1979 Major League Baseball draft

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

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

* Did not sign

Compensation Picks


Other notable selections
Later rounds of the draft included the following notable players:


 * Milt Thompson, 2nd round, 29th overall Atlanta Braves
 * Dan Marino, 4th round, 99th overall Kansas City Royals
 * 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).