Major League Baseball’s 1971 Amateur Draft was a very interesting one to say the least. The first round was one of the least productive rounds in draft history when it came to selecting potential Major League stars.

The first overall pick in the draft was Danny Goodwin, who was taken by the Chicago White Sox. Goodwin did not sign and re-entered the draft in 1975.

The second overall pick was Jay Franklin, taken by the San Diego Padres. Neither player had a particularly good career, which seemed to be the pattern for the first 10 picks of the first round.

The first decent selection for pitchers came by the Philadelphia Phillies with the sixth overall pick. The Phillies chose Roy Thomas. Thomas finished his career with a record of 20-11 and an ERA of 3.82. [Read more…]