With the MLB draft set to begin on June 4, teams are hoping to find the next superstar for their squad that can be a cornerstone for the next decade or so. The top five picks in order belong to the Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, and Cincinnati Reds. Here are the best players selected at each draft position (one through 10) throughout the MLB June draft history (since 1965). As a subjective list, many of these can be debated. Some examples of difficult choices are Alex Rodriguez vs Ken Griffey Jr., Justin Verlander vs Reggie Jackson, Paul Molitor vs Robin Yount, Barry Larkin vs Dave Winfield, Clayton Kershaw vs Frank Thomas, and Kevin Appier vs Barry Zito.

1. Alex Rodriguez (1993)

Rodriguez had a 22-year career that few, if any, can rival. He won three American League MVPs and was a 14-time All-Star. He led the American League in homers five times and hit 696 for his career (fourth all-time).

  • Honorable mentions: Harold Baines (1977), Darryl Strawberry (1980), B.J. Surhoff (1985), Ken Griffey Jr. (1987), Chipper Jones (1990), Adrian Gonzalez (2000), Joe Mauer (2001), Justin Upton (2005), David Price (2007), Stephen Strasburg (2009), Bryce Harper (2010), Gerrit Cole (2011), and Carlos Correa (2012).

2. Justin Verlander (2004)

Verlander won the 2006 American League Rookie of the Year and the 2011 American League MVP and Cy Young. In two other seasons, he was the runner-up for Cy Young.

He is off to an incredible beginning this season with a 1.11 ERA and 0.71 WHIP in 12 starts.

  • Honorable mentions: Reggie Jackson (1966), Will Clark (1985), J.D. Drew (1997), Josh Beckett (1999), Alex Gordon (2005), and Kris Bryant (2013).

3. Paul Molitor (1977)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004, Molitor recorded 3,319 hits during his 21-year career which are the 10th-most in MLB history.

He has a career batting average of .306 and was World Series MVP in the Blue Jays victory over the Phillies in 1993.

  • Honorable mentions: Robin Yount (1973), Lonnie Smith (1974), Matt Williams (1986), Troy Glaus (1997), Evan Longoria (2006), Eric Hosmer (2008), and Manny Machado (2010).

4. Barry Larkin (1985)

Larkin’s 19-year MLB career (all with the Reds) culminated with him being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

He was the 1995 National League MVP, a one-time World Series winner (1990), 12-time All-Star, nine-time Silver Slugger, and three-time Gold Glove winner.

  • Honorable mentions: Jon Matlack (1967), Thurman Munson (1968), Darrell Porter (1970), Dave Winfield (1973), Kevin Brown (1986), and Ryan Zimmerman (2005).

5. Buster Posey (2008)

Now in his 10th season, Posey’s list of accomplishments is impressive. He won the 2012 National League MVP, 2010 National League Rookie of the Year, three World Series, and is a five-time All-Star. As of May 30, he is a career .308 hitter.

  • Honorable mentions: Dale Murphy (1974), Dwight Gooden (1982), Jack McDowell (1987), Vernon Wells (1997), J.D. Drew (1998), Mark Teixeira (2001), and Ryan Braun (2005).

6. Barry Bonds (1985)

Steroid allegations aside, there may not have have been a better overall player than Bonds.

He won seven National League MVP trophies, eight Gold Gloves, and 12 Silver Sluggers. He is the all-time home run leader with 762 and also has the most in a single season with 73.

  • Honorable mentions: Andy Van Slyke (1979), Kevin McReynolds (1981), Gary Sheffield (1986), Derek Jeter (1992), Zack Greinke (2002), and Anthony Rendon (2011).

7. Clayton Kershaw (2006)

Now in his 11th year, Kershaw has already won three National League Cy Young Awards and a National League MVP. He has led the National League in ERA five times, WHIP four times, and strikeouts & wins three times. He currently owns a career 145-68 record.

  • Honorable mentions: Frank Thomas (1989), Prince Fielder (2002), Nick Markakis (2003), Troy Tulowitzki (2005), Aaron Nola (2014), and Andrew Benintendi (2015).

8. Todd Helton (1995)

A life-long member of the Rockies, Helton played in 17 seasons with Colorado.

He is a career .316 hitter who also has more career walks (1,335) than strikeouts (1,175). He won four Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves.

  • Honorable mentions: Jay Bell (1984) and Francisco Lindor (2011).

9. Kevin Appier (1987)

Appier led the American League in ERA in 1993 and won 169 games over 16 seasons. He was at his best from 1990-97 with the Royals when he went 103-74 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.

  • Honorable mentions: Ron Darling (1981), Geoff Jenkins (1995), Barry Zito (1999), and Javier Baez (2011).

10. Mark McGwire (1984)

McGwire helped lead the Athletics to a World Series victory in 1989 and belted 583 home runs in 16 seasons. In two seasons with the Cardinals from 1998-99, he hit 135 homers (70 in 1998 was most ever in a season until Bonds eclipsed that mark) and had 294 RBIs, 248 runs, and 295 walks.

  • Honorable mentions: Ted Simmons (1967), Tim Wallach (1979), Robin Ventura (1988), Eric Chavez (1996), Ben Sheets (1999), Tim Lincecum (2006), and Madison Bungarner (2007).
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