The Top 10 All-Time Cleveland Indians First-Round Draft Picks

Thursday night as well as the next two days will be focused on the National Football League and its annual college draft in which teams look to stockpile players for the future starting in 2020.

Unlike the NFL Draft, the amateur draft in Major League Baseball is a lot more of about patience, as it takes time for young players in baseball to develop.

Major League teams over the years have had to learn patience since in a number of cases they are picking kids who are still wrapping up high school.

The Indians have done a good job over the last decade in making the most of their draft picks. If you look back at their history they have had quite a few first round picks who have gone on to have great Major League careers.

Today while most of America has their focus on the NFL and their draft, we turn our attention to Indians drafts of the past, and what former first round picks paid off in a big way for the franchise.

1986 Greg Swindell Pitcher University of Texas at Austin

Taken with the 2 overall pick, Swindell had a successful 17-year career in the Majors, the first seven of which were with the Indians. He was a rare lefty power pitcher for the Tribe who went 61-56 with a 3.56 ERA in his seven seasons with the team.

Swindell’s staying power saw him make the switch from starter to a pen arm, and he came back to the Tribe for a short time in 1996. His career ended on top, as he pitched his last four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, winning a World Series in 2001 on a team that beat the Yankees in seven games.

2013 Clint Frazier Outfield Loganville High School (Loganville, Georgia)

Frazier was the fifth pick in 2013 for the Tribe, and while he never played a Major League game for the Indians, it was what the team got in return for him that was memorable. On July 31 of 2016 the Indians moved Frazier with three other prospects to the Yankees for relief pitcher Andrew Miller.

All Miller did was dominate in 2016, going 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA, and he was so good in the postseason he was named the MVP of the ALCS against the Blue Jays. You can make the argument that without Miller, the Indians don’t get to game seven of the World Series. You can thank Frazier, who is now a part of the Yankees Major League roster, for that.

2012 Tyler Naquin Outfield Texas A&M University

Naquin needed a couple of seasons but got to the Majors in 2016, a season which everyone knows ended with the Indians in the World Series. Everyone that season remembers his memorable two out inside the park homer in an August win at home over the Blue Jays.

He played in 116 games in 2016, including a number in the playoffs. He made a critical error in game six of the World Series against the Cubs, but overall in his time with the team has been an asset. He is currently working his way back from an ugly knee injury suffered last September in Tampa.

1972 Rick Manning Shortstop LaSalle High School, (Niagara Falls, NY)

Before he was the long time color man for the Indians on Sports Time Ohio, Manning came into the game as the second overall pick of the Indians way back in 1972 out of high school in Niagara Falls, New York.

He played with the Indians in the Majors from 1975 to when he was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers 50 games into 1983. In his nine seasons with the Indians he put up a .263 average, and was a staple in center field, where he caught the final out in Len Barker’s May 1981 perfect game against Toronto.

1984 Corey Snyder Shortstop Brigham Young University

Snyder came in as a shortstop, but made the transition to the outfield by the time he came to the Majors in 1986. He put up 115 homers in his five seasons at the Major League level with the Indians before being traded to the White Sox in 1991.

Many remember when Snyder and Joe Carter were on the cover of Sports Illustrated prior to the 1987 season as they touted the Indians as the “team to beat” in all of baseball. That season Snyder hit 33 homers, but the Tribe didn’t play up to the potential many felt they had, as they ended the year 61-101.

1994 Jaret Wright Pitcher Katella High School (Anaheim, California)

Taken 10 overall in the draft in 1994, Wright showed a lot of promise in the minors, and by 1997 was up on the Major League roster. He started 16 games in 1997 going 8-3, but pitched the Indians to a win in game five of the ALDS against the Yankees, and started game seven of the World Series against the Florida Marlins.

Many felt Wright was set for greatness after his 1997 season, but injuries stopped him from reaching the potential Indians fans set for him, and he was out of the organization after six seasons and a mark of 35-32 with a 5.50 ERA.

1988 Charles Nagy Pitcher University of Connecticut

The former Olympic pitcher was the first of two draft picks of the Tribe in the first round in 1988, 17 overall. Jeff Manto followed next for Cleveland with the 27 pick. Nagy pitched 13 of his 14 years with the Indians, going 129-105 with a 4.51 ERA.

He won double digits eight times with the Indians, including winning 17 games three times, and in all of those seasons he was a member of the American League All-Star team. He was excellent in 1996, going 17-5 with a 3.41, and garnered a few votes for the AL Cy Young award.

2011 Francisco Lindor Shortstop Montverde High School, (Montverde, Florida)

Lindor likely could be one on list by the time his career comes to a close, the sad thing is from everything that appears to be coming, it will be with another team. Since coming to the Major League Indians in 2015, Lindor has been a star, putting up a .288 career average with 130 homers and 384 RBI and 93 stolen bases.

He also has been excellent at short, and has made the AL All-Star team the last four seasons. He also has led the American League in at-bats in 2017 and 2018, and led the AL in runs scored in the 2018 season. You really couldn’t ask more from a pick than what Lindor has given the Indians.

1991 Manny Ramirez Third Basemen George Washington High School, (New York, New York)

Ramirez made his debut with the Major League Tribe in 1993, just two seasons after being drafted. He was the 13 overall pick and was known for his sweet swing and tremendous power at the plate. Many forget he came up a third basemen, and he made the transition to the outfield.

He played with the Indians for eight seasons, putting up 236 homers with 804 runs batted in and a career .313 average. The Indians lost a bidding war for him after the 2000 season, and he went to Boston where he won a couple World Series titles.

1998 C.C. Sabathia Pitcher Vallejo High School, (Vallejo, California)

A future Hall of Famer, Sabathia was the 20 pick overall in 1998, and he made his debut just three years after being drafted as a 20-year-old. He went 17-5 in his first year with the Indians, and won double digit games for the Indians in every season minus the year he was dealt to the Brewers before the trade deadline.

After half a season with the Brewers, Sabathia inked with the Yankees, and for the next 11 seasons he won 134 games as a Yankee, winning a couple of rings and leading the AL in wins in 2009 and 2010. He helped knock the Indians out of the playoffs in his last great season in the Majors in 2017 when he went 14-5, pitching in the fifth and deciding game at Progressive Field.