MLB Draft: Top 10 steals of all time

ANAHEIM, CA - May 25: Albert Pujols #5 of the Los Angeles Angels bats during the game against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium on May 25, 2019 in Anaheim, California. The Angels defeated the Rangers 3-2. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - May 25: Albert Pujols #5 of the Los Angeles Angels bats during the game against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium on May 25, 2019 in Anaheim, California. The Angels defeated the Rangers 3-2. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – MAY 1: Pitcher Nolan Ryan #34 of the Texas Rangers is carried off the field by his teammates, after Ryan’s seventh no-hitter of his carrer against the Toronto Blue Jays at Arlington Stadium on May 1, 1991 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Louis DeLuca/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – MAY 1: Pitcher Nolan Ryan #34 of the Texas Rangers is carried off the field by his teammates, after Ryan’s seventh no-hitter of his carrer against the Toronto Blue Jays at Arlington Stadium on May 1, 1991 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Louis DeLuca/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

3. Nolan Ryan

The first-ever Major League draft began on June 8, 1965, in New York City. With the first overall pick, the Kansas City Athletics selected Rick Monday, who went on to become a two-time All-Star over a 19-year career. And in the 12th round, with the 295th overall selection, the New York Mets picked an 18-year-old fireballer out of Alvin High School in Texas named Nolan Ryan.

In the first few years of his professional career, Ryan certainly didn’t look like he was destined for stardom. He pitched in two games in 1966 before making the big league club full-time in 1968. The Mets were terrible, and Ryan finished with a losing record. In 1969, though, the “Miracle Mets” went on to win the World Series with Ryan pitching 2.1 innings in relief in what proved to be his only appearance in the Fall Classic.

It wasn’t until the Mets traded him to the California Angels for Jim Fregosi in December 1971 that Ryan became an All-Star. He pitched two no-hitters for the Angels in 1973, then two more in 1974 and 1975. Seven times he led the league in strikeouts, including a modern-era record 383 in 1973.

After eight seasons with the Angels, Ryan went home to Texas and spent the next nine years with the Houston Astros before finishing his career with the Texas Rangers. He pitched his last game in 1993 at the age of 46, retiring with 324 wins. His 5,714 career strikeouts are nearly 1,000 more than anyone else in history. He also set a record by throwing seven no-hitters, a mark unlikely to be touched anytime soon. Ryan was an eight-time All-Star and twice led the league in ERA. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1999.