Cleveland Indians: Some notable draft picks in team history

The Cleveland Indians have had some great draft picks in team history, including some that went on to be stars for other teams.

The 2018 MLB Draft is less than one week away.

This event doesn’t draw the fanfare that the NFL Draft does, but Cleveland Indians fans should be paying attention to see who is drafted to become the future of the franchise. The Indians have plenty of homegrown stars and are where they are today because of some great drafting.

A recent ESPN article by David Schoenfield went through and looked at each MLB team, selecting the best-first round pick in team history, a late-round gem and a player who got away.

He selected Manny Ramirez as the best-first round pick and Jim Thome as the late-round gem. Pretty obvious choices there and ones that fans can agree with. The player who got away may shock some fans.

The Indians drafted Tim Lincecum back in 2005, but were unable to agree to terms. He was taken by the San Francisco Giants the following year and we know how that turned out. He won back-to-back Cy Young awards in 2008 and 2009 and was a staple in the Giants rotation before dealing with some injuries and jumping around the league.

I apologize to those Indians fans who had no idea the team drafted Lincecum and are now wondering what could have been. Oh well, his personality was a better fit in San Francisco anyway. At least that’s what I say to myself to ignore all the possibilities.

Players like Lincecum being drafted is why it is so interesting to follow the draft and get to know the players taken and signed by the Indians. A lot of the Indians players we cheer for now were selected by the team and their presence in Cleveland is no surprise to those who made the picks.

Next: Previewing the weekend series in Minnesota

Be sure to check out all of our draft coverage before the event gets underway next week.