royals, 2016

Best of the rest

Over the years, the Draft has been limited to 40 and now 20 rounds. Here are the most productive players ever picked after the 20th round.

Mike Piazza, Dodgers, 1988 (62nd round), 59.5 WAR

He began his professional baseball journey as an afterthought, and he ended it by getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016. An elite offensive catcher, Piazza was a 12-time All-Star who batted .308/.377/.545 with 427 home runs.

John Smoltz, Tigers, 1985 (22nd round), 69.0 WAR

Shipped to the Braves as a prospect, Smoltz became a Cy Young Award winner and Hall of Famer, making All-Star teams as both a starter and a closer. He's the only pitcher to record 200 wins and 100 saves.

Keith Hernandez, Cardinals, 1971 (42nd round), 60.3 WAR

The slick-fielding first baseman made it from the high school ranks to St. Louis in just three years and developed into the 1979 NL co-MVP. Hernandez collected nearly 2,200 hits in a 17-year-career, captured 11 Gold Glove Awards and won World Series rings with the '82 Cardinals and '86 Mets.

Andy Pettitte, Yankees, 1990 (22nd round), 60.2 WAR

Selected out of a Texas high school, Pettitte wound up starting more than 500 Major League games -- and that was just in the regular season. He also won five World Series titles with the Yankees and is the all-time postseason leader in starts (44), innings (276 2/3) and wins (19).

Mark Buehrle, White Sox, 1998 (38th round), 59.3 WAR

The lefty was a terrific find for the Sox with the 1,139th pick out of a Missouri junior college. From 2001-15, he logged at least 30 starts and 10 wins every year while producing a 116 ERA+.

Honorable mentions: Roy Oswalt, Astros, 1996 (23rd round); Mark Grace, Cubs, 1985 (24th round); Jorge Posada, Yankees, 1990 (24th round); Dusty Baker, Braves, 1967, (26th round); Ken Griffey Sr., Reds, 1969 (29th round); Kevin Kiermaier, Rays, 2010 (31st round); Kenny Rogers, Rangers, 1982 (39th round)