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2004 Major League Baseball draft

Baseball draft of amateur players

The 2004 Major League Baseball draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. The draft marked the first time three players from the same university were chosen in the first ten picks.

Source: MLB.com 2004 Draft Tracker

01First round selections

All-Star
Player did not sign
Pick Player Team Position School
1 Matt Bush San Diego Padres SS Mission Bay High School (CA)
2 Justin Verlander Detroit Tigers RHP Old Dominion
3 Philip Humber New York Mets RHP Rice
4 Jeff Niemann Tampa Bay Devil Rays RHP Rice
5 Mark Rogers Milwaukee Brewers RHP Mount Ararat High School (ME)
6 Jeremy Sowers Cleveland Indians LHP Vanderbilt
7 Homer Bailey Cincinnati Reds RHP La Grange High School (TX)
8 Wade Townsend Baltimore Orioles RHP Rice
9 Chris Nelson Colorado Rockies SS Redan High School (GA)
10 Thomas Diamond Texas Rangers RHP New Orleans
11 Neil Walker Pittsburgh Pirates C Pine-Richland High School (PA)
12 Jered Weaver Anaheim Angels RHP Long Beach State
13 Bill Bray Montreal Expos LHP William & Mary
14 Billy Butler Kansas City Royals 3B Wolfson High School (FL)
15 Stephen Drew Arizona Diamondbacks SS Florida State
16 David Purcey Toronto Blue Jays LHP Oklahoma
17 Scott Elbert Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Seneca High School (MO)
18 Josh Fields Chicago White Sox 3B Oklahoma State
19 Chris Lambert St. Louis Cardinals RHP Boston College
20 Trevor Plouffe Minnesota Twins SS Crespi Carmelite High School (CA)
21 Greg Golson Philadelphia Phillies CF Connally High School (TX)
22 Glen Perkins Minnesota Twins LHP Minnesota
23 Phil Hughes New York Yankees RHP Foothill High School (CA)
24 Landon Powell Oakland Athletics C South Carolina
25 Kyle Waldrop Minnesota Twins RHP Farragut High School (TN)
26 Richie Robnett Oakland Athletics CF Fresno State
27 Taylor Tankersley Florida Marlins LHP Alabama
28 Blake DeWitt Los Angeles Dodgers 2B Sikeston High School (MO)
29 Matthew Campbell Kansas City Royals LHP South Carolina
30 Eric Hurley Texas Rangers RHP Wolfson High School (FL)
Detroit selected Justin Verlander second overall. He is a 9× All-Star, 3× AL Cy Young winner, and the 2011 AL MVP. He has led the American League in: strikeouts 5×, wins 4×, and ERA 2×.
Detroit selected Justin Verlander second overall. He is a 9× All-Star, 3× AL Cy Young winner, and the 2011 AL MVP. He has led the American League in: strikeouts 5×, wins 4×, and ERA 2×.
The Pirates selected Neil Walker 11th overall. He was named the 2014 Silver Slugger at second base.
The Pirates selected Neil Walker 11th overall. He was named the 2014 Silver Slugger at second base.

02Supplemental first round selections

The Angels selected Jered Weaver 12th overall. The 3× All-Star led the American League in wins twice.
The Angels selected Jered Weaver 12th overall. The 3× All-Star led the American League in wins twice.
Kansas City selected Billy Butler 14th overall. In 2012, the man known as "Country Breakfast" was named an All-Star and Silver Slugger at DH
Kansas City selected Billy Butler 14th overall. In 2012, the man known as "Country Breakfast" was named an All-Star and Silver Slugger at DH

03Other notable selections

NFL players drafted

The Twins selected Glen Perkins 22nd overall. Perkins is a 3× All-Star.
The Twins selected Glen Perkins 22nd overall. Perkins is a 3× All-Star.
The White Sox selected Gio González 38th overall. He is a two-time All-Star and led the NL in wins in 2012.
The White Sox selected Gio González 38th overall. He is a two-time All-Star and led the NL in wins in 2012.

04Background

The San Diego Padres stayed close to home with the first overall pick of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, tabbing high school shortstop Matt Bush from Mission Bay (CA) High School. Bush, the first high school shortstop taken first overall since the Seattle Mariners chose Alex Rodriguez in 1993, batted .450 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI and 12 stolen bases during his senior year. The 18-year-old helped lead the Buccaneers to two San Diego Section Division III championships in three years, setting state records for career hits (211) and runs scored (188) in the process.

Huston Street, drafted in the supplemental first round, was the first 2004 draftee to make the major leagues. Justin Verlander was the first 2004 draftee to be selected to an All-Star Game in 2007. Dustin Pedroia, drafted in the second round, was the first 2004 draftee to be selected to start an All-Star Game and the first to win a World Series championship and the first to win a League MVP Award.

Three members of the 2003 NCAA Champions Rice Owls pitching staff were selected within the first eight picks. The Baltimore Orioles could not reach an agreement with Wade Townsend leading to Tampa Bay drafting him in 2005.

Nick Adenhart, who was selected in the 14th round by the Anaheim Angels, was killed in a car accident a day after his only start of the 2009 season.

During the 2012 season, first round picks Philip Humber, Homer Bailey, and Jered Weaver threw no hitters (Humber's was a perfect game).

The Oakland Athletics selected Huston Street 40th overall. The 2× All-Star was named the 2005 AL Rookie of the Year.
The Oakland Athletics selected Huston Street 40th overall. The 2× All-Star was named the 2005 AL Rookie of the Year.
The Brewers selected Yovani Gallardo in the second round. Gallardo was an All-Star and Silver Slugger at pitcher in 2010
The Brewers selected Yovani Gallardo in the second round. Gallardo was an All-Star and Silver Slugger at pitcher in 2010
Watch videos about 2004 Major League Baseball draftExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article 2004 Major League Baseball draft, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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