# 1979 Major League Baseball draft

The 1979 Major League Baseball draft was held on June 5–7, 1979, via conference call.

## First round selections

| = All-Star | = Baseball Hall of Famer |
The following are the first-round picks in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.
| Pick | Player | Team | Position | Hometown/School |
| 1 | Al Chambers | Seattle Mariners | OF | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |
| 2 | Tim Leary | New York Mets | RHP | UCLA |
| 3 | Jay Schroeder | Toronto Blue Jays | C | Pacific Palisades, California |
| 4 | Brad Komminsk | Atlanta Braves | OF | Lima, Ohio |
| 5 | Juan Bustabad * | Oakland Athletics | SS | Hialeah, Florida |
| 6 | Andy Van Slyke | St. Louis Cardinals | OF | New Hartford, New York |
| 7 | John Bohnet | Cleveland Indians | LHP | Vallejo, California |
| 8 | John Mizerock | Houston Astros | C | Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania |
| 9 | Steve Buechele * | Chicago White Sox | SS | Fullerton, California |
| 10 | Tim Wallach | Montreal Expos | 1B | Cal State Fullerton |
| 11 | Kevin Brandt | Minnesota Twins | OF | Nekoosa, Wisconsin |
| 12 | Jon Perlman | Chicago Cubs | RHP | Baylor University |
| 13 | Rick Leach | Detroit Tigers | OF | University of Michigan |
| 14 | Joe Lansford | San Diego Padres | 1B | San Jose, California |
| 15 | Scott Garrelts | San Francisco Giants | RHP | Buckley, IL |
| 16 | Steve Howe | Los Angeles Dodgers | LHP | University of Michigan |
| 17 | Jerry Don Gleaton | Texas Rangers | LHP | University of Texas at Austin |
| 18 | Rick Luecken * | San Francisco Giants | RHP | Houston, Texas |
| 19 | Rick Seilheimer | Chicago White Sox | C | Brenham, Texas |
| 20 | Dan Lamar | Cincinnati Reds | C | Houston, Texas |
| 21 | Atlee Hammaker | Kansas City Royals | LHP | East Tennessee State University |
| 22 | Mike Sullivan | Cincinnati Reds | RHP | Clemson University |
| 23 | Chris Baker | Detroit Tigers | OF | Dearborn Heights, Michigan |
| 24 | Bob Geren | San Diego Padres | C | San Diego, California |
| 25 | Steve Perry | Los Angeles Dodgers | RHP | University of Michigan |
| 26 | Mike Stenhouse * | Oakland Athletics | OF | Harvard University |
* Did not sign

## Compensation Picks

* ↑ Pick from California Angels as compensation for signing of free agent Jim Barr
* ↑ Pick from Pittsburgh Pirates as compensation for signing of free agent Lee Lacy
* ↑ Pick from Baltimore Orioles as compensation for signing of free agent Steve Stone
* ↑ Pick from Philadelphia Phillies as compensation for signing of free agent Pete Rose
* ↑ Pick from Milwaukee Brewers as compensation for signing of free agent Jim Slaton
* ↑ Pick from Los Angeles Dodgers as compensation for signing of free agent Derrel Thomas
* ↑ Pick from New York Yankees as compensation for signing of free agent Tommy John
* ↑ Pick from Boston Red Sox as compensation for signing of free agent Steve Renko

## Other notable selections

Later rounds of the draft included the following notable players:
* Milt Thompson, 2nd round, 29th overall Atlanta Braves
* Derek Tatsuno, 2nd round, 40th overall San Diego Padres (did not sign)
* Dan Marino, 4th round, 99th overall Kansas City Royals (did not sign)
* Mark Thurmond, 5th round, 118th overall San Diego Padres
* Ron Gardenhire, 6th round, 132nd overall New York Mets
* Bill Doran, 6th round, 138th overall Houston Astros
* Harold Reynolds, 6th round, 144th overall San Diego Padres (did not sign)
* Von Hayes†, 7th round 163rd overall Cleveland Indians
* Johnny Ray, 12th round, 294th overall Houston Astros
* Pete O'Brien, 15th round 381st overall Texas Rangers
* Bud Black, 17th round, 417th overall Seattle Mariners
* Orel Hershiser†, 17th round, 440th overall Los Angeles Dodgers
* John Elway, 18th round, 463rd overall Kansas City Royals (did not sign)
* Don Mattingly†, 19th round, 493rd overall New York Yankees
* Brett Butler†, 23rd round, 573 overall Atlanta Braves
* Curt Warner, 32nd round, 784th overall Philadelphia Phillies
† All-Star
‡ Hall of Famer
A number of future football players were drafted in 1979, including John Elway (Kansas City), Kevin House (St. Louis), Dan Marino (Kansas City), Jay Schroeder (Toronto), Jack Thompson (Seattle), and Curt Warner (Philadelphia).