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? Five, which has happened only once.

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.

Five 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. Though he did not approach election during his 10 years on the BBWAA ballot, Kent was selected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee for induction into the Hall of Fame as a part of the Class of 2026.

Four Hall of Famers drafted

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

1995: This is the most recent class to produce three Hall of Famers, starting with Roy Halladay, who was a first-ballot induction into Cooperstown in 2019. The Blue Jays selected Halladay with the 17th pick, and he went on to win two Cy Young Awards and make eight All-Star teams across a decorated 16-year career with the Jays and Phillies.

Nine picks earlier, the Rockies selected Todd Helton eighth overall. The five-time All-Star made the Hall of Fame five years after Halladay, in 2024, on his sixth season on the ballot.

Later in the draft, the Royals used their second-round pick to select Carlos Beltrán. One of the greatest center fielders of all time, Beltrán finished his career as one of five players in AL/NL history to hit at least 400 home runs, 500 doubles, and steal 300 bases. He joined Helton and Halladay in Cooperstown in his fourth year on the ballot in 2026.

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

1993: Billy Wagner, the 12th pick in 1993, was elected in his 10th and final ballot in 2025. Scott Rolen, picked by the Phillies at No. 46, became the first player from this Draft to reach the Hall of Fame two years earlier.

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.

1981: Tony Gwynn, selected No. 58 by the Padres, reached the Hall in his first year on the ballot in 2007, receiving 97.6% of the vote. It would be 16 years before another member of his draft class joined him: Fred McGriff, known best as the "Crime Dog," was a ninth-round pick by the Yankees. He was elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee as a part of the Class of 2023.

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 2001, the year the Twins took Joe Mauer with the first 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 three years below are the classes with the best chance to eventually have three or more.

2011: Mookie Betts, the 172nd overall pick in this draft, has done it all throughout his career: He's won an MVP, a batting title, and four World Series championships, while earning six Gold Glove Awards and seven Silver Sluggers. Cooperstown will be calling. Francisco Lindor seems like a safe bet to join him in the Hall, too, with 55.7 bWAR at a premium position through his age-31 season. If Gerrit Cole can return to form on the other side of significant elbow surgery, he'll be furthering what could be a Hall of Fame resume, too.

2010: At this point, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are almost certainly locks for the Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, voters are beginning to change how they evaluate starting pitchers, which bodes well for the likes of Chris Sale and Jacob deGrom -- two of the best of their generation.

2009: Mike Trout’s plaque might as well be engraved already, as the three-time MVP has a career total of 87.5 bWAR entering the 2026 season. Trout isn't the only player seemingly bound for Cooperstown from this class. There’s Nolan Arenado, who has earned 10 Gold Glove Awards, eight All-Star selections and five Silver Slugger Awards in seven seasons. And Paul Goldschmidt, Arenado's former teammate in St. Louis, is a seven-time All-Star and former MVP.