DECEMBER 4, 1964 | HOUSTON, TEXAS • It was trumpeted as the end of the “bonus baby” – the throwing of tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of dollars (a lot of money in those days) at wide-eyed kids expected to become the next Mickey Mantle or Sandy Koufax. Too often these “can’t miss” prospects didn’t pan out. The owners wanted no more bonus babies.
They met in Houston on this date in 1964 to put an end to the chasing of unproven kids by hordes of scouts with wads of cash. Instead, the owners approved an amateur draft. The first one was held in 1965.
Below are the first ten #1 picks. Some had decent careers. Most were mediocre. Some, well, have you ever head of Steve Chilcott — the #1 pick in the 1966 draft? Probably not because he never made it to the big leagues. The second pick that year was Reggie Jackson.
1965 Rick Monday, Kansas City A’s
1966 Steve Chilcott, New York Mets
1967 Ron Blomberg, New York Yankees
1968 Tim Foli, New York Mets
1969 Jeff Burroughs, Washington Senators
1970 Mike Ivie, San Diego Padres
1971 Danny Goodwin, Chicago White Sox
1972 Dave Roberts, San Diego Padres
1973 David Clyde, Texas Rangers
1974 Bill Almon, San Diego Padres
There is still chasing after kids and some significant bonuses because the team that drafts the player retains the rights to signing a him only for a period of time until the next year’s draft. If a prospect is not signed he can re-enter a future draft and be chosen by any team but the one which selected him the previous year, unless the player consents.
Generally, those eligible to be drafted are:
• Residents of the US or Canada including Puerto Rico and other territories
• HS grads who have not yet attended college or junior college
• College players who have completed their junior year
• Junior college players
• Players 21-years of age and older
While there are no more bonus babies, “free agency” has driven salaries into another stratosphere.
Sources/more information:
Complete draft information
Amateur draft rules
United Press International, Houston, Texas, December 5, 1964
