Over the past few weeks, Bleacher Report has been doing re-drafts in the MLB for previous years. While these are entertaining to read, the players listed towards the end aren’t the most memorable.

After doing a two-round draft of all the baseball players who were eligible to be drafted in the 1990s, let’s now look at the 1980s. Since there are currently 30 teams, we will have 30 players selected in both rounds.

This was far from an easy exercise in not only where the players should be drafted, but all of the players who were widely considered but just quite missed out.

Some of those include Robb Nen, Mickey Tettleton, Wally Joyner, Pat Hentgen, Jay Bell, Jeff Montgomery, Jack McDowell, B.J. Surhoff, Doug Drabek, Brian Jordan, Terry Steinbach, Marquis Grissom, Ryan Klesko, Andy Benes, Tom Gordon, Kevin McReynolds, Brady Anderson, Mark Gubicza, and Tino Martinez.

(All stats listed were taken from Baseball-Reference. Blurbs on players selected in the second round were excluded because of a character limit.)

First-round

  • 1. Barry Bonds, LF (1985 - 6th overall)

The all-time leader in both home runs (762) and walks (2,558), Bonds incredibly won the NL MVP seven times in his career. He also has the single-season record with 73 homers in 2001, won eight Gold Gloves, and had an extraordinary 1.051 OPS.

  • 2. Roger Clemens, SP (1983 - 19th overall)

Clemens won 354 games over 24 seasons and was as dominant as they come as evidenced by his seven Cy Young Awards (six in the AL, one in the NL). His 4,672 strikeouts place him third on the all-time list, and there were seven seasons where he led his league in ERA.

  • 3. Greg Maddux, SP (1984 - 31st overall)

From 1992-98, Maddux went 127-53 with a 2.15 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, won four NL Cy Young Awards, and took home a Gold Glove each year.

He won 355 games, and his 18 Gold Gloves are the most of anyone to ever play in the MLB.

  • 4. Randy Johnson, SP (1985 - 36th overall)

The 2001 World Series MVP, Johnson led his league in strikeouts nine times and totaled 4,875 for his career (second-most all-time). He won four straight NL Cy Young Awards with the Diamondbacks from 1999-2002.

  • 5. Ken Griffey Jr., CF (1987 - 1st overall)

In his 22 MLB seasons, Griffey Jr. was named to 13 All-Star Games, won 10 Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers, and was the 1997 AL MVP. He led the AL in home runs four times, and the 630 he hit in his career are the seventh-most all-time.

  • 6. Tom Glavine, SP (1984 - 47th overall)

The 1991 and 1998 NL Cy Young, Glavine accumulated 305 wins over his 22-year career. He had four other finishes in the top three of NL Cy Young voting and finished in the top-eight in ERA for the NL eight different years.

  • 7. Frank Thomas, DH/1B (1989 - 7th overall)

The back-to-back AL MVP in 1993 and 1994, Thomas slugged 521 home runs in his 19-year career. He had 11 seasons in which he reached triple digits in RBIs, including eight straight years from 1991-98.

  • 8. Tony Gwynn, RF (1981 - 58th overall)

An incredible contact hitter, Gwynn won eight NL batting titles and hit .338 in his 20-year career. He was a 15-time All-Star and amazingly struck out only 434 times in his MLB tenure (compared to 790 walks).

  • 9. John Smoltz, SP/RP (1985 - 574th overall)

Starting his career as an elite starter, Smoltz was the 1996 NL Cy Young winner and twice led the NL in strikeouts. He transitioned into lights out reliever later in his career, including his 2003 season when he finished with a 1.12 ERA and 45 saves.

  • 10. Mark McGwire, 1B (1984 - 10th overall)

McGwire was one of the driving forces during the baseball craze of the late 1990s as he combined to bash 135 homers in 1998 and 1999.

The 12-time All-Star would total 583 long balls in his 16-year career.

  • 11. Jim Thome, 1B/DH (1989 - 333rd overall)

A prolific slugger, Thome would belt 612 home runs in his career (eighth all-time) and also draw 1,747 walks (seventh all-time). He drove in over 100 runs nine times and possesses a career .956 OPS.

  • 12. Jeff Bagwell, 1B (1989 - 110th overall)

Bagwell provided excellent value at the plate during his career with a .408 on-base percentage and 449 homers over 15 years. He was named the 1994 NL MVP in a year that he finished with an outstanding 1.201 OPS.

  • 13. Barry Larkin, SS (1985 - 4th overall)

Named the 1995 NL MVP, Larkin racked up 12 All-Star nods, nine Silver Sluggers, and three Gold Gloves over the course of his 19-year career.

He walked more than he struck out (939 walks compared to 817 strikeouts) and stole 379 bases.

  • 14. Rafael Palmeiro, 1B (1985 - 22nd overall)

One of just six players to amass 3,000 hits and 500 homers in his career (had 3,020 and 569 respectively), Palmeiro hit at least 38 home runs nine straight years from 1995-2003. His 1,835 RBIs place him 17th on the all-time list.

  • 15. Mike Piazza, C (1988 - 1,390th overall)

Piazza’s 396 home runs as a backstop are the most in MLB history (hit 427 altogether). He won 10 Silver Sluggers in his 16 seasons and finished with a stellar career batting average of .308.

  • 16. Gary Sheffield, RF (1986 - 6th overall)

In his 22-year career, Sheffield had 509 home runs, drove in 1,676 runs, and owned a .393 on-base percentage.

He was named to nine All-Star teams and finished in the top-eight of MVP voting five times (three times in the NL, twice in the AL).

  • 17. Craig Biggio, 2B (1987 - 22nd overall)

A member of the exclusive 3,000 hit club (finished with 3,060), Biggio won five Silver Sluggers, four Gold Gloves, and was an All-Star seven times. His 668 doubles are the fifth-most all-time.

  • 18. Kenny Lofton, CF (1988 - 428th overall)

One of the fastest and most exciting players during his heyday, Lofton won four Gold Gloves and was an All-Star each season from 1994-99. He nearly hit .300 for his career (.299) and stole 622 bases (15th all-time).

  • 19. Trevor Hoffman, RP (1989 - 290th overall)

In his 18 MLB seasons, Hoffman saved 601 games, which puts him only behind Mariano Rivera on the all-time list.

He was the runner-up for NL Cy Young twice and owned a career 2.87 ERA.

  • 20. Fred McGriff, 1B (1981 - 233rd overall)

A member of the Braves’ 1995 World Series-winning team, McGriff hit 493 homers in his career and likely would be a member of the 500 homer club had baseball not gone on strike in 1994. He led both the AL and NL in home runs at different points in his career (1989 with the Blue Jays, 1992 with the Padres).

  • 21. Kevin Brown, SP (1986 - 4th overall)

A two-time NL ERA leader, Brown won 211 games in his career and struck out 2,397 hitters. From 1996-2001, he was easily one of the top pitchers in the game combining to go 92-45 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.

  • 22. Jeff Kent, 2B (1989 - 523rd overall)

The winner of the 2000 NL MVP, Kent, is the all-time leader for home runs by a second baseman (351, hit 377 altogether).

In eight of nine years from 1997-2005, he had over 100 RBIs (had 93 in 2003).

  • 23. Albert Belle, LF (1987 - 47th overall)

One of the most dangerous hitters of his time, Belle averaged approximately 41 homers and 127 RBIs with a .993 OPS from 1993-99. During that run, he was the runner-up for AL MVP once and finished third two times.

  • 24. Jim Edmonds, CF (1988 - 169th overall)

An eight-time Gold Glove winner, Edmonds was known for robbing countless homers during his career. He also hit 393 home runs of his own and won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2006.

  • 25. David Cone, SP (1981 - 74th overall)

Cone has five World Series rings to his name (four with the Yankees, one with the Blue Jays) and was named the AL Cy Young in 1994.

In 450 games (419 starts), he went 194-126 with a 3.46 ERA.

  • 26. Bret Saberhagen, SP (1982 - 480th overall)

While with the Royals, Saberhagen was the AL Cy Young in both 1985 and 1989, leading the league in WHIP both seasons. He had 167 wins, a 3.34 ERA, and a 1.14 WHIP in 16 years in the big leagues.

  • 27. Will Clark, 1B (1985 - 2nd overall)

A six-time All-Star, Clark finished his career with a .303 batting average, 284 homers, and 440 doubles. He had top-eight finishes in batting average for the NL in four different seasons.

  • 28. Luis Gonzalez, LF (1988 - 90th overall)

It was an extraordinary 2001 season for Gonzalez as he helped the Diamondbacks win the World Series and hit 57 homers with 142 RBIs during the regular season.

He recorded 2,591 hits and drove in 1,439 runs in his career.

  • 29. Dwight Gooden, SP (1982 - 5th overall)

Named 1984 NL Rookie of the Year, Gooden followed that up the following year by winning NL Cy Young with an absurd season of 24 wins and a 1.53 ERA. While off-the-field issues helped to not keep him on top for long, he still won 194 games over 16 seasons.

  • 30. Darryl Strawberry, RF (1980 - 1st overall)

Much like Gooden, his former teammate with the Mets, Strawberry faced off-the-field issues, which helped lead to a decline. Still, he made eight straight All-Star Games from 1984-91 and won two Silver Sluggers.

Second

  • 31. Brian Giles, RF/LF (1989 - 437th overall)
  • 32. Matt Williams, 3B (1986 - 3rd overall)
  • 33. John Olerud, 1B (1989 - 79th overall)
  • 34. Jimmy Key, SP (1982 - 56th overall)
  • 35. Jose Canseco, DH/RF (1982 - 392nd overall)
  • 36. Robin Ventura, 3B (1988 - 10th overall)
  • 37. Mark Grace, 1B (1985 - 622nd overall)
  • 38. Steve Finley, CF (1987 - 325th overall)
  • 39. Frank Viola, SP (1981 - 37th overall)
  • 40. Kevin Appier, SP (1987 - 9th overall)
  • 41. David Justice, RF (1985 - 94th overall)
  • 42. Mark Langston, SP (1981 - 35th overall)
  • 43. Eric Davis, CF (1980 - 200th overall)
  • 44. Reggie Sanders, RF (1987 - 180th overall)
  • 45. David Wells, SP (1982 - 30th overall)
  • 46. Chuck Knoblauch, 2B (1989 - 25th overall)
  • 47. Tim Salmon, RF (1989 - 69th overall)
  • 48. Joe Carter, LF/RF/CF (1981 - 2nd overall)
  • 49. Mo Vaughn, 1B (1989 - 23rd overall)
  • 50. John Franco, RP (1981 - 125th overall)
  • 51. Paul O’Neill, RF (1981 - 93rd overall)
  • 52. Jamie Moyer, SP (1984 - 135th overall)
  • 53. Devon White, CF (1981 - 132nd overall)
  • 54. Bobby Bonilla, 3B/RF (1981 - undrafted)
  • 55. Al Leiter, SP (1984 - 50th overall)
  • 56. Kenny Rogers, SP (1982 - 816th overall)
  • 57. Ron Gant, LF (1983 - 100th overall)
  • 58. Ray Lankford, CF (1987 - 72nd overall)
  • 59. Travis Fryman, 3B (1987 - 30th overall)
  • 60. Ken Caminiti, 3B (1984 - 71st overall)
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED