Drafting legends: The most HOFers taken in 1 year

In the history of MLB’s June amateur Draft, which dates back to 1965, there have been 13 classes that included multiple players who would go on to make the National Baseball Hall of Fame (not counting players who didn't sign).

The most in any one Draft? Four, which has happened three times.

Here are all the classes that produced two or more future Hall of Famers, as well as some recent classes that could join the ranks.

Four Hall of Famers drafted

1989: The first 22 picks of the 1989 Draft produced only two All-Stars, but one of them was Frank Thomas. Selected seventh overall by the White Sox, Thomas won back-to-back American League MVP Awards (1993, 94) and is tied for 19th all time with an OPS+ of 156, the same as Willie Mays.

The Red Sox took Jeff Bagwell in the fourth round, then traded him to the Astros for Larry Andersen in August 1990. Bagwell went on to hit .297/.408/.540 with 449 homers, 488 doubles and 202 steals over 15 years with Houston.

Trevor Hoffman spent the majority of his Hall of Fame career with the Padres, but he was initially taken by the Reds in the 11th round of the 1989 Draft. The right-hander never made an appearance with Cincinnati, however, as the Marlins grabbed him in the 1992 Expansion Draft. In 1993, Florida shipped Hoffman to San Diego with two others for Gary Sheffield and Rich Rodriguez, and the rest is history.

Two rounds after the Reds took Hoffman, the Indians landed Jim Thome, who went on to hit 612 home runs -- the eighth most all time -- in a 22-year career.

The 1989 Draft also saw Jeff Kent go to the Blue Jays in the 20th round. Kent hit a record 351 home runs as a second baseman, won an MVP Award and racked up 55.4 Wins Above Replacement, but his Hall of Fame candidacy hasn’t gained much traction. In 2020, his seventh year on the ballot, he received 27.5% of the vote.

1977: This is the only Draft in history to produce multiple Hall of Famers within the first three picks. Harold Baines, who went first overall to the White Sox, was elected by the Today’s Game Committee as part of the Class of 2019. The outfielder and designated hitter finished his 22-year career with 2,866 hits -- including 384 homers and 488 doubles -- 1,628 RBIs and an .820 OPS.

Two picks later, the Brewers grabbed Paul Molitor, a future member of the 3,000-hit club and first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Ozzie Smith, another first-ballot Hall of Famer, went to the Padres in the fourth round. Traded to the Cardinals after four seasons with San Diego, Smith collected 2,460 hits, stole 580 bases, made 15 All-Star teams and won 13 Gold Glove Awards in his 19-year career.

In the fifth round, the Expos selected Tim Raines, who made the Hall on his final ballot in 2017. The speedy outfielder ranks fifth all time with 808 stolen bases, owns a lifetime .385 on-base percentage and scored 1,571 runs.

1976: When Alan Trammell and Jack Morris were elected to the Hall of Fame by the Modern Era Committee in December 2017, it made 1976 the first Draft to produce four Hall of Famers. The 1989 Draft joined the list the next month, when Thome and Hoffman were elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Trammell and Morris both went to the Tigers in the 1976 Draft, with Detroit taking Trammell in the second round and Morris in the fifth. They both debuted in 1977 and were teammates for 14 years in Detroit, helping the Tigers win the World Series in ’84. Trammell spent the entirety of his 20-year career with the Tigers, while Morris went on to pitch for the Twins, Blue Jays and Indians, winning the World Series again with Minnesota in 1991 and Toronto in ’92.

Also in 1976, Oakland native Rickey Henderson went to the Athletics in the fourth round. Henderson is the all-time leader in steals (1,406) and runs (2,295), and he ranks second in walks (2,190). In 2001, Henderson became the 25th member of the 3,000-hit club.

The 23rd member, Wade Boggs, was a seventh-round Draft choice by the Red Sox in 1976. The third baseman debuted in 1982 and hit .352/.443/.480 over his first eight seasons, winning five batting titles. Boggs and Henderson both went into the Hall of Fame on their first ballot -- Boggs in 2005 and Henderson in ’09.

Three Hall of Famers drafted

1985: There’s a strong case to be made that the 1985 class is the greatest in the history of the Draft. The class produced three Hall of Famers, starting with Barry Larkin at fourth overall. The shortstop played 19 years with the Reds, made 12 All-Star teams, won nine Silver Slugger Awards and earned 1995 National League MVP honors.

The Expos took Randy Johnson in the second round, but traded him to the Mariners in a 1989 deal for Mark Langston. Johnson ultimately won five Cy Young Awards -- including four straight with the D-backs from 1999-2002 -- collected 303 victories, struck out 4,875 batters and helped Arizona win the World Series in ’01.

The Big Unit was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015, the same year as another pitcher selected in the 1985 Draft, John Smoltz. A 22nd-round pick by the Tigers, Smoltz was traded to the Braves for Doyle Alexander in 1987 and went on to become the only pitcher in big league history with at least 200 wins and 100 saves. Smoltz also won the 1996 NL Cy Young Award and joined the 3,000-strikeout club in 2008.

In addition to Larkin, Johnson and Smoltz, the 1985 Draft produced Barry Bonds, a seven-time MVP and the all-time home run king. Taken sixth overall by the Pirates, Bonds would be a surefire Hall of Famer based on his numbers alone, but PED questions have kept him out to this point. The same goes for Rafael Palmeiro, who was selected 22nd by the Cubs.

Other notable players taken in 1985 include B.J. Surhoff, Will Clark, Walt Weiss, Gregg Jefferies, Joey Cora, David Justice and Mark Grace.

1973: This Draft saw two future first-ballot Hall of Famers go back-to-back: Robin Yount was taken third overall by the Brewers and Dave Winfield went fourth to the Padres. Yount, a two-time MVP, and Winfield, a 12-time All-Star, both joined the 3,000-hit club and were elected to the Hall within two years of each other -- Yount in 1999 and Winfield in 2001.

In the third round, the Orioles took Eddie Murray, who also collected more than 3,000 hits -- as well as 504 home runs -- and made the Hall of Fame on his first try.

1971: Three future Hall of Famers came off the board within the first 30 picks of the 1971 Draft, led by Jim Rice (15th overall to the Red Sox). An eight-time All-Star, Rice won the 1978 AL MVP Award and made the Hall of Fame in 2009, receiving 76.4% of the vote in his final year on the ballot.

George Brett (29th overall) and Mike Schmidt (30th) later went back-to-back to the Royals and Phillies, respectively, and the two ended up running neck and neck as the top third basemen in their respective leagues for many years. Both won an MVP Award in 1980 and met in the World Series the same year, with Schmidt’s Phillies prevailing over Brett’s Royals.

Schmidt, who won two more MVP Awards and finished his career with 548 homers and 106.9 bWAR -- both the most all time among third basemen -- went into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1995. Brett did the same four years later.

Two Hall of Famers drafted

1990: The 2019 induction of Mike Mussina (20th overall) gave this class two Hall of Famers; No. 1 pick Chipper Jones was inducted the year before.

1987: Ken Griffey Jr. was the first No. 1 overall pick in MLB Draft history to reach the Hall of Fame, earning enshrinement in 2016. The previous year, Craig Biggio, the 22nd pick in 1987, was elected on his third ballot.

1984: In the second round of this Draft, two future 300-game winners were taken in a span of 17 picks. Greg Maddux went to the Cubs with the 31st selection, while Tom Glavine joined the Braves at No. 47. The two would later team up in Atlanta's rotation, and they made the Hall together in 2014.

1978: The Orioles made four second-round picks in the 1978 Draft, and the third of these paid off in a big way, as it brought Cal Ripken Jr. to Baltimore. The Phillies grabbed Ryne Sandberg in the 20th round, but they traded him to the Cubs after the second baseman had played only 13 games with Philadelphia.

1975: This class also joined the list in 2019, when Lee Smith was enshrined after being elected by the Today's Game Committee. Smith was taken by the Cubs in the second round. Meanwhile, Andre Dawson went to the Expos in Round 11. The Hawk made the Hall in 2010.

1972: Within a span of four choices in the third round of this Draft, Dennis Eckersley joined the Indians and Gary Carter was taken by the Expos. Carter reached Cooperstown on his sixth try in 2003, and Eckersley joined him on his first ballot a year later.

1965: In MLB's first amateur Draft, the Reds landed Johnny Bench in the second round, and Nolan Ryan joined the Mets in Round 12. After a 17-year career that included two MVP Awards and 14 All-Star selections, Bench was inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1989. Ryan, meanwhile, kept pitching until 1993, his age-46 season. He became a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1999.

Recent classes with three-plus potential HOFers

The most recent Draft to produce a Hall of Famer is 1995, the year the Blue Jays took Roy Halladay with the 17th overall pick. Since then, there have been a number of classes with multiple players who have gone on to build a Hall of Fame case. The four years below are the classes with the best chance to eventually have three or more.

2010: It’s too early to call any of the players selected in 2010 a Hall of Fame lock, but Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Chris Sale, Christian Yelich and Jacob deGrom are at least on the right track. All five players have more than 30 bWAR, led by Sale with 45.3.

2009: This Draft class arguably has the best chance of these four to have three or more Hall of Famers down the road. Mike Trout’s plaque might as well be engraved already, and Stephen Strasburg boosted his chances immensely in 2019, carrying the Nats to a World Series title. Then there’s Nolan Arenado, who has earned seven Gold Glove Awards, five All-Star selections and four Silver Slugger Awards in seven seasons. Beyond those three are Paul Goldschmidt and J.D. Martinez, though they still have some work to do to get into the Hall of Fame conversation.

2007: This Draft produced David Price, Madison Bumgarner, Josh Donaldson, Freddie Freeman, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Corey Kluber. None are guaranteed to make the Hall right now, but it’s not inconceivable that a few could do enough over the next five years to change that.

2006: While Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer are virtual locks to reach Cooperstown, it's questionable whether this class will have a third Hall of Famer, as Evan Longoria has started to decline in recent years. With 56 bWAR, the 34-year-old third baseman is on the borderline at this point.