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This is a list of baseball players who went directly to the major leagues. They are distinguished as a group by having made their North American professional baseball debut with a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise without having previously played at the professional level. After their major-league debuts, many of these players appeared in professional leagues other than MLB.

Included are multiple "bonus babies", who joined major-league rosters from 1947 to 1957 and from 1962 to 1965 under the bonus rule, which obligated major-league teams to keep players awarded large signing bonuses on their rosters for two seasons. Excluded are players who, prior to their major-league debut, appeared in any professional baseball game, such as within Minor League Baseball, Negro league baseball, professional leagues outside of North America (such as Nippon Professional Baseball), or independent baseball leagues. A player who participated only in offseason developmental baseball (such as winter league baseball) is not excluded.

The practice of players directly joining a major-league team has become increasingly rare since the MLB draft was instituted in 1965—it has only occurred nine times since 1980, and three times since 2000.

Players

Listed below are baseball players who did not play baseball professionally before their MLB debuts. Each of these players, with the exception of Charlie Faust, Eddie Gaedel, and Herb Washington, first played amateur baseball in an organized sports league, typically at the high school or college level. Faust played two games with the 1911 New York Giants, essentially as a good luck charm under manager John McGraw. Gaedel, who stood 3 feet 7 inches (1.09 m), played one game with the 1951 St. Louis Browns, as a gimmick of owner Bill Veeck. Washington, who played for the Oakland Athletics in the mid-1970s, was put under contract by owner Charlie Finley due to his experience as a world-class sprinter.

Catfish Hunter is an example of a major-league player who never played for a Minor League Baseball team; however, Hunter played in nine games in the Florida Instructional League (whose players are paid) in the fall of 1964, prior to his major-league debut on May 13, 1965.

This sports-related list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2021)

References

1. "Straight to the Major Leagues". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
2. "1978 Major League Baseball New Debuts". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
3. "Charlie Faust". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
4. "Eddie Gaedel". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
5. "Herb Washington". Retrosheet. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
6. English, Jeff. "Catfish Hunter". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
7. "Catfish Hunter Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
8. "Ancker Signs With Philadelphia Athletics". The Record. Hackensack, New Jersey. August 18, 1915. p. 5. Retrieved August 26, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
9. "Jim Derrington Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
10. Rainey, Chris. "Johnson Fry". SABR. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
11. "Eddie Gaedel Career Stats Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
12. "Don Kaiser Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
13. "Nick Koback Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
14. "Frank Leja Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
15. ^ DiTullio, Ted. "They Never Played in the Minors". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
16. "Bob Miller Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
17. "Bob Miller Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
18. "Cass Michaels Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
19. "Ott Mails in Contract". Reading Eagle. January 28, 1938. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
20. "Ariel Prieto Cuban, Independent, and Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 26, 2023.

Further reading

• Treder, Steve (November 1, 2004). "Cash in the Cradle: The Bonus Babies". The Hardball Times. Retrieved June 12, 2009.

• Lists of Major League Baseball players