1. At first, I thought researching would be easy
That morning, I sat at my computer, drinking coffee, thinking:
“It should be quick to look up the top ten picks in the 1967 Major League Baseball Draft, right?”
I typed in: “1967 Baseball Draft Top Players.”
All that came up were recent news articles about new draft picks, with no connection to 1967 at all.
I tried “1967 MLB Draft Rankings,” but it was more of the same—information was scattered and disorganized, and I couldn’t find what I was looking for.
That’s when I realized:
Many articles on the internet just repeat the same information, and the really useful details don’t come up on their own.
2. Go to a professional website to find the original list
The next day, I changed my approach. Instead of relying on ordinary search results, I went directly to a professional website called “Baseball Reference.” This website specializes in storing historical baseball data, like an electronic archive.
I finally found the complete list of the 1967 draft.
It had names, the teams that selected them, and their positions.
But there was a problem: there were no evaluations of who was strong or weak, nor was there any information on who played best later on.
It was like being given a list of students with their ages, home addresses, and classes they were enrolled in,
but without any information on who ended up going to college or becoming a scientist.
That’s not enough. I need to know: after these people entered the professional league, who ended up doing well?
3. “Scavenging” for clues in old posts
I went back and looked through some blogs and forum posts written by old fans.
These places aren’t as organized as big websites, but they often contain “living history” — comments left by people who actually watched the games and remember the details.
I saw someone discussing on a very obscure forum: “There were actually quite a few gems in the 1967 draft.”
They mentioned a few names:
- Bobby Grich, who went on to become an excellent second baseman;
- Don Gullett, a steady pitcher who helped his team win a championship;
- Dusty Baker, who was drafted late but played for many years and later became a coach.
These names caught my eye.
It turns out that some players who weren’t selected first ended up having longer and more influential careers.
4. Do it yourself, check the player data one by one
On the third day, I decided:
Since no one has compiled a reliable top ten list, I’ll do it myself.
I opened a dozen browser tabs, each one a page about a player’s career.
I mainly looked at the following things:
- How many years did he play professionally?
Playing for a long time means he was in good physical condition and trusted by the team. - Did he have any impressive statistics?
For example, was his batting average high? How many games did he win as a pitcher? Was his ERA low enough to be considered good? - What awards did he win?
Has he been selected for the All-Star Game? Has he won a Gold Glove Award (given to players with exceptional defensive skills)? - Did he have a significant impact on his team?
For example, did he hit a crucial hit in the playoffs or help his team win the championship?
I watched and took notes.
For example, Grich isn’t the most famous player, but he performed consistently every year, played good defense, and played for more than ten years.
Gurley’s career wasn’t particularly long, but he participated in several World Series and won, which is a big plus.
The most surprising to me is Dusty Baker.
He was drafted relatively late, but he played in the major leagues for 19 years! He later became a well-known coach.
This kind of “comeback” story is exactly what I’m looking for.
5. How to rank them? I set a few simple criteria
I don’t want to just look at who was selected early, because that doesn’t mean who played longer or contributed more.
So I set three rules:
- Look at actual performance, not initial fame
Some people were hyped up during the draft, but ended up getting injured or not performing well. These people shouldn’t be ranked too high. - Prioritize players with long-term stability
One good year doesn’t mean you’re great. Ten years of consistent performance is what counts. - Bonus points for championships or major awards
For example, winning a world championship ring or being selected for the All-Star Game multiple times shows that you’ve been recognized by your peers.
Based on this approach, I’ve divided the players into three tiers:
- First tier: Players who have truly made a name for themselves
For example, Gritch, Gullett, and John Mabry. They not only have good statistics, but also stepped up in important games. - Second tier: Players who perform well but are not at the top level
Players like George Spriggs are decent and have their highlights, but have never won major awards. - Third tier: Late starters who persevered for a long time
For example, Dusty Baker was not favored at first, but proved himself with time and effort.
6. The final list is the result of my hard work
I did not rank them randomly.
I compared the data repeatedly and referred to the opinions of old fans for each name’s position.
I know that this list will not satisfy everyone—after all, it covers a long period of time, and some records are incomplete.
But at least it is not copied from other articles.
It is the result of my own judgment after looking at dozens of pages of information and comparing hundreds of data points.
7. Why is this worth doing?
Nowadays, many people look up history and just want to quickly get a “standard answer.”
But there are no ready-made answers for the 1967 draft.
Back then, there was no social media, no data analysis teams, and many players’ stories were lost to time.
I spent several days doing this not to show off, but to tell everyone:
The history of sports is not just about who was drafted in what order, but how these people played, how they persevered, and how they influenced the game.
Take Dusty Baker, for example. No one thought he would be successful back then, but he played for nearly 20 years and became a role model in the coaching world.
Stories like this are much more interesting than a cold ranking.
8. Conclusion: History needs to be “dug up,” not “copied.”
If you are also interested in old sports stories, don’t just look at the first result on a search engine.
Dig through old archives and listen to what veteran fans have to say.
Sometimes, the most valuable information is hidden in the corners no one notices.
What I’ve done this time is to take a memory that was almost forgotten,
carefully dust it off, and present it to everyone once again.
It may not be perfect, but it’s real—just like that year’s baseball, with its earthy scent and heartfelt charm.
