Cleveland Indians: 5 best first-round draft picks in club history

With the 2017 Major League Baseball draft about two weeks away, we take a look back at the five best first-round draft picks in Cleveland Indians history.

For just the third time since the inception of the Major League Baseball draft back in 1965, the Cleveland Indians will not have a first-round pick of any kind in the June draft this summer.

Throughout the draft’s 50-plus year history, the Indians have had both some highs and lows in the first round of the draft.

Over the next couple days, we’ll take a look at the best and worst from the Tribe’s first-round picks, starting with the five best first-round draft picks in Cleveland Indians history. Note, for this list no player drafted in the last five years will be included, so there will be no Bradley Zimmer no matter how good one may think he’ll be eventually.

Also, any player who never appeared in a big league game with the Indians will not be included. Therefore, no appearance by Kelly Gruber who spent almost his entire 12-year career with the Toronto Blue Jays after being snatched away in the Rule 5 Draft.