MLB Players: Top 5 current players drafted after the 5th round

Baseball has shortened its draft to 5 rounds. If the draft were to have always been 5 rounds, which current MLB players, would have never been drafted?

During a difficult time where making money is tough to come by, and saving money is at a premium, the MLB looks to do just that by reducing the June amateur draft from 40 rounds to just 5.

It’s an interesting time we’re living in with no sports, where the most exciting events programmed on television are drafts and schedule releases. Watching the NFL draft was one of the most exciting things I’ve watched in a long time, and the MLB draft should have that same effect.

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On March 26 however, the MLB and the players’ association agreed to terms which would shake up the MLB draft as we know it. The plan to cut the draft from 40 rounds to 5 came as a shock to me, but it was all in an attempt to save money.

It’s difficult to blame anyone for the desire to save a little cash nowadays, but this decision figures to save teams approximately $30 million each. With the season likely being shortened, this should help teams a bit in the revenue they lost and will continue to lose this season.

This got me thinking though, cutting out 35 rounds, cuts the number of players drafted by almost 90%. There has to be some good players in the league, who were drafted after the fifth round, and therefore, wouldn’t have even been draft if this rule was in effect during their draft year.

If you’re thinking that exact thing, you were correct. In fact, there are some absolutely great players in the league today who were taken after the fifth round, some of the league’s best.

I decided to countdown the five best current players in the MLB, who were drafted after the fifth round.

Top 5 MLB Players Drafted After the 5th Round

5. Paul Goldschmidt: 8th Round – Arizona Diamondbacks

Paul Goldschmidt wasn’t only drafted once, but two times and both of them being after round five. The first one being in 2006 out of high school, where Goldschmidt was taken in the 49th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The second one was with the team which he has spent the majority of his career with, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who drafted him in round eight.

To say Goldschmidt has been a power hitter in his career, would be an understatement. The right-handed first baseman has hit over 30 home runs in five of his nine seasons in the league and has driven in 110 or more runs in three seasons.

Goldschmidt has built quite the resume, and reputation as a good hitter and a good pitcher. Earning four silver slugger awards, and three gold glove’s, Goldschmidt has consistently been one of the best to play on both sides of the ball since entering the league.

Goldschmidt has earned six all-star nods throughout his career, which includes his absolutely spectacular 2013 season. In 2013, Goldschmidt came away with 182 hits, 36 home runs, and 125 runs batted in, with hitting splits of .302/.401/.551. This was good enough to earn him the second spot in the NL MVP ballot, right behind Andrew McCutchen, for which I will always view as contentious.

Goldschmidt looks to continue his stellar career as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, after signing a massive deal which extends him to the end of 2024.

Goldschmidt is one of the higher draft picks in this list, but does he ever deserve to be higher.

Top 5 MLB Players Drafted After the 5th Round

4. Anthony Rizzo: 6th Round – Boston Red Sox

Anthony Rizzo is one of the higher draft picks of the group, going in the 6th round to the Boston Red Sox, but never playing a major league game there. He was traded to the San Diego Padres where he played less than a full season and was eventually shipped to the Chicago Cubs on January 6, 2012, where he has spent the remainder of his career up to this point.

2013 introduced the breakout of Rizzo, but 2014 was an elevator that brought him to an entirely new level. One that would see him as one of the best players in the league, on what would eventually become one of the best teams in the league.

Rizzo played a massive role in the Cubs’ 2016 World Series Title, hitting .292/.385/.544 throughout 155 regular-season games, and then an absolutely stunning performance in the seven-game World Series hitting .360/.484/.600 while driving in 5 runs.

Rizzo also took home a gold glove, platinum glove, the silver slugger award, and all-star nods in that championship season, what a year for him.

Even though Rizzo has yet to make an all-star team since 2016, his production still remains at a high level, and at quite a young age. The season coming up will be Rizzo’s age 30 season, and also the second last year on his contract.

Rizzo remains a problem, and a scary sight to see at the plate for opposing pitchers, and being a 6th rounder, every team had the chance to snag him.

Top 5 MLB Players Drafted After the 5th Round

3. Marcus Semien: 6th Round – Chicago White Sox

Underrated and undervalued is the perfect description of Oakland Athletics shortstop, Marcus Semien.

The young infielder had the definition of a breakout season. Semien put up career highs in essentially every single statistical category there is. Batting .285/.369/.522 and hitting 33 home runs, 43 doubles, and 92 runs batted in, the leadoff hitter was a big reason for the Athletics’ success.

His great performance last year was good enough to earn him the third spot in the AL MVP race, and if his first half were as strong as his second, he likely would have made the all-star game.

He very well should be an all-star this upcoming season. I would expect his stats to drop a little, especially his home run total, keeping up a 30+ mark consistently is very tough, but overall, they shouldn’t go down too much. Throughout his time in the league, he has also developed into a better defensive player, which is extremely beneficial at one of the sport’s most important positions.

He is a young guy, coming off a breakout year, that no one could have ever imagined being looked at as a draft steal. Looking back now, the 6th round is very low, and that’s a big credit to Semien for developing into the player he has, and hopefully continues to become.

Top 5 MLB Players Drafted After the 5th Round

2. J.D. Martinez: 20th Round – Houston Astros

One of the best offensive players in the league, especially from a long-ball perspective was not taken until the 20th round. Meaning, he like wasn’t even thought of or discussed among teams within the first five rounds.

Stories like this, or of athletes like Tom Brady, who get drafted so late, but become some of the best players in the league are the kind you always love to see.

I’ll tell you who doesn’t like seeing J.D. Martinez though, opposing pitchers and opposing fans. After being released by the Houston Astros in 2014, Martinez made adjustments to his swing, signed with the Detroit Tigers, and it has only been an incline from then on.

After some fantastic years, including one all-star season in Detroit, Martinez became the deadline acquisition for the Arizona Diamondbacks, who hoped Martinez was just the piece they needed to get over the top.

After a sweep to the Dodgers in the divisional series, Martinez inked a deal with Boston, which would guarantee him $110 million over the course of five seasons. Martinez has been an all-star for both seasons with the Red Sox and was a major factor in their 2018 world series, where he hit .330/.402/.629 over 569 at-bats that season.

Martinez has hit over 40 home runs twice in his career, and his first year in Boston, he put up 130 runs batted in, which led the American League.

After a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Martinez has lost his power-partner, Mookie Betts, and now Boston will turn to Martinez to be the main supply of power in the batting order. Considering Martinez has only trended upward in his career, I’m sure he’ll be up for the challenge.