2008 Major League Baseball draft

The 2008 Major League Baseball draft, was an annual choosing of high school and college baseball players, held on June 5 and 6, 2008.

First round selections

The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Pedro Álvarez second overall. Alvarez had a breakout season in 2013, where he was named an All-Star, was the National League home run leader, and won the Silver Slugger at third base.
The Kansas City Royals selected Eric Hosmer with the third overall pick. With the Royals, Hosmer won 4 Gold Gloves at first base and the 2015 World Series.
The San Francisco Giants selected Buster Posey 5th overall. The 7× All-Star won the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award, the 2012 N.L. Most Valuable Player Award, the 2016 Gold Glove Award at catcher, five Silver Sluggers Awards at catcher and the 2010, 2012, and 2014 World Series.
Key

Supplemental first round selections

Compensation picks

Other notable players

The Colorado Rockies selected Charlie Blackmon in the second round. He is a 4× MLB All-Star, 2× Silver Slugger award winner, and the 2017 National League batting champion.
The Atlanta Braves selected Craig Kimbrel in the third round. The 9× All-Star won the 2011 National League Rookie of the Year award.
The San Francisco Giants selected Brandon Crawford in the fourth round. The 3× All-Star won four Gold Glove Awards at shortstop, the 2015 Silver Slugger Award at shortstop and the 2012, and 2014 World Series.
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Dee Strange-Gordon in the fourth round. A two-time All-Star, his 2015 breakout season saw him win the Gold Glove Award at second base, the Silver Slugger Award at second base, and lead the National League in batting average, and stolen bases.

NFL players drafted

Notes

On September 9, 2008, Conor Gillaspie, the 37th pick in the 2008 draft, made his Major League debut, becoming the first from his draft class to do so. Buster Posey was the first 2008 draftee to play in post-season and eventually won the 2010 World Series, the 2012 World Series, and the 2014 World Series with the San Francisco Giants. Posey was also named 2010 NL Rookie of the Year, and he won 2012 National League Most Valuable Player award and the 2012, 2014 & 2015 Silver Slugger awards.

2011 Rookie of the Year Craig Kimbrel was drafted 96th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd round.

Ryan Westmoreland, who the Boston Red Sox drafted in the fifth round, became one of the best prospects in baseball before having brain surgery twice to repair a cavernous malformation.

Brothers Caleb and Corban Joseph were both chosen in the 2008 draft. The New York Yankees selected Corban in the fourth round, with the 140th overall selection, out of Franklin High School in Franklin, Tennessee, while the Baltimore Orioles drafted Caleb in the seventh round, with the 206th overall selection, out of Lipscomb University.

West Virginia quarterback Pat White was drafted in the 49th round by the Cincinnati Reds, even though he had not played baseball since his senior year of high school in 2004, when he was drafted by the Anaheim Angels.

Negro Leagues Special Draft

Prior to the start of the draft, the League held a special round consisting of surviving Negro leagues players to acknowledge and rectify their exclusion from the major leagues on the basis of race in the past. The idea of the special draft was conceived by Hall of Famer Dave Winfield. Each major league team drafted one player from the Negro leagues. Notable in the draft were Emilio Navarro (who, at 101 years of age at the time of the draft, was believed to be the oldest living professional ballplayer) and Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, the first woman ever drafted.

References

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