Skenes, Crews become first teammates to go 1-2

July 9th, 2023

LSU’s Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews made history when they became the first pair of teammates to be selected first and second overall in the 2023 MLB Draft. With Skenes going to the Pirates and Crews going to the Nationals, they accomplished something that had never been done in the history of the Draft.

Below is a list of teammates, all from the college ranks, who were both top 10 picks in their respective Draft years.

2023: Paul Skenes (1) and Dylan Crews (2), LSU

Arguably the most dominant duo of college teammates ever, Skenes and Crews followed up their excellent 2023 seasons for the national champion LSU Tigers by being selected first (Skenes to the Pirates) and second (Crews to the Nationals) in the Draft. They became the first pair of teammates to be selected first and second overall in MLB Draft history.

2021: Jack Leiter (2) and Kumar Rocker (10), Vanderbilt

One of the best pitching tandems in recent memory, both were at one point in consideration to go No. 1 overall to the Pirates. Rocker ended up going No. 10 but didn’t sign with the Mets, re-entering the Draft and going No. 3 overall to the Rangers in 2022.

2017: Pavin Smith (7) and Adam Haseley (8), Virginia

Two of the best college bats in the country that year, Smith had more homers than strikeouts in his Draft year and is in the big leagues now playing first base and the outfield for the D-backs. Haseley was a two-way player at Virginia, but when his offense took a step forward that spring, it was clear he was a hitter, and he’s spent time in the Phillies and White Sox outfield over the past several seasons.

2015: Dansby Swanson (1) and Carson Fulmer (8), Vanderbilt

They won the College World Series in 2014 and were runners-up a year later when they were both top-10 picks. Swanson won a World Series, a Gold Glove and made an All-Star appearance with the Braves before signing with the Cubs before the 2023 season. Fulmer’s career hasn’t been as impactful, though he has spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues. The Dodgers drafted Commodore teammate Walker Buehler 24th overall in the same Draft.

2011: Gerrit Cole (1) and Trevor Bauer (3), UCLA

Cole was UCLA’s Friday night starter and went No. 1 overall to the Pirates. Bauer won the Golden Spikes Award and went third to the D-backs. Both have been All-Stars. Bauer won a Cy Young Award, and Cole has been a runner-up twice.

2007: David Price (1) and Casey Weathers (8), Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt’s ace, Price was the clear choice for the top pick in the 2007 Draft (Rays) and went on to amass more than 40 WAR across a career that included several All-Star Games, a Cy Young Award and a World Series title with the Red Sox. Weathers was one of the best college closers in 2007 and went to the Rockies in the top 10. He never made it to the big leagues, spending his final season pitching indy ball in 2017.

2004: Philip Humber (3), Jeff Niemann (4) and Wade Townsend (8), Rice

Rice's pitching staff was absolutely stacked, but this one gets an asterisk for it being a trio of top 10 picks. Townsend didn’t sign in 2004 and was a top-10 pick again the next year, though he never made it to the big leagues. Niemann produced a 4.3 WAR over 97 games, all with the Rays. Humber does have a perfect game on his résumé but never quite lived up to the hype, spending parts of eight seasons in the big leagues with the Mets (the team that drafted him), Twins, Royals, White Sox and Astros.

1999: Eric Munson (3) and Barry Zito (9), Southern California

Munson had been a second-round pick out of high school in 1996 and emerged as a top pick in 1999 after bashing 44 homers at Southern Cal. He collected over 1,000 big league at-bats and hit 49 homers in his career. Zito made it up to the A’s in about a year and would go on to represent them three times in the All-Star Game while winning a Cy Young Award. He finished his career with 165 wins and 31.9 WAR.

1996: Kris Benson (1) and Billy Koch (4), Clemson

Clemson’s 1-2 punch in the rotation went 1 and 4 in the Draft, to the Pirates and Blue Jays, respectively. Benson went on to spend parts of nine seasons pitching in the big leagues, appearing in over 200 games and finishing with a 12.8 WAR. Koch’s personality, and lack of command, were better suited for relief work, and he went on to collect 163 big league saves and was the AL Rolaids Reliever of the Year with the A’s in 2002.

1988: Monty Fariss (6) and Robin Ventura (10), Oklahoma State

Hindsight tells us these two Cowboys teammates should have gone in reverse order. Fariss finished his career with 226 Major League at-bats while Ventura finished with 56.1 WAR, two All-Star appearances and six Gold Glove awards at third base.

1978: Bob Horner (1) and Hubie Brooks (3), Arizona State

Best offensive duo ever? Horner went straight to the big leagues after being drafted … and won NL Rookie of the Year honors, the start of a solid 10-year career (21.8 WAR). A junior college transfer, Brooks was drafted five times (including secondary phase drafts) before joining the Mets in 1978. He earned ROY votes in 1981, made two All-Star games and won a pair of Silver Slugger Awards with the Expos during a 15-year career.

1976: Floyd Bannister (1) and Ken Landreaux (6), Arizona State

Another ASU combination here. Bannister was a slam dunk pick for the Astros, as the lefty had dominated college baseball for multiple years and went on to pitch for 15 years in the Majors, winning 134 games for the Astros, Mariners, White Sox, Royals, Angels and Rangers. Landreaux also had a huge Sun Devils career and played for 11 years, collecting 1,099 hits along the way.

Others of note

2007: Mike Moustakas (2) and Matt Dominguez (12), Chatsworth HS

This pair gets a special shout-out for being the only high school duo to come close to both being top 10. Moustakas is a three-time All-Star with more than 200 career home runs who helped the team that took him in 2007, the Royals, win the 2015 World Series. Dominguez made his big league debut with the Marlins, the team that drafted him, in 2011, spent three seasons with the Astros and touched the big leagues again with the Blue Jays in 2016 before spending his final professional season (2018) in Japan.

1985: B.J. Surhoff (1) and Walt Weiss (11), North Carolina

Generally considered to be the best Draft ever, this is the Draft that brought the game Barry Bonds, Randy Johnson and Barry Larkin, among many others. The Brewers liked Surhoff’s all-around skills and versatility enough to take him 1-1, and he had a very solid 19-year career, finishing with 34.4 WAR. Weiss technically wasn’t a top-10 pick, but we’re including him because he went on to win AL Rookie of the Year in 1988 and played in close to 1,500 Major League games.