High school MLB Draft picks who became All-Stars

As the MLB Draft comes around, many high school baseball players are stuck making a decision between going pro or going to college. 

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole made the decision in 2008 to go to UCLA over going pro with the New York Yankees. His decision seems to have turned out just fine.

Then there are athletes like Alex Rodriguez, who went straight from high school to the pros. He did that back in 1993 when he went No. 1 overall to the Seattle Mariners.

Here are some notable athletes who made an MLB All-Star team after they were drafted out of high school and decided to sign instead of heading to college.



*Data from 1995-2010


Kerry Wood
Grand Prairie (Texas)
Draft Year: 1995
Pick: 4
MLB Team: Chicago Cubs

Roy Halladay
Arvada West (Arvada, Colo.)
Draft Year: 1995
Pick: 17
MLB Team: Toronto Blue Jays

Jake Westbrook
Madison County (Danielsville, Ga.)
Draft Year: 1996
Pick: 21
MLB Team: Colorado Rockies

Gil Meche
Acadiana (Lafayette, La.)
Draft Year: 1996
Pick: 22
MLB Team: Seattle Mariners

Vernon Wells
Bowie (Texas)
Draft Year: 1997
Pick: 5
MLB Team: Toronto Blue Jays



Michael Cuddyer
Great Bridge (Chesapeake, Va.)
Draft Year: 1997
Pick: 9
MLB Team: Minnesota Twins

Jon Garland
Kennedy (La Palma, Calif.)
Draft Year: 1997
Pick: 10
MLB Team: Chicago Cubs

Jayson Werth
Glenwood (Chatham, Ill.)
Draft Year: 1997
Pick: 22
MLB Team: Baltimore Orioles

Felipe Lopez
Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs, Fla.)
Draft Year: 1998
Pick: 8
MLB Team: Toronto Blue Jays

C.C. Sabathia
Vallejo (Calif.)
Draft Year: 1998
Pick: 20
MLB Team: Cleveland Indians

Josh Hamilton
Athens Drive (Raleigh, N.C.)
Draft Year: 1999
Pick: 1
MLB Team: Tampa Bay Devil Rays



Josh Beckett
Spring (Texas)
Draft Year: 1999
Pick: 2
MLB Team: Florida Marlins

Alex Rios
San Pedro Martin, Puerto Rico
Draft Year: 1999
Pick: 19
MLB Team: Toronto Blue Jays

Adrian Gonzalez
Eastlake (Chula Vista, Calif.)
Draft Year: 2000
Pick: 1
MLB Team: Florida Marlins

Adam Wainwright
Glynn Academy (Brunswick, Ga.)
Draft Year: 2000
Pick: 29
MLB Team: Atlanta Braves

Joe Mauer
Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.)
Draft Year: 2001
Pick: 1
MLB Team: Minnesota Twins

David Wright
Hickory (Chesapeake, Va.)
Draft Year: 2001
Pick: 38
MLB Team: New York Mets



Zack Grienke
Apopka (Fla.)
Draft Year: 2002
Pick: 6
MLB Team: Kansas City Royals

Prince Fielder
Eau Gallie (Melbourne, Fla.)
Draft Year: 2002
Pick: 7
MLB Team: Milwaukee Brewers

Scott Kazmir
Cypress Falls (Houston)
Draft Year: 2002
Pick: 15
MLB Team: New York Mets

Cole Hamels
Rancho Bernardo (San Diego)
Draft Year: 2002
Pick: 17
MLB Team: Philadelphia Phillies

Matt Cain
Houston (Germantown, Tenn.)
Draft Year: 2002
Pick: 25
MLB Team: San Francisco Giants

Chad Billingsley
Defiance (Ohio)
Draft Year: 2003
Pick: 24
MLB Team: Los Angeles Dodgers



Adam Jones
Morse (San Diego)
Draft Year: 2003
Pick: 37
MLB Team: Seattle Mariners

Billy Butler
Wolfson (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Draft Year: 2004
Pick: 14
MLB Team: Kansas City Royals

Phil Hughes
Foothill (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Draft Year: 2004
Pick: 23
MLB Team: New York Yankees

Justin Upton
Great Bridge (Chesapeake, Va.)
Draft Year: 2005
Pick: 1
MLB Team: Arizona Diamondbacks

Andrew McCutchen
Fort Meade (Fla.)
Draft Year: 2005
Pick: 11
MLB Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

Jay Bruce
West Brook (Beaumont, Texas)
Draft Year: 2005
Pick: 12
MLB Team: Cincinnati Red



Clayton Kershaw
Highland Park (Dallas)
Draft Year: 2006
Pick: 7
MLB Team: Los Angeles Dodgers

Madison Bumgarner
South Caldwell (Hudson, N.C.)
Draft Year: 2007
Pick: 10
MLB Team: San Francisco Giants

Jason Heyward
Henry County (McDonough, Ga.)
Draft Year: 2007
Pick: 14
MLB Team: Atlanta Braves

Devin Mesoraco
Punxsutawney (Pa.)
Draft Year: 2007
Pick: 15
MLB Team: Cincinnati Reds

Lance Lynn
Hartsville (S.C.)
Draft Year: 2008
Pick: 39
MLB Team: St. Louis Cardinals

Mike Trout
Millville (N.J.)
Draft Year: 2009
Pick: 25
MLB Team: Los Angeles Angels



Manny Machado
Brito (Miami, Fla.)
Draft Year: 2010
Pick: 3
MLB Team: Baltimore Orioles