Robin Yount and Dave Winfield were picked No. 3 and No. 4 overall in the MLB Draft
Mere days after he was selected by the San Diego Padres as the fourth overall pick in the MLB draft, Dave Winfield found himself on the mound in Omaha, Neb. As the starting pitcher for the University of Minnesota in the 1973 College World Series, the future Hall of Famer tossed a seven-hitter, complete with 14 strikeouts, to help the Golden Gophers advance to the next round against Arizona State.
For anyone who followed baseball in the 1970s and 80s, this might come as a surprise. With seven Gold Glove Awards and 465 home runs at the plate, Winfield was a stalwart at right field as well as a feared presence in the batter’s box. But if he had proven anything from his time at the University of Minnesota, it was that his athletic abilities knew no bounds.
Amazingly enough, the 1973 draft saw a third prospect who was Cooperstown-bound, in Eddie Murray. The first baseman was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round, out of Locke High School in Los Angeles. Murray would be immortalized with his 1973 draft-mates in 2003, when he was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
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