Top 5 Draft Picks in Arizona Diamondbacks’ History

Courtesy azcentral.com

5-Junior Spivey-1996 36th round pick from Northwestern Oklahoma St. University

For a 36th round pick, Junior Spivey made a real impact on the D’backs. He received 163 at-bats as rookie during the team’s 2001 World Series run. The following season, he made the All-Star team as the Snakes repeated as National League West Champions. Spivey hit .301 with an on-base percentage of .389, hitting 16 home runs with 78 RBI’s. He had 13 homers and 50 RBI’s in only 365 at-bats in 2003. Following that season, he was in that monumental deal that brought Richie Sexton to the D’backs from the Milwaukee Brewers. Spivey’s last Major League season was in 2005.

As much as Spivey was a fan favorite, it is hard to justify putting him above the fifth spot. He played only three seasons in Arizona and had only one with more than 500 plate appearances. Some could argue that for where he was drafted, he deserves to be higher. If he had gotten more at-bats in 2003 or played an extra year in Phoenix, he easily could have been rated one spot higher.