The worst No. 1 overall MLB Draft picks of all time, ranked

The MLB Draft is roughly 24 hours away, and no team is facing more pressure right now than the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox hold the No. 1 overall pick and face a grueling decision with Roch Cholowsky, Grady Emerson and Vahn Lackey all realistic options to be the first prospect selected. On paper, it looks like the Sox can't go wrong, with three star-level talents available for the picking, all of whom play premium positions.

In reality, though, that isn't the case. Players selected No. 1 overall have a better shot at panning out than those taken No. 30 overall, but if we're being honest, nobody truly knows how anyone will develop. Some players taken first overall don't even make it to The Show. Draft prospects are much harder to project in MLB than in other major sports. These eight players are proof that going No. 1 overall does not guarantee anything in terms of major success at the highest level.

8. C Henry Davis, Pittsburgh Pirates (2021)

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In Henry Davis' defense, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him No. 1 overall in the 2021 Draft as a money-saving measure, but expectations were still lofty for the uber-talented catcher and it goes without saying that he hasn't met them. Davis was promoted to the majors for the first time in 2023 and has never been productive. He is slashing .177/.262/.289 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI thus far in parts of four big-league seasons.

Yes, Davis is Paul Skenes' personal catcher, and that counts for something, but the bat has just never been there. I mean, Davis has been worth -1.5 fWAR in his career while riding a 51 wRC+. He has never been close to league-average as a hitter, and while I want to say he can improve, it's getting late early. At least that class as a whole isn't bringing much value from the top.

7. RHP Bryan Bullington, Pittsburgh Pirates (2002)

Sometimes, the team holding the No. 1 overall pick doesn't take the best player. Whether it's to save money or to simply get a player they think will sign, reasons as to why the best player doesn't always go No. 1 overall can vary. Bryan Bullington is an example of this. He was selected No. 1 overall in 2002 mostly because the Pirates felt they had a better chance to sign him than some of the other players they were considering.

The results, of course, were dreadful. Burlington wound up making just six appearances with the Pirates across parts of two seasons, posting a 5.89 ERA in 18.1 innings of work. He got cups of coffee with Cleveland, the Blue Jays and the Royals, but he didn't pitch particularly well with any of those teams either. He ended his brief MLB career with a 5.62 ERA in 26 appearances and 81.2 innings of work. That's not good, especially for a No. 1 overall pick.

6. OF Shawn Abner, New York Mets (1984)

The New York Mets made Shawn Abner the No. 1 overall pick in the 1984 MLB Draft and gave him the richest signing bonus in MLB history at the time. Abner never played for the Mets, and was instead a major piece in the deal with the San Diego Padres in the 1986 offseason that sent Kevin McReynolds to New York.

While that takes Abner away from being a major Mets bust, the outfielder proved to be a major disappointment in San Diego. He spent parts of four seasons in San Diego and put up a .552 OPS while being worth -2.5 bWAR. He spent part of a season with the Angels and played 97 games with the White Sox the following year but never did much with either team before eventually hanging up the spikes. Overall, Abner played parts of six MLB seasons and was a -1.3 bWAR player. That's not what you want from a No. 1 overall pick.

5. C Danny Goodwin, California Angels (1975)

Danny Goodwin had the unique pleasure of being a No. 1 overall pick twice. The White Sox selected him with the first overall pick in the 1971 MLB Draft, but Goodwin turned them down to attend college. The Angels took him No. 1 overall four years later, but didn't get the return on investment they were hoping for.

Goodwin played just 63 games across parts of three seasons with the Angels, putting up a .656 OPS and -0.1 bWAR. He wound up playing four more seasons with the Twins and Athletics, and had a decent 1979 season with Minnesota, but was overall a disappointment. Overall, Goodwin finished his career with a .674 OPS and -1.7 bWAR in parts of seven big-league seasons.

4. SS/RHP Matt Bush, San Diego Padres (2004)

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Matt Bush | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Matt Bush struggled mightily as a shortstop after the San Diego Padres took him No. 1 overall in the 2004 MLB Draft before running into a series of off-field issues, including a 51-month prison sentence for hitting a motorcyclist while under the influence.

Bush eventually made a comeback as a pitcher with the Texas Rangers and even pitched pretty well for them and the Milwaukee Brewers for parts of six big-league seasons more than a decade after he was drafted, but considering all that went down before his success as a reliever, Bush is widely considered one of the biggest draft busts in MLB history. Knowing that Justin Verlander went No. 2 overall in that draft only adds to the Bush bust narrative.

3. LHP Brien Taylor, New York Yankees (1991)

Brien Taylor was one of the most hyped prospects ever, and he looked like a budding star soon after the New York Yankees took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1991 MLB Draft. Unfortunately, Taylor never came close to reaching his ceiling, and a 1993 bar fight injury has a lot to do with that.

Taylor suffered a serious shoulder injury and was never the same pitcher after that. His command was gone, his velocity was diminished, and the results were horrific. Taylor was in Double-A before the injury, and never got past Single-A after it. Injuries robbed Taylor of achieving his potential, but that doesn't mean he isn't a major bust.

2. RHP Mark Appel, Houston Astros (2013)

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mark Appel | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Mark Appel was drafted in the first round twice, rejecting to sign with both the Tigers and Pirates, before eventually being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. The Astros wound up trading Appel a couple of years later to the Philadelphia Phillies in the deal that brought Ken Giles to Houston.

Unfortunately, Appel struggled mightily for a couple of years in Triple-A with the Phillies organization before announcing he was walking away from the game at age 26. Now, Appel did come back and even pitched well in six relief appearances for the Phillies in 2022, achieving his dream of pitching in the majors, but he wasn't a No. 1 overall pick just to be a feel-good story.

1. C Steven Chilcott, New York Mets (1966)

As a struggling recent expansion team, no team needed a draft success story more than the New York Mets, who selected Steven Chilcott with the No. 1 overall pick in 1966. Unfortunately, Chilcott never came close to living up to the hype. After a slow start to his professional career, it looked like Chilcott was finally getting going in 1967, only for him to suffer the first of what turned out to be many shoulder injuries. He was never the same.

Chilcott made it up to Triple-A but played in only 19 games at that level before eventually getting traded. Chilcott never made it to the majors and retired after the 1972 season, hanging up the spikes at the age of 24.

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