With the 18th pick in the first-round of the 1965 MLB draft, the Philadelphia Phillies select pitcher Mike Adamson from Point Loma High School. The Phillies failed to sign him. Was this an omen of things to come?
Adamson hardly became a regrettable miss for the team. When he did eventually make it to the major leagues with the Baltimore Orioles, he lasted only 25.1 innings in parts of three seasons. This doesn’t help us digest how many major misses the club has had in the first-round of the annual MLB draft.
From 1965-2021, the team has had ample opportunities to rebuild their franchise with future stars. Like every organization, they’ve missed more than they hit. But when picks have gone their way, some of them have led to championships. Drafting well is key to a team’s success. These top five Phillies draft picks from the first-round prove it.
5. Philadelphia Phillies best first-round draft pick: Aaron Nola.
You don’t need to look very far to find the fifth-best first-round draft pick in Phillies history. Taken 7th overall back in 2014, Aaron Nola, a present day member of the club, shot through the minor leagues quickly and was a mainstay in their rotation by 2015. After a little bit of seasoning at the major league level, he found himself finishing the 2018 campaign with his first All-Star selection and a third-place finish in the Cy Young race.
Nola has continued to pitch well in the years since, now holding a 67-49 record and 3.68 ERA. While it may not be the most impressive result, Nola is already sixth in WAR among all Phillies first-round draft picks. This includes numbers players put up with every team and even those that never played an inning for the organization.
I’m looking at you, J.D. Drew.
Nola’s reputation with the Phillies isn’t perfect. Already seven MLB seasons under his belt, he has a very realistic chance to climb this list at least one more spot before he plays his last game for Philadelphia.
4. Philadelphia Phillies best first-round draft pick: Pat Burrell.
Pat Burrell is right in my wheelhouse. I began following the game closely after the 1996 season. Not long after, I discovered something called the MLB Draft and learned the Phillies would get to pick first overall in 1998. Their choice: a third baseman named Pat Burrell.
Burrell wouldn’t play third base for the Phillies. As a rookie in the year 2000, he saw action at first base and in left field. It became quickly apparent that he was one of those guys playing professional baseball because of his bat, not his glove. I still remember insisting to my father that, as a young teenager, I could probably play a better left field than Burrell.
From 2000-2008, Burrell was a guy you could find hitting in the middle of many Phillies lineups. He was quietly one of the league’s best sluggers, twice hitting more than 30 home runs and driving in 100+. He was inconsistent, though. He went from hitting 37 home runs and driving in 116 with a .282 batting average to slashing just .209/.309/.404 the very next year.
Never a personal favorite of mine, I can acknowledge who he was as an athlete.
Burrell’s time with the Phillies wrapped up with a .257/.367/.485 slash line, 251 home runs, and 827 RBI. I remember as a youngster reading that he was one of the players the experts projected would one day reach 500 home runs. After leaving the Phillies, he only hit a handful more, ultimately finishing his career with 292.
Although he came up short, Burrell is fourth on the franchise’s all-time home run list and coincidentally fourth on this list.
3. Philadelphia Phillies best first-round draft pick: Greg Luzinski.
I wasn’t around for Greg Luzinski except to eat his barbecue many years later. I thought for sure I would have a tough time comparing him to someone like Burrell. Their style of play was similar. Each played left field and was counted on for home runs. After quickly crunching the numbers, I saw just how much better Luzinski was by comparison.
Taken 11th overall in the 1968 MLB Draft, Luzinski was the first great draft pick the Phillies made in round number one. Known as “The Bull,” he was a much better hitter than I think he gets credit for.
Luzinski would hit 223 home runs for the Phillies but he did something else much better. From 1975-1977, while twice topping 30 home runs and 100 RBI, Luzinski also hit .300 or better. I’m actually a little shocked to look closely at his totals and learn that as a member of the Phillies he slashed .281/.363/.489.
The best years of Luzinski’s career were during mid-late 1970s when he was a four-time All-Star. By the time the Phillies were ready to finally win it all in 1980, he wasn’t quite as productive. The championship season would be his last with the team—ironically the same thing that happened with Burrell after leaving following the 2008 World Series.
Still not convinced of how great he was? From 1975-1978, Luzinski was a top-ten finisher in the MVP race. In 1975 and 1977, he was the runner-up.
Lost behind Mike Schmidt in many ways, Luzinski was his own brilliant type of ballplayer.
2. Philadelphia Phillies best first-round draft pick: Cole Hamels.
One year after taking Gavin Floyd fourth overall in the 2001 MLB Draft, the Phillies went with another pitcher in 2002. This time, they got the pick right. They took lefty Cole Hamels.
Maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention at the time but I do not remember the same level of hype for Hamels as there was for Floyd. He would make his MLB debut in 2006 and start to show off exactly what he could accomplish in his 2007 All-Star season.
Only a year later, Hamels was helping lead the Phillies to a World Series Championship in 2008. He would win the NLCS and World Series MVP that year. He also happened to toss eight shutout innings in the NLDS versus the Milwaukee Brewers.
Hamels is one of those pitchers I think Phillies fans came to appreciate more after he left than when he was actually on the team. His rough year in 2009 created some doubt in his abilities. However, after posting the 4.32 ERA that season, he would never finish any year as a member of the Phillies with an ERA higher than 3.60.
Nearly everything a player could accomplish was accomplished by him. In his final start for the team in 2015, he even tossed a no-hitter.
In parts of ten seasons with the Phillies, Hamels would finish with a 114-90 record and 3.30 ERA. Not too shabby.
1. Philadelphia Phillies best first-round draft pick: Chase Utley.
He’s still the man. Chase Utley was the 15th overall selection in the 2000 MLB Draft. He’s the best first-round draft pick the Phillies have ever taken and it goes well beyond the 62 WAR he posted—fourth all-time in Phillies franchise history and the second-best among position players. Only Mike Schmidt has a higher total.
Utley was a leader for the Phillies during their best days of the late 2000s. He helped close out Veteran’s Stadium and open up Citizen’s Bank Ballpark. A superb hitter with above-average power, the ability to hit for a good average, and a run-producer in every way possible, Utley is one of those players you tell your grandkids about.
Although he never got higher than seventh in any MVP race, there’s no question about his value. He would slash .282/.366/.481 for the Phillies while knocking 233 home runs and driving in 916. More of a doubles hitter than a guy to make a full trip around the bases, he had 346 two-baggers as a member of the Phillies.
Another aspect of his game that doesn’t get much credit, Utley failed to win any Gold Gloves. I always respected his range. Despite the lack of award for his defense, Utley can proudly hold his 3.5 Defensive WAR in 2008 above all other players in franchise history. Combined with what he did at the plate that year, his 2008 campaign of 9 WAR is the second-highest season total for any Phillies player.
Between these five, four won championships. The fifth is still here. And if Nola does accomplish what those first-round draft picks before him did, we get further confirmation just how important it is to make the right picks the first chance you get.