page_title: List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks
section_title: Draft
hierarchical_section_title: List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks / Draft
caption_attribution_description: Pat Burrell, Philadelphia Phillies, 2004, by Rick Dikeman 10:50, 16 September 2004 . . Rdikeman . . 400×600 (62,885 bytes)
context_page_description: The First-Year Player Draft, also known as the Rule 4 Draft, is Major League Baseball's primary mechanism for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. Unlike most professional sports, MLB does not permit the trading of draft picks, so the draft order is solely determined by the previous season's standings; the team that possesses the worst record receives the first pick. If two teams have identical records, the team with the worse record in the previous season will receive the higher pick. In addition, teams that lost free agents in the previous off-season may be awarded "compensatory" picks. The first draft took place in 1965; it was introduced to prevent richer teams from negotiating wealthier contracts with top-level prospects and therefore, monopolizing the player market. Originally, three drafts were held each year. The first draft took place in June and involved high-school graduates and college seniors who had just finished their seasons. The second draft took place in January for high school and college players who had graduated in December.
caption: Pat Burrell, the 1998 first overall pick
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