# 1976 Major League Baseball expansion draft

The 1976 MLB Expansion Draft was held November 5, 1976. This expansion draft was conducted by Major League Baseball to stock the major league rosters of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners, new major league expansion franchises established via the 1977 Major League Baseball expansion that were set to start play in the 1977 season.

## Background

Seattle was promised a franchise by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. During the summer of 1975, there was speculation that the Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, or San Francisco Giants could move to Seattle. When none of these plans proved successful, the American League added a team in Seattle. With thirteen teams in a league creating a scheduling nightmare, the league awarded a franchise to Toronto over Washington, D.C. in March 1976.
Players were selected only from American League teams, in keeping with the practices of the A.L.'s expansion of 1961, the National League's expansion of 1962, and the expansion of both leagues in 1969. Beginning with the next expansion in 1993, the new teams would select players from teams in both the American and National Leagues.
Danny Kaye, part-owner of the Mariners, announced the club's first selection.

## Draft results

Key :
| ‡ | All-Star |
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Selected from | Selected by | Notes |
| 1 | 1 | Ruppert Jones$^‡$ | OF | Kansas City Royals | Seattle Mariners |
| 1 | 2 | Bob Bailor | OF | Baltimore Orioles | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 1 | 3 | Gary Wheelock | P | California Angels | Seattle Mariners |
| 1 | 4 | Jerry Garvin | P | Minnesota Twins | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 1 | 5 | Bill Stein | 3B | Chicago White Sox | Seattle Mariners |
| 1 | 6 | Jim Clancy$^‡$ | P | Texas Rangers | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 1 | 7 | Dick Pole | P | Boston Red Sox | Seattle Mariners |
| 1 | 8 | Gary Woods | OF | Oakland Athletics | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 1 | 9 | Dan Meyer | 1B | Detroit Tigers | Seattle Mariners |
| 1 | 10 | Rico Carty$^‡$ | DH | Cleveland Indians | Toronto Blue Jays | Shortly after the draft, traded by Toronto to the Cleveland Indians for Rick Cerone and John Lowenstein. Toronto later reacquired Carty, who played for them in 1978 and 1979. |
| 1 | 11 | Grant Jackson$^‡$ | P | New York Yankees | Seattle Mariners | Shortly after the draft, traded by Seattle to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Craig Reynolds and Jimmy Sexton. |
| 1 | 12 | Butch Edge | P | Milwaukee Brewers | Toronto Blue Jays | Did not make big league squad until 1979. |
| 2 | 13 | Al Fitzmorris | P | Kansas City Royals | Toronto Blue Jays | Immediately traded on the day of the draft by Toronto to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Alan Ashby and Doug Howard. |
| 2 | 14 | Dave Collins | OF | California Angels | Seattle Mariners |
| 2 | 15 | Alvis Woods | OF | Minnesota Twins | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 2 | 16 | Frank MacCormack | P | Detroit Tigers | Seattle Mariners |
| 2 | 17 | Mike Darr | P | Baltimore Orioles | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 2 | 18 | Stan Thomas | P | Cleveland Indians | Seattle Mariners |
| 2 | 19 | Pete Vuckovich | P | Chicago White Sox | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 2 | 20 | Juan Bernhardt | OF | New York Yankees | Seattle Mariners |
| 2 | 21 | Jeff Byrd | P | Texas Rangers | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 2 | 22 | Rick Jones | P | Boston Red Sox | Seattle Mariners |
| 2 | 23 | Steve Bowling | OF | Milwaukee Brewers | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 2 | 24 | Glenn Abbott | P | Oakland Athletics | Seattle Mariners |
| 3 | 25 | Bob Stinson | C | Kansas City Royals | Seattle Mariners |
| 3 | 26 | Dennis DeBarr | P | Detroit Tigers | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 3 | 27 | Carlos López | OF | California Angels | Seattle Mariners |
| 3 | 28 | Bill Singer | P | Minnesota Twins | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 3 | 29 | Dave Pagan | P | Baltimore Orioles | Seattle Mariners |
| 3 | 30 | Jim Mason | SS | New York Yankees | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 3 | 31 | Roy Thomas | P | Chicago White Sox | Seattle Mariners | Traded by Seattle before the start of the season to the Houston Astros for infielder Larry Milbourne. Seattle later reacquired Thomas, who played for them between 1983 and 1987. |
| 3 | 32 | Doug Ault | 1B | Texas Rangers | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 3 | 33 | Tom McMillan | SS | Cleveland Indians | Seattle Mariners |
| 3 | 34 | Ernie Whitt$^‡$ | C | Boston Red Sox | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 3 | 35 | Pete Broberg | P | Milwaukee Brewers | Seattle Mariners | Traded in April (without appearing in a game for Seattle) to the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named later. The Chicago Cubs later sent Jim Todd (October 25, 1977) to the Mariners to complete the trade. |
| 3 | 36 | Mike Weathers | IF | Oakland Athletics | Toronto Blue Jays | Just prior to spring training, traded by Toronto to the Oakland Athletics (from whence he was drafted) for Ron Fairly. |
| 4 | 37 | Steve Staggs | 2B | Kansas City Royals | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 4 | 38 | Steve Braun | OF | Minnesota Twins | Seattle Mariners |
| 4 | 39 | Steve Hargan$^‡$ | P | Texas Rangers | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 4 | 40 | Leroy Stanton | OF | California Angels | Seattle Mariners |
| 4 | 41 | Garth Iorg | 3B | New York Yankees | Toronto Blue Jays | Did not make big league squad until 1978. |
| 4 | 42 | Bob Galasso | P | Baltimore Orioles | Seattle Mariners |
| 4 | 43 | Dave Lemanczyk$^‡$ | P | Detroit Tigers | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 4 | 44 | Steve Burke | P | Boston Red Sox | Seattle Mariners |
| 4 | 45 | Larry Anderson | P | Milwaukee Brewers | Toronto Blue Jays | Shortly after the draft, sent by Toronto to the Chicago White Sox to complete an earlier deal made to obtain Phil Roof. |
| 4 | 46 | Joe Lis | 1B | Cleveland Indians | Seattle Mariners |
| 4 | 47 | Jesse Jefferson | P | Chicago White Sox | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 4 | 48 | Alan Griffin | P | Oakland Athletics | Seattle Mariners | Did not make Seattle's major league squad. Played in minors through 1978. |
| 5 | 49 | Dave McKay | IF | Minnesota Twins | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 5 | 50 | Bill Laxton | P | Detroit Tigers | Seattle Mariners |
| 5 | 51 | Tom Bruno | P | Kansas City Royals | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 5 | 52 | Julio Cruz | 2B | California Angels | Seattle Mariners |
| 5 | 53 | Otto Velez | OF | New York Yankees | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 5 | 54 | Steve Barr | P | Texas Rangers | Seattle Mariners | Did not make Seattle's major league squad. Played in minors through 1978. |
| 5 | 55 | Mike Willis | P | Baltimore Orioles | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 5 | 56 | Puchy Delgado | OF | Boston Red Sox | Seattle Mariners |
| 5 | 57 | Sam Ewing | OF | Chicago White Sox | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 5 | 58 | Tommy Smith | OF | Cleveland Indians | Seattle Mariners |
| 5 | 59 | Leon Hooten | P | Oakland Athletics | Toronto Blue Jays | Released by Toronto prior to the start of the 1977 season. |
| 5 | 60 | Greg Erardi | P | Milwaukee Brewers | Seattle Mariners |