1979 Major League Baseball draft

The 1979 Major League Baseball draft was held on June 5–7, 1979, via conference call.

1979 Major League Baseball draft
General information
Date	June 5–7, 1979
Overview
First selection	Al Chambers Seattle Mariners
First round selections	26
← 1978 1980 →

First round selections

= All-Star

= Baseball Hall of Famer

The following are the first-round picks in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.

Pick	Player	Team	Position	Hometown/School
1	Al Chambers	Seattle Mariners	OF	Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
2	Tim Leary	New York Mets	RHP	UCLA
3	Jay Schroeder	Toronto Blue Jays	C	Pacific Palisades, California
4	Brad Komminsk	Atlanta Braves	OF	Lima, Ohio
5	Juan Bustabad *	Oakland Athletics	SS	Hialeah, Florida
6	Andy Van Slyke	St. Louis Cardinals	OF	New Hartford, New York
7	John Bohnet	Cleveland Indians	LHP	Vallejo, California
8	John Mizerock	Houston Astros	C	Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
9	Steve Buechele *	Chicago White Sox	SS	Fullerton, California
10	Tim Wallach	Montreal Expos	1B	Cal State Fullerton
11	Kevin Brandt	Minnesota Twins	OF	Nekoosa, Wisconsin
12	Jon Perlman	Chicago Cubs	RHP	Baylor University
13	Rick Leach	Detroit Tigers	OF	University of Michigan
14	Joe Lansford	San Diego Padres	1B	San Jose, California
15	Scott Garrelts	San Francisco Giants	RHP	Buckley, IL
16	Steve Howe	Los Angeles Dodgers	LHP	University of Michigan
17	Jerry Don Gleaton	Texas Rangers	LHP	University of Texas at Austin
18	Rick Luecken *	San Francisco Giants	RHP	Houston, Texas
19	Rick Seilheimer	Chicago White Sox	C	Brenham, Texas
20	Dan Lamar	Cincinnati Reds	C	Houston, Texas
21	Atlee Hammaker	Kansas City Royals	LHP	East Tennessee State University
22	Mike Sullivan	Cincinnati Reds	RHP	Clemson University
23	Chris Baker	Detroit Tigers	OF	Dearborn Heights, Michigan
24	Bob Geren	San Diego Padres	C	San Diego, California
25	Steve Perry	Los Angeles Dodgers	RHP	University of Michigan
26	Mike Stenhouse *	Oakland Athletics	OF	Harvard University

* Did not sign

Compensation picks

1. Pick from California Angels as compensation for signing of free agent Jim Barr
2. Pick from Pittsburgh Pirates as compensation for signing of free agent Lee Lacy
3. Pick from Baltimore Orioles as compensation for signing of free agent Steve Stone
4. Pick from Philadelphia Phillies as compensation for signing of free agent Pete Rose
5. Pick from Milwaukee Brewers as compensation for signing of free agent Jim Slaton
6. Pick from Los Angeles Dodgers as compensation for signing of free agent Derrel Thomas
7. Pick from New York Yankees as compensation for signing of free agent Tommy John
8. Pick from Boston Red Sox as compensation for signing of free agent Steve Renko

Other notable selections

Later rounds of the draft included the following notable players:

• Milt Thompson, 2nd round, 29th overall Atlanta Braves
• Derek Tatsuno, 2nd round, 40th overall San Diego Padres (did not sign)
• Dan Marino, 4th round, 99th overall Kansas City Royals (did not sign)
• Mark Thurmond, 5th round, 118th overall San Diego Padres
• Ron Gardenhire, 6th round, 132nd overall New York Mets
• Bill Doran, 6th round, 138th overall Houston Astros
• Harold Reynolds, 6th round, 144th overall San Diego Padres (did not sign)
• Von Hayes†, 7th round 163rd overall Cleveland Indians
• Johnny Ray, 12th round, 294th overall Houston Astros
• Pete O'Brien, 15th round 381st overall Texas Rangers
• Bud Black, 17th round, 417th overall Seattle Mariners
• Orel Hershiser†, 17th round, 440th overall Los Angeles Dodgers
• John Elway, 18th round, 463rd overall Kansas City Royals (did not sign)
• Don Mattingly†, 19th round, 493rd overall New York Yankees
• Brett Butler†, 23rd round, 573 overall Atlanta Braves
• Curt Warner, 32nd round, 784th overall Philadelphia Phillies

† All-Star
‡ Hall of Famer

A number of future football players were drafted in 1979, including John Elway (Kansas City), Kevin House (St. Louis), Dan Marino (Kansas City), Jay Schroeder (Toronto), Jack Thompson (Seattle), and Curt Warner (Philadelphia).

See also

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.