# List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball

This is a list of baseball players who went directly to the major leagues. They are distinguished as a group by having made their North American professional baseball debut with a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise without having previously played at the professional level. After their major-league debuts, many of these players appeared in professional leagues other than MLB.
Included are multiple "bonus babies", who joined major-league rosters from 1947 to 1957 and from 1962 to 1965 under the bonus rule, which obligated major-league teams to keep players awarded large signing bonuses on their rosters for two seasons. Excluded are players who, prior to their major-league debut, appeared in any professional baseball game, such as within Minor League Baseball, Negro league baseball, professional leagues outside of North America (such as Nippon Professional Baseball), or independent baseball leagues. A player who participated only in offseason developmental baseball (such as winter league baseball) is not excluded.
The practice of players directly joining a major-league team has become increasingly rare since the MLB draft was instituted in 1965—it has only occurred nine times since 1980, and three times since 2000.

## Players

Listed below are baseball players who did not play baseball professionally before their MLB debuts. Each of these players, with the exception of Charlie Faust, Eddie Gaedel, and Herb Washington, first played amateur baseball in an organized sports league, typically at the high school or college level. Faust played two games with the 1911 New York Giants, essentially as a good luck charm under manager John McGraw. Gaedel, who stood 3 feet 7 inches (1.09 m), played one game with the 1951 St. Louis Browns, as a gimmick of owner Bill Veeck. Washington, who played for the Oakland Athletics in the mid-1970s, was put under contract by owner Charlie Finley due to his experience as a world-class sprinter.
Catfish Hunter is an example of a major-league player who never played for a Minor League Baseball team; however, Hunter played in nine games in the Florida Instructional League (whose players are paid) in the fall of 1964, prior to his major-league debut on May 13, 1965.
Key :
| * | Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame |
| + | "Bonus babies" |
Players who debuted in Major League Baseball without playing minor league baseball :
| Name | Position | Amateur team | MLB Team | Debut |
| Jim Abbott | Pitcher | Michigan | California Angels | 1989 |
| Mike Adamson | Pitcher | USC | Baltimore Orioles | 1967 |
| Joey Amalfitano$^+$ | Second baseman | Loyola Marymount | New York Giants | 1954 |
| Wayne Ambler | Second baseman | Duke | Philadelphia Athletics | 1937 |
| Walter Ancker | Pitcher | Tenafly Base Ball Club (NJ) | Philadelphia Athletics | 1915 |
| Johnny Antonelli$^+$ | Pitcher | Thomas Jefferson HS (NY) | Boston Braves | 1948 |
| Eddie Bane | Pitcher | Arizona State | Minnesota Twins | 1973 |
| Reno Bertoia$^+$ | Third baseman | Assumption College HS (ON) | Detroit Tigers | 1953 |
| Steve Boros$^+$ | Infielder | Michigan | Detroit Tigers | 1957 |
| Clete Boyer$^+$ | Third baseman | Alba HS (MO) | Kansas City Athletics | 1955 |
| Jim Brady$^+$ | Pitcher | Notre Dame | Detroit Tigers | 1956 |
| Pete Broberg | Pitcher | Dartmouth | Washington Senators | 1971 |
| Mack Burk$^+$ | Catcher | Texas | Philadelphia Phillies | 1956 |
| Tom Carroll$^+$ | Infielder | Notre Dame | New York Yankees | 1955 |
| Wayne Causey$^+$ | Infielder | Neville HS (LA) | Baltimore Orioles | 1955 |
| David Clyde | Pitcher | Westchester HS (TX) | Texas Rangers | 1973 |
| Tim Conroy | Pitcher | Gateway Senior HS (PA) | Oakland Athletics | 1978 |
| Billy Consolo$^+$ | Shortstop | Dorsey HS (CA) | Boston Red Sox | 1953 |
| Garrett Crochet | Pitcher | Tennessee | Chicago White Sox | 2020 |
| John DeMerit$^+$ | Outfielder | Wisconsin | Milwaukee Braves | 1957 |
| Jim Derrington$^+$ | Pitcher | South Gate HS (CA) | Chicago White Sox | 1956 |
| Moe Drabowsky$^+$ | Pitcher | Trinity College (CT) | Chicago Cubs | 1956 |
| Darren Dreifort | Pitcher | Wichita State | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1994 |
| Joe Dugan | Third baseman | Holy Cross | Philadelphia Athletics | 1917 |
| Steve Dunning | Pitcher | Stanford | Cleveland Indians | 1970 |
| John Edelman$^+$ | Pitcher | West Chester | Milwaukee Braves | 1955 |
| Rob Ellis | Outfielder | Michigan State | Milwaukee Brewers | 1971 |
| Charlie Faust | Pitcher | — | New York Giants | 1911 |
| Bob Feller$^*$ | Pitcher | Van Meter HS (IA) | Cleveland Indians | 1936 |
| Frankie Frisch$^*$ | Second baseman | Fordham | New York Giants | 1919 |
| Johnson Fry | Pitcher | Groves-Thornton Tumblers (WV) | Cleveland Indians | 1923 |
| Eddie Gaedel | Pinch hitter | — | St. Louis Browns | 1951 |
| Bob Garibaldi$^+$ | Pitcher | Santa Clara | San Francisco Giants | 1962 |
| Tom Gastall$^+$ | Catcher | Boston University | Baltimore Orioles | 1955 |
| Paul Giel$^+$ | Pitcher | Minnesota | New York Giants | 1954 |
| Dick Groat$^+$ | Shortstop | Duke | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1952 |
| Bobby Henrich$^+$ | Shortstop | Compton HS (CA) | Cincinnati Redlegs | 1957 |
| Dave Hill$^+$ | Pitcher | Northwestern | Kansas City Athletics | 1957 |
| Gil Hodges$^*$ | Third baseman | Petersburg HS (IN) | Brooklyn Dodgers | 1943 |
| Jay Hook$^+$ | Pitcher | Northwestern | Cincinnati Redlegs | 1957 |
| Burt Hooton | Pitcher | Texas | Chicago Cubs | 1971 |
| Bob Horner | Third baseman | Arizona State | Atlanta Braves | 1978 |
| Pete Incaviglia | Outfielder | Oklahoma State | Texas Rangers | 1986 |
| Ron Jackson$^+$ | First baseman | Western Michigan | Chicago White Sox | 1954 |
| Vic Janowicz$^+$ | Catcher | Ohio State | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1953 |
| Joey Jay$^+$ | Pitcher | Woodrow Wilson HS (CT) | Milwaukee Braves | 1953 |
| Don Kaiser$^+$ | Pitcher | East Central University | Chicago Cubs | 1955 |
| Al Kaline$^{*+}$ | Outfielder | Southern HS (MD) | Detroit Tigers | 1953 |
| Harmon Killebrew$^{*+}$ | First baseman | Payette HS (ID) | Washington Senators | 1954 |
| Jerry Kindall$^+$ | Second baseman | Minnesota | Chicago Cubs | 1956 |
| Nick Koback$^+$ | Catcher | Hartford Public HS (CT) | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1953 |
| Sandy Koufax$^{*+}$ | Pitcher | Cincinnati | Brooklyn Dodgers | 1955 |
| Kenny Kuhn$^+$ | Infielder | Louisville Male HS (KY) | Cleveland Indians | 1955 |
| Mike Leake | Pitcher | Arizona State | Cincinnati Reds | 2010 |
| Frank Leja$^+$ | First baseman | Holyoke HS (MA) | New York Yankees | 1954 |
| Ralph Lumenti$^+$ | Pitcher | Boston University | Washington Senators | 1957 |
| Ted Lyons$^*$ | Pitcher | Baylor | Chicago White Sox | 1923 |
| Mike McCormick$^+$ | Pitcher | Mark Keppel HS (CA) | New York Giants | 1956 |
| Lindy McDaniel$^+$ | Pitcher | Arnett HS (OK) | St. Louis Cardinals | 1955 |
| Von McDaniel$^+$ | Pitcher | Arnett HS (OK) | St. Louis Cardinals | 1957 |
| Cal McLish | Pitcher | Central HS (OK) | Brooklyn Dodgers | 1944 |
| Bob G. Miller$^+$ | Pitcher | Morton East HS (IL) | Cincinnati Redlegs | 1953 |
| Bob L. Miller$^+$ | Pitcher | Beaumont HS (MO) | St. Louis Cardinals | 1957 |
| Brian Milner | Catcher | Fort Worth Southwest HS (TX) | Toronto Blue Jays | 1978 |
| Cass Michaels | Second baseman | Hamtramck HS (MI) | Chicago White Sox | 1943 |
| Paul Martin$^+$ | Pitcher | Marion Center Area HS (PA) | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1955 |
| Mike Morgan | Pitcher | Valley HS (NV) | Oakland Athletics | 1978 |
| Xavier Nady | Outfielder | California | San Diego Padres | 2000 |
| Tex Nelson$^+$ | First baseman | W. H. Adamson HS (TX) | Baltimore Orioles | 1955 |
| Joe Nuxhall | Pitcher | Hamilton HS (OH) | Cincinnati Reds | 1944 |
| Harry MacPherson | Pitcher | Johnson HS (MA) | Boston Braves | 1944 |
| Eddie O'Brien$^+$ | Shortstop | Seattle | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1953 |
| Johnny O'Brien$^+$ | Second baseman | Seattle | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1953 |
| Billy O'Dell$^+$ | Pitcher | Clemson | Baltimore Orioles | 1954 |
| John Olerud | First baseman | Washington State | Toronto Blue Jays | 1989 |
| Claude Osteen | Pitcher | Reading HS (OH) | Cincinnati Reds | 1957 |
| Mel Ott$^*$ | Outfielder | Gretna HS (LA) | New York Giants | 1926 |
| Jim Pagliaroni$^+$ | Catcher | Wilson HS (CA) | Boston Red Sox | 1955 |
| Chan Ho Park | Pitcher | Hanyang University (South Korea) | Los Angeles Dodgers | 1994 |
| Don Pavletich$^+$ | Catcher | Nathan Hale HS (WI) | Cincinnati Reds | 1957 |
| Laurin Pepper$^+$ | Pitcher | Southern Miss | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1954 |
| Leroy Powell$^+$ | Pinch runner | Michigan State | Chicago White Sox | 1955 |
| Ariel Prieto | Pitcher | Isla de la Juventud (Cuba) | Oakland Athletics | 1995 |
| Buddy Pritchard$^+$ | Second baseman | USC | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1957 |
| Jim Pyburn$^+$ | Third baseman | Alabama Polytechnic Institute | Baltimore Orioles | 1955 |
| Tom Qualters$^+$ | Pitcher | McKeesport HS (PA) | Philadelphia Phillies | 1953 |
| Eppa Rixey$^*$ | Pitcher | Virginia | Philadelphia Phillies | 1912 |
| Mel Roach$^+$ | Infielder | Virginia | Milwaukee Braves | 1953 |
| Dave Roberts | Third baseman | Oregon | San Diego Padres | 1972 |
| Dick Ruthven | Pitcher | Fresno State | Philadelphia Phillies | 1973 |
| Carl Scheib | Pitcher | Simon Gratz HS (PA) | Philadelphia Athletics | 1943 |
| Jerry Schoonmaker$^+$ | Outfielder | Missouri | Washington Senators | 1955 |
| Tillie Shafer | Infielder | Santa Clara | New York Giants | 1909 |
| Al Silvera$^+$ | Outfielder | USC | Cincinnati Reds | 1955 |
| George Sisler$^*$ | First baseman | Michigan | St. Louis Browns | 1915 |
| Jim Small$^+$ | Outfielder | Bellarmine College Prep (CA) | Detroit Tigers | 1955 |
| Red Swanson$^+$ | Pitcher | LSU | Pittsburgh Pirates | 1955 |
| Hawk Taylor$^+$ | Catcher | Metropolis Community HS (IL) | Milwaukee Braves | 1957 |
| George Thomas$^+$ | Outfielder | Minnesota | Detroit Tigers | 1957 |
| Fred Van Dusen$^+$ | Pinch hitter | Bryant HS (NY) | Philadelphia Phillies | 1955 |
| Jerry Walker$^+$ | Pitcher | Byng HS (OK) | Baltimore Orioles | 1957 |
| Herb Washington | Pinch runner | — | Oakland Athletics | 1974 |
| Cy Williams | Outfielder | Notre Dame | Chicago Cubs | 1912 |
| Dave Winfield$^*$ | Outfielder | Minnesota | San Diego Padres | 1973 |
| Eddie Yost | Third baseman | NYU | Washington Senators | 1944 |
| Frank Zupo$^+$ | Catcher | Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (CA) | Baltimore Orioles | 1957 |