A college baseball team’s goal is not to develop major league baseball players. However, that aspect is certainly important. You’re most likely producing future major-leaguers if your team wins games and makes it to the Men’s College World Series.
This year’s Men’s College World Series teams have been ranked based on their combined major league WAR since 1965, when the draft began. Texas is first due to Roger Clemens’ 138.7 career winning percentage over 24 major league seasons. However, Texas has only produced two position players with at minimum 10 WAR in major leagues. Brandon Belt Spike Owen. The lesson: It is difficult to achieve 10 career WAR across the majors.
(For the purposes tabulating WAR we only included players with positive WAR. As close as half of the future major leaguers are from schools, players who have had a cup or more of coffee but produce negative WAR.
Here are the details for each CWS Team:
Watch: Men’s College World Series, starting Fri. June 17 on ESPN
1. Texas
MLB WAR for drafted players 369.9
Major leaguers since the draft era 73
College World Series appearances 38 (titles in 1949-2005, 1975, 1983. 2002, 2005).
The 38 College World Series appearances of the Longhorns are unmatched. Only USC has won more titles than them (12). The Longhorns will make their sixth trip to Omaha, since 2005 when they won the title. Under coach David Pierce, they went 3-2 last season. They lost 4-3 to Mississippi State and missed the final. After falling to East Carolina in the first round of the super regional, the Longhorns rallied and won the next two games with 9-8 victories and 11-1. Ivan Melendez, who is the NCAA’s leading 32nd home run hitter, was hammered in the clincher.
Highest drafted player: Greg Swindell, second overall, Cleveland, 1986
Five top WAR leaders Roger Clemens, Burt Hooton, Greg Swindell, Belt, Shane Reynolds
The current best major leaguer Belt was.285/.393/.595 and the Giants won 148 games in the 2020-2021 seasons.
All-time great: Clemens won 25 games during his two seasons with Longhorns. He also won the 1983 title with a 4-3 win over Alabama. Calvin Schiraldi was the most outstanding player in the CWS that season. He managed to survive until the 19th round of the 1983 draft.
Enjoy a blast from the past Danny Peoples was the slugging first-baseman who won the Southwest Conference Player’s of the Year award in 1996. He hit.375 and had 17 home runs. He also finished 28th in the draft to Cleveland. His first year in the minors, he scored 34 runs but his career ended at Triple-A.
2. Stanford
MLB WAR for drafted players 337.9
Major leaguers since the draft era 84
College World Series appearances 18 (titles in 1987 & 1988)
After a 13-year gap between 2008 and 2021, the second-ranked Cardinals make their second consecutive CWS trip under coach David Esquer. Two-time champs, three-time runners-ups, lost their first game in the super regional to Connecticut. However, their bats led them to wins of 8-2 and 5-5. Kody Huff, Stanford’s catcher, scored the deciding run with a grand slam. This was part of a six inning rally that saw Stanford recover from a 3-0 deficit.
Highest drafted player: Mark AppelThe first overall (Houston Astros, 2013).
Five top WAR leaders Mike Mussina. Jack McDowell. Bob Boone. Rick Helling. Jeremy Guthrie.
The current best major leaguer Tommy Edman He didn’t hit well at Stanford. He slugged.281 with four runs in three seasons. But he has become a solid Major League hitter with the St. Louis Cardinals. His exceptional defense makes him an All-Star contender in 2022.
All-time great: Mussina was a member of the 1988 loaded championship team which included eight future big leaguers. Then he went in round one to the Baltimore Orioles In 1990. He won 270 games with Orioles. New York YankeesHe had nine top-six Cy Young finishes and 20 wins in his last season. He was elected to the Hall of Fame for 2019
Enjoy a blast from the past David McCarty — The third overall pick of the Minnesota Twins In 1991, he hit.420 and scored 24 runs for Stanford. However, he didn’t make it much further in the majors despite having an OPS+ just 76. He tried to pitch a bit at the end of his career, throwing two scoreless innings. Boston Red Sox The final game of the 2004 season.
3. Auburn
MLB WAR for drafted players 243.2
Major leaguers since the draft era 32
College World Series appearances 6 (no titles)
Butch Thompson is back at the CWS as the Tigers’ coach. They last made it to the CWS in 2019, when they were 0-2. No. The Tigers defeated No.
Highest drafted player: Casey MizeThe first overall (Detroit Tigers, 2018).
Five top WAR leaders Frank Thomas, Tim Hudson, Josh DonaldsonTerry Leach, Gregg Olson
The current best major leaguer Mize is currently in pain and will need Tommy John surgery. We’ll be going with Donaldson, a former MVP winner — but Garrett Cooper Strong season for the Miami Marlins.
All-time great: Thomas quit football to hit.403/.568/.801 his junior season. He also had 19 home runs. He was seventh in the 1989 draft. Chicago White Sox. He was awarded two MVP Awards and inducted into the Hall of Fame for his achievements as a major league hitter.
Enjoy a blast from the past Hudson is Auburn’s best two-way player (he was 15-2 as a junior and hit.396 with 18 runs). But Bo Jackson is Auburn’s best two-sport player. This is a calendar year: He hit.401/.500/.864 in 1985 with 17 home runs in 42 games. He also won the Heisman Trophy in the fall. The Kansas City Royals In 1986, Jackson was drafted in the fourth round. He surprised everyone by choosing to play baseball at first. He made it to the majors in September 1986.
4. Arkansas
MLB WAR for drafted players 239.9
Major leaguers since the draft era 38
College World Series appearances 11 (no titles)
The Razorbacks make their fifth appearance at the CWS since 2012, and seventh overall under longtime coach Dave Van Horn. They finished runner-up in 2018, losing to Oregon State, after winning the first of the best three finals. They reached Omaha with a double sweep of No. 10 North Carolina, Chapel Hill won on Sunday with two runs at the bottom of the ninth.
Highest drafted player: Jeff King, First Overall (Pittsburgh Pirates, 1986).
Five top WAR leaders Cliff Lee, Kevin McReynolds, Johnny Ray, Dallas Keuchel, Jeff King
The current best major leaguer Keuchel is in decline Andrew Benintendi Top honors. Benintendi, who was drafted-eligible sophomore in 2015 and was the seventh overall pick of the Red Sox, came in second place in the 2017 Rookie of Year voting. He is currently enjoying a solid second season with the Royals.
All-time great: Lee was a part-time starter, fourth-round draft pick at Arkansas, and became the Cy Young winner with Cleveland in 2008. He went 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA. Although he was injured early in his career, he won 143 games with a 2.54 ERA and had a 42.5 career win rate.
Enjoy a blast from the past David Walling, the pitcher, was a two-time All-American with the Razorbacks in 1998 & 1999. In 1999, the Yankees selected him with the 27th pick. After reaching Double-A in 2000, he began to feel a strong desire to throw to first when a runner was on base. He eventually left the sport in 2022.
5. Oklahoma
MLB WAR for drafted players 114.9
Major leaguers since the draft era 52
College World Series appearances 11 (titles in 1951, 1994)
The Sooners, under Skip Johnson as coach, are back in Omaha after winning the second consecutive championship. No. 4 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg won the super regional. Tanner Tredaway was 4-for-5, and Peyton Graham scored his 20th run.
Highest drafted player: Bobby Witt Sr. (Texas Rangers(Citation: 1985) Jon Gray (Colorado Rockies, 2013), both in third place overall.
Five top WAR leaders Jason Bartlett. Witt, Russ Ortiz. Gray, Bob Shirley
The current best major leaguer Gray has had a mixed career. He showed signs of dominance and minor injuries, but his career has been up-and-down. Gray signed a huge deal with the Rangers, but moving out of Colorado hasn’t helped his numbers.
All-time great: Witt wins 142 games, despite being plagued by wildness during much of his career. We will vote for Witt. Bartlett is actually the leader in career WAR (18.4 to Witt’s 14.6). Despite having a rich past at the college level, few major league stars have been produced by the program.
Enjoy a blast from the past Chip Glass was the outfielder who won the College World Series 1994 in Oklahoma. He was a.339/.365/.547 hitter with six homers that year for the Sooners, but he didn’t make it to the 37th round. He played six seasons in minors and hit.275.
6. Texas A&M
MLB WAR for drafted players 113.2
Major leaguers since the draft era 44
College World Series appearances 7 (no titles)
Jim Schlossnagle is the Aggies’ first year head coach. They are now back in the College World Series. They were victorious in the super regional, beating Louisville 4-3 and 5-4. Jake Palisch was the saver and won one of the two games.
Highest drafted player: Asa Lacy is fourth overall (Royals – 2020).
Five top WAR leaders Chuck Knoblauch, Doug Rau, Cliff Pennington, Michael Wacha, Ross Stripling
The current best major leaguer A.J. Minter His career as a relief pitcher with the has been inconsistent. Atlanta BravesHe was not able to help them win the World Series, but he did have a huge postseason and helped them win it. Now, he is playing a major role as a setup player in 2022.
All-time great: Knoblauch. His greatest seasons were as a Twins’ second baseman. He averaged 7.4 WAR per year from 1995 through 1997. Over those three seasons, he hit.321 and stole 153 bases. He even won the Gold Glove in 1997.
Enjoy a blast from the past The Royals selected Jeff Granger fifth in 1993 after an All American junior season in which he went a record 15-3 with a 2.62 ERA. Also, he had 150 strikeouts over 127 innings. His big league career lasted only 31 innings.
7. Mississippi
MLB WAR for drafted players 102.5
Major leaguers since the draft era 31
College World Series appearances 6 (no titles)
In his 22-year tenure at Ole Miss, Coach Mike Bianco has been a consistent producer of winning teams. This is the second time that one of his teams has made it to Omaha. He was part of the 2014 squad which went 2-2 and lost twice to Virginia. In the super regional, No. 11 Southern Mississippi with back to back shutouts, 10-0 & 5-0.
Highest drafted player: Drew Pomeranz, fifth overall, (Cleveland 2010).
Five top WAR leaders Lance Lynn, Jeff Fassero. Zack Cozart. Pomeranz. Seth Smith.
All-time great: Lynn, a White Sox pitcher, has the most career wins of any Ole Miss player, at 30.6, but the real legend is former Yankees catcher and College Football Jake Gibbs was a Hall-of-Fame member who quarterbacked Mississippi’s 10-0-1 record in 1960. He also won the SEC Player Award of the Year. Later, he coached the baseball team between 1972 and 1990.
Enjoy a blast from the past Stephen Head was an All American Two-Way Player in 2004 and 2005. He hit.346 with 31 home runs and.333 during the two seasons. His ERAs were 2.82 and 2.54 for the closer. As a position-player, he was selected by Cleveland in the second round.
8. Notre Dame
MLB WAR for drafted players 98.9
Major leaguers since the draft era 23
College World Series appearances 3 (no titles)
Link Jarrett was the Fighting Irish’s third-year coach. He led them to back to back NCAA tournaments in 2007 and 2019, the first College World Series since 2002. The Fighting Irish had only one postseason appearance under Paul Mainieri. The Irish won the biggest college baseball upset, surprising No. 1 Tennessee, with a 7-3 victory in Sunday’s superregional clincher.
Highest drafted player: Ken Plesha (White Sox, 1965), Brad Lidge (Astros, 1998), AJ Pollock (Arizona Diamondbacks, 2009), all 17th overall.
Five top WAR leaders Pollock, Craig Counsell, Jeff Samardzija, Trey ManciniLidge
The current best major leaguer Pollock or Mancini. Mancini has the better season but Pollock had a better 2021. Maybe Counsell could be our best major league manager.
All-time great: Do you include Carl Yastrzemski? Yaz was a Notre Dame freshman before signing with Red Sox. Although he played on the freshman team, he did not play baseball. You’ll be looking at Pollock (22.9 Win Rate) or Counsell (22.4 Win Rate) as the greatest Notre Dame player, with honorable mentions to Samardzija and Lidge.
Note: Some sources will list Hall of Famer Cap Anson among Notre Dame’s baseball players. Although he did attend preparatory classes at Notre Dame College in 1865, when he was 13, his listing is more questionable than Yastrzemski.
Enjoy a blast from the past Steve Stanley was the leadoff batter and ignitor on that 2002 CWS team. He hit.439 with 32 stole bases. The Oakland Athletics They selected him in the second round of their “Moneyball”, a draft that Michael Lewis has written about. He was able to hit.292 over five minor league seasons. However, he reached Double-A.