History says: Don't sleep on 5th-round picks

The 2020 MLB Draft will look and feel very different from any Draft that’s come before it. Circumstances stemming from the coronavirus pandemic will not only make this year’s Draft virtual, but have also shortened the event to just five rounds instead of the 40-round structure fans are used to seeing.

Teams have unearthed future All-Stars and Hall of Famers from stages way beyond the fifth round in the past, and so the last picks from this year’s Draft could come up big in the years to come. Indeed, history says clubs could find their potential franchise cornerstones in Round 5.

Below is a look at the best talent from the past, present and, potentially, the future that’s come specifically out of the Draft’s fifth round. We’re not including fifth-round selections who were later picked even higher in the Draft, like Nomar Garciaparra (Brewers’ fifth-round pick in 1991, Red Sox’s 12th overall pick in ‘94) or B.J. Surhoff (Yankees’ fifth-rounder in ‘82, Brewers’ top overall pick in ‘85). Career WAR totals are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

Current stars

Mookie Betts, Dodgers (41.8 WAR)
Drafted by Red Sox, 2011
This already feels like a lifetime ago, but you might recall a certain February trade that put the 2018 American League MVP in Dodger blue. There was thought that Betts could go in the second round of the ‘11 Draft, but fell all the way to Round 5, where the Red Sox picked him and convinced him to rescind his commitment to the University of Tennessee. He subsequently became a perennial top-five player in baseball.

Jake Arrieta, Phillies (25.1)
Drafted by Orioles, 2007
Arrieta was planet Earth’s most unhittable pitcher over the second half of the 2015 season, helped the Cubs finally win the World Series the following year and parlayed all that success into a $75 million contract with the Phillies. But it wasn’t always a straightforward path for the right-hander, whose career ERA stood at 5.46 before the Orioles traded him to Chicago.

Max Muncy, Dodgers (9.4)
Drafted by Athletics, 2012
Muncy appeared in parts of two seasons for Oakland before he was out of baseball in early 2017, but his .927 OPS since first taking the field for L.A. in ‘18 ranks 10th among all big league hitters.

Brandon Belt, Giants (23.0)
Drafted by Giants, 2009
Though San Francisco’s Oracle Park may have sapped Belt of the power numbers he would have enjoyed elsewhere, he’s ranked among MLB’s more patient sluggers with a career .354 OBP.

Chris Davis, Orioles (12.2)
Drafted by Rangers, 2006
Davis isn’t the game-changing force he once was, but don’t forget how much this fifth-rounder mashed in his prime. The Texas native owns two MLB home run crowns (averaging 39 dingers a season from 2012-16) and finished third in the AL MVP voting with Baltimore in ‘13.

Jeff Samardzija, Giants (15.2)
Drafted by Cubs, 2006
Sports fans first knew Samardzija as a two-time All-American wide receiver at Notre Dame, but he announced his intentions to play baseball full-time before the 2006 Draft. He continues to be one of the game’s workhorse starters for the Giants after proper stints with the A’s and both Chicago clubs.

Chris Archer, Pirates (13.1)
Drafted by Indians, 2006
Things haven’t gone as well in Pittsburgh for Archer, who will miss the 2020 season as he recovers from surgery to relieve symptoms of Thoracic outlet syndrome. But he’s not far removed from a pair of All-Star seasons with the Rays, who acquired Archer in a trade with the Cubs before the 2011 campaign.

Rhys Hoskins, Phillies (4.7)
Drafted by Phillies, 2014
Hoskins took off right from the get-go, breaking numerous Major League records, including the fastest player to reach 11 career homers. He drew an NL-most 116 walks and knocked 29 dingers in 2019.

Chris Taylor, Dodgers (10.4)
Drafted by Mariners, 2012
A successful Dodgers reclamation project right alongside Muncy, Taylor went from Mariners cast-off to everyday contributor to L.A.’s back-to-back NL champion squads in 2017-18. He figures to be a prominent utility man for the Dodgers again in ‘20.

Past stars

Tim Raines (69.4)
Drafted by Expos, 1977
“Rock” averaged 10.5 yards per carry as a high school running back and received dozens of college football scholarship offers, but he chose baseball -- much to the Expos’ delight. The Hall of Famer captured four stolen-base titles, a batting title, an All-Star Game MVP and two World Series rings across 23 big league seasons.

Jack Morris (43.5)
Drafted by Tigers, 1976
Morris didn’t throw a splitter when the Tigers made him a fifth-round pick. He learned it four years later, and he used it masterfully to become the winningest pitcher of the 1980s, a postseason hero several times over and a Hall of Famer.

Lou Whitaker (75.1)
Drafted by Tigers, 1975
The Tigers clearly found immense fifth-round value in the mid-1970s, picking Whitaker and Morris in back-to-back years. “Sweet Lou” is possibly the most talented player who is not honored alongside Raines and Morris in Cooperstown, but he is nevertheless an icon in Detroit, where he turned the double play with Alan Trammell longer than any other combo in baseball history.

Dwight Evans (67.1)
Drafted by Red Sox, 1969
Evans’ first professional club in Jamestown, N.Y., was so crowded with players that he had to wait a week before he got his first uniform. But by the end of the 1980s -- a decade in which Evans paced the AL, in various years, in homers, walks, OBP, OPS and runs while also claiming eight Gold Glove Awards in the outfield -- everyone in Boston knew who wore No. 24.

Dave Stieb (56.4)
Drafted by Blue Jays, 1978
Stieb ranked right behind Morris in total wins during the 1980s, meaning the decade’s two winningest pitchers both came out of the fifth round. But did you know the Blue Jays actually drafted their future ace as an outfielder? Stieb hit .394 as a junior at Southern Illinois and only pitched in emergency situations. When Toronto told Stieb his quickest way to its big league roster would be to pitch, he made the change. Good call by everyone involved.

John Franco (23.4)
Drafted by Dodgers, 1981
Franco was a Brooklyn native who grew up watching the Mets at Shea Stadium, and though his big league path didn’t start in Queens, his legend certainly rests there. The longtime closer ranks fifth on MLB’s all-time list with 424 career saves, tops among all left-handers.

Ryan Howard (14.7)
Drafted by Phillies, 2001
Howard’s first two seasons rank among the best starts to any recent career as he captured NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2005 before bashing 58 homers, driving in 149 runs and claiming the league’s MVP Award the following year. He became the fastest player (by games played) to reach both the 100- and 200-home run milestones.

Pat Hentgen (32.6)
Drafted by Blue Jays, 1986
Hentgen followed Stieb’s footsteps as Toronto’s next fifth-round ace, winning 19 games for the 1993 World Series champion Blue Jays and capturing the ‘96 AL Cy Young Award with 20 wins, 10 complete games and three shutouts.

Javier Vazquez (45.6)
Drafted by Expos, 1994
Vazquez’s omission from the 2017 Hall of Fame ballot shed light on an underrated career. He was both a workhorse (his 2,840 career innings were the second-most thrown by any pitcher from 1998-2011) and a strikeout artist, racking up more punchouts in the 2000s than anyone except Randy Johnson. Vazquez’s name sits atop the all-time lists in starts, wins, strikeouts and WAR among Puerto Rican-born pitchers.

Michael Young (24.7)
Drafted by Blue Jays, 1997
Young was drafted by Toronto and closed out his career with stops in Philly and L.A., but he’ll forever be an icon in Arlington. The Rangers retired No. 10 in 2019 to honor Young, who captured the 2005 batting title (.331), topped 200 hits in six separate seasons and helped lead the franchise to its first two World Series appearances in 2010-11.

Joe Girardi (5.6)
Drafted by Cubs, 1986
The Phillies’ new manager might wind up making a bigger impact from the bench than on the field. But he was behind the plate for Dwight Gooden’s no-hitter and David Cone’s perfect game, and his RBI triple off Greg Maddux in Game 6 of the 1996 World Series is still a cherished moment in recent Yankees lore.

Amos Otis (42.8)
Drafted by Red Sox, 1965
Otis, a five-time All-Star center fielder, can still be found all over the Royals’ all-time offensive lists, but it took some maneuvering to get him to Kansas City. The Mets picked Otis from the Red Sox’s system in the 1966 Minor League Draft, and then traded him after the ‘69 season in exchange for third baseman Joe Foy.

Ray Durham (33.8)
Drafted by White Sox, 1990
Durham was Chicago’s steady leadoff man for much of the 1990s before coming over to the Moneyball A’s at the 2002 Trade Deadline and helping them reach the postseason. He spent the next six years with the Giants, often setting the table for Barry Bonds.

Bret Boone (22.9)
Drafted by Mariners, 1990
Boone became the first third-generation player in Major League history when he debuted for Seattle in 1992. After a string of seasons as a talented defender at second base, Boone’s bat exploded for the 116-win Mariners in 2001, when he hit .331, crushed a career-high 37 homers and drove in an AL-best 141 runs.

John Valentin (32.5)
Drafted by Red Sox, 1988
Somewhat overlooked in his prime -- particularly during an 8-WAR season in 1995 -- Valentin had some big performances for Boston in the ‘99 postseason, including clutch home runs with the Red Sox facing elimination against the Indians in the ALDS and a two-run shot off Roger Clemens in the ALCS.

Mickey Tettleton (29.4)
Drafted by Athletics, 1981
The switch-hitting catcher didn’t stick with Tony La Russa’s A’s, but later found his footing as a high on-base man for the Orioles and Tigers, capturing Silver Slugger Awards in 1989, ‘91 and ‘92.

Honorable mentions

Ryan Klesko (Braves, 1989)
All-Star left fielder/first baseman was a star pitcher before a strained ligament made him switch positions

Greg Gagne (Yankees, 1979)
Glove-first shortstop won two World Series rings with the Twins

Dave Cash (Pirates, 1966)
Three-time All-Star manned second base for Pirates’ 1971 World Series championship club

Aubrey Huff (Devil Rays, 1998)
Silver Slugger Award winner helped Giants win it all in 2010 and ‘12

Mike Timlin (Blue Jays, 1987)
Longtime reliever won two World Series rings apiece with the Blue Jays (1992-93) and Red Sox (2004, ‘07)

Brad Penny (D-backs, 1996)
Two-time All-Star won both starts in Marlins’ 2003 World Series victory over the Yankees

Randy Jones (Padres, 1972)
Southpaw won the 1976 NL Cy Young Award and later saw Padres retire his No. 35

C.J. Wilson (Rangers, 2001)
Two-time All-Star southpaw was ace of Rangers’ back-to-back AL champion clubs in 2010-11

Joe Crede (White Sox, 1996)
All-Star third baseman came up clutch on several occasions during Chicago’s march to the 2005 World Series title

J.T. Snow (Yankees, 1989)
First baseman won six straight Gold Gloves from 1995-2000

Lenny Harris (Reds, 1983)
Played for eight big league clubs and holds MLB’s all-time record for most pinch-hits with 212

Doug Mientkiewicz (Twins, 1995)
First baseman won both an Olympic gold medal and a World Series, receiving Keith Foulke’s throw to seal Red Sox’s historic 2004 title

Mike Devereaux (Dodgers, 1985)
Center fielder drove in 107 runs for the 1992 Orioles and earned ‘95 NLCS MVP honors with the Braves

Potential future stars

Tyler Glasnow (Pirates, 2011)
The 6-foot-8 right-hander struggled to find his role in Pittsburgh, but he has experienced a career renaissance since arriving in Tampa Bay via trade. Many see Glasnow as a potential Cy Young Award winner in the near future after he put up a 1.78 ERA and a stifling 0.89 WHIP in an injury-shortened 2019 campaign for the Rays.

Cavan Biggio (Blue Jays, 2016)
The son of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio is one of several legacy players who make up Toronto’s talented young core. Biggio captured the Double-A Eastern League’s MVP Award in 2018 and impressed in his first 100 games with the Blue Jays in ‘19, hitting for the cycle in a game at Camden Yards and finishing with a .364 OBP.