The 2021 MLB draft began Sunday, July 11 in Denver, Colorado, in conjunction with the 2021 MLB All-Star game. The draft will run through July 13.
The first amateur Major League Baseball draft took place in 1965. Since then, 1,616 players have been drafted in the first round of the MLB draft.
Of those, around 700 came from an NCAA school.
MORE: These are the MLB MVPs who played college baseball
And no school is more represented on that list than Stanford. Nico Hoerner, drafted No. 24 by the Chicago Cubs in 2018, became the Cardinal’s 24th player taken in the first round — more than any other college.
But Arizona State isn't far behind — the Sun Devils' Spencer Torkelson went No. 1 overall in 2020.
Vanderbilt leaped into the top 4 in 2021, tying Florida State, after Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker were selected No. 2 and No. 10, respectively, overall.
There are almost 100 other NCAA schools that have had at least two players taken in the first round. Here’s a look at the top 20:
| Rank | College | First round draft picks | No. 1 overall picks | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford | 24 | 1 | Pac-12 |
| 2 | Arizona State | 23 | 4 | Pac-12 |
| 3 | Texas | 21 | 0 | Big 12 |
| T4 | Florida State | 20 | 1 | ACC |
| T4 | Vanderbilt | 20 | 2 | SEC |
| 6 | North Carolina | 17 | 1 | ACC |
| T7 | Southern California | 15 | 0 | Pac-12 |
| T7 | UCLA | 15 | 1 | Pac-12 |
| T8 | Rice | 14 | 1 | C-USA |
| T8 | Florida | 14 | 0 | SEC |
| T8 | Mississippi State | 14 | 0 | SEC |
| T11 | Cal State Fullerton | 13 | 1 | Big West |
| T11 | Clemson | 13 | 1 | ACC |
| T14 | Wichita State | 12 | 0 | American |
| T14 | Fresno State | 12 | 0 | MWC |
| T14 | Arizona | 12 | 0 | Pac-12 |
| T17 | Louisiana State | 11 | 1 | SEC |
| T17 | Oklahoma State | 11 | 0 | Big 12 |
| T17 | Georgia Tech | 11 | 0 | ACC |
| T17 | South Carolina | 11 | 0 | SEC |
Three of the top seven schools hail from the Pac-12, but it's actually the SEC that holds the record for most first round draft picks with 128, ahead of the ACC at 122. The Pac-12 follows at 118.
TWO TIME CHAMPS: Players to win a CWS and MLB World Series
Those three conferences account for close to half of all NCAA first-round draftees since 1965.
With Louisville's Henry Davis going No. 1 in 2021, the ACC tied the Pac-12 for the most top overall draft picks, just ahead of the SEC.
Only 28 of the No. 1 draft picks since 1965 have been from NCAA schools, and the SEC, ACC and Pac-12 combine for 17 of them.
But no individual school has more No. 1 overall picks than Arizona State.
The very first player ever taken in the amateur draft was Arizona State outfielder Rick Monday, drafted No. 1 overall in 1965 by the Kansas City Athletics. In 1976, the Houston Astros selected pitcher Floyd Bannister, and in 1978, the Atlanta Braves took outfielder Bob Horner, both Sun Devils. Torkelson then joined the list in 2020 after the Detroit Tigers choose the ASU first baseman with the top pick.
MORE: College World Series: MLB No. 1 overall draft picks to play in the CWS
Vanderbilt is the only other school to have more than one player taken first overall. In 2007, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays took pitcher David Price, and in 2015, the Arizona Diamondbacks picked shortstop Dansby Swanson.
