Let's take a look at the origin of each player on the 2002 All-Star rosters, finding out when and if they were drafted, in what round, and where they're from. This sample size of 64 players is very small, of course, but this does serve to remind us of the diverse backgrounds of our current All-Stars. Baseball truly is an international game. The results also show how often good players come from places other than the first round in the amateur draft.
American League All-Stars
|
Pos.
|
Player
|
Current Team
|
Drafting Team
|
Year
|
Round
|
Place
|
|
C
|
Jorge Posada
|
New York
|
N.Y. (AL)
|
1990
|
24th
|
Calhoon CC, AL
|
|
1B
|
Jason Giambi
|
New York
|
Oakland
|
1992
|
2nd
|
Long Beach St.
|
|
2B
|
Alfonso Soriano
|
New York
|
N.Y. (AL)
|
1998
|
FA
|
Japan/Dom. Rep.
|
|
SS
|
Alex Rodriguez
|
Texas
|
Seattle
|
1993
|
1st
|
HS-Florida
|
|
3B
|
Shea Hillenbrand
|
Boston
|
Boston
|
1996
|
10th
|
Mesa CC, AZ
|
|
OF
|
Manny Ramirez
|
Boston
|
Cleveland
|
1991
|
1st
|
HS-New York
|
|
OF
|
Torii
Hunter
|
Minnesota
|
Minnesota
|
1993
|
1st
|
HS-Arkansas
|
|
OF
|
Ichiro Suzuki
|
Seattle
|
Orix
|
1991
|
4th
|
HS-Japan
|
|
Reserves
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
C
|
A.J. Pierzynski
|
Minnesota
|
Minnesota
|
1994
|
3rd
|
HS-Florida
|
|
1B
|
Paul Konerko
|
Chicago
|
L.A.
|
1994
|
1st
|
HS-Arizona
|
|
1B
|
Mike Sweeney
|
K.C.
|
K.C.
|
1991
|
10th
|
HS-California
|
|
SS
|
Nomar Garciaparra
|
Boston
|
Boston
|
1994
|
1st
|
Georgia Tech
|
|
SS
|
Omar Vizquel
|
Cleveland
|
Seattle
|
1984
|
FA
|
Venezuela
|
|
SS
|
Miguel Tejada
|
Oakland
|
Oakland
|
1993
|
FA
|
Dominican Republic
|
|
SS
|
Derek
Jeter
|
New York
|
N.Y. (AL)
|
1992
|
1st
|
HS-Michigan
|
|
3B
|
Tony Batista
|
Baltimore
|
Oakland
|
1991
|
FA
|
Dominican Republic
|
|
3B
|
Robin Ventura
|
New York
|
Chi. (AL)
|
1988
|
1st
|
Oklahoma State
|
|
OF
|
Robert
Fick
|
Detroit
|
Detroit
|
1996
|
5th
|
Cal State Northridge
|
|
OF
|
Randy Winn
|
Tampa Bay
|
Florida
|
1995
|
3rd
|
Santa Clara
|
|
OF
|
Garret Anderson
|
Anaheim
|
Anaheim
|
1990
|
4th
|
HS-California
|
|
OF
|
Johnny Damon
|
Boston
|
K.C.
|
1992
|
1st
|
HS-Florida
|
|
Pitchers
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LHP
|
Mark Buehrle
|
Chicago
|
Chi. (AL)
|
1998
|
38th
|
Jefferson JC, MO
|
|
RHP
|
Roy Halladay
|
Toronto
|
Toronto
|
1995
|
1st
|
HS-Colorado
|
|
RHP
|
Derek Lowe
|
Boston
|
Seattle
|
1991
|
8th
|
HS-Michigan
|
|
RHP
|
Pedro Martinez
|
Boston
|
L.A.
|
1988
|
FA
|
Dominican Republic
|
|
LHP
|
Barry Zito
|
Oakland
|
Oakland
|
1999
|
1st
|
USC
|
|
RHP
|
Freddy Garcia
|
Seattle
|
Houston
|
1993
|
FA
|
Venezuela
|
|
LHP
|
Eddie Guardado
|
Minnesota
|
Minnesota
|
1990
|
21st
|
San Joaq. CC, CA
|
|
RHP
|
Mariano Rivera
|
New York
|
N.Y. (AL)
|
1990
|
FA
|
Panama
|
|
RHP
|
Kazuhiro Sasaki
|
Seattle
|
Yokohama
|
1989
|
1st
|
Tohoku Fukushi U
|
|
RHP
|
Ugueth Urbina
|
Boston
|
Montreal
|
1990
|
FA
|
Venezuela
|
31 Players
11 First-round picks
1 Second-round pick
8 Third-through-10th round picks
3 Later than 10th round picks
8 Undrafted free agents
12 North American high school players
8 Latin American non-drafted players
4 Junior College players
7 College players
National League All-Stars
|
Pos.
|
Player
|
Current Team
|
Drafting Team
|
Year
|
Round
|
Place
|
|
C
|
Mike Piazza
|
New York
|
L.A.
|
1988
|
62nd
|
Miami-Dade CC, FL
|
|
1B
|
Todd Helton
|
Colorado
|
Colorado
|
1995
|
1st
|
U. of Tennessee
|
|
2B
|
Jose
Vidro
|
Montreal
|
Montreal
|
1992
|
6th
|
HS-Puerto Rico
|
|
SS
|
Jimmy Rollins
|
Philadelphia
|
Philadelphia
|
1996
|
2nd
|
HS-California
|
|
3B
|
Scott Rolen
|
Philadelphia
|
Philadelphia
|
1993
|
2nd
|
HS-Indiana
|
|
OF
|
Barry Bonds
|
S.F.
|
Pittsburgh
|
1985
|
1st
|
Arizona St.
|
|
OF
|
Sammy Sosa
|
Chicago
|
Texas
|
1985
|
FA
|
Dominican Republic
|
|
OF
|
Vladimir Guerrero
|
Montreal
|
Montreal
|
1993
|
FA
|
Dominican Republic
|
|
Reserves
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
C
|
Damian Miller
|
Arizona
|
Minnesota
|
1990
|
20th
|
Viterbo College
|
|
C
|
Benito Santiago
|
S.F.
|
San Diego
|
1982
|
FA
|
Puerto Rico
|
|
1B
|
Richie Sexson
|
Milwaukee
|
Cleveland
|
1993
|
24th
|
HS-Washington state
|
|
2B
|
Junior Spivey
|
Arizona
|
Arizona
|
1996
|
36th
|
Cowley Cnty CC, KS
|
|
2B
|
Luis Castillo
|
Florida
|
Florida
|
1992
|
FA
|
Dominican Republic
|
|
SS
|
Jose Hernandez
|
Milwaukee
|
Texas
|
1987
|
FA
|
Puerto Rico
|
|
3B
|
Mike Lowell
|
Florida
|
N.Y. (AL)
|
1995
|
20th
|
Florida Inter. U.
|
|
OF
|
Adam Dunn
|
Cincinnati
|
Cincinnati
|
1998
|
2nd
|
HS-Texas
|
|
OF
|
Lance Berkman
|
Houston
|
Houston
|
1997
|
1st
|
Rice
|
|
OF
|
Shawn Green
|
L.A.
|
Toronto
|
1991
|
1st
|
HS-California
|
|
OF
|
Luis Gonzalez
|
Arizona
|
Houston
|
1988
|
4th
|
Univ. South Ala.
|
|
OF
|
Andruw Jones
|
Atlanta
|
Atlanta
|
1993
|
FA
|
Curacao
|
|
Pitchers
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LHP
|
Tom Glavine
|
Atlanta
|
Atlanta
|
1984
|
2nd
|
HS-Massachusetts
|
|
LHP
|
Randy Johnson
|
Arizona
|
Montreal
|
1985
|
2nd
|
USC
|
|
RHP
|
Matt Morris
|
St. Louis
|
St. Louis
|
1995
|
1st
|
Seton Hall
|
|
RHP
|
Robb Nen
|
S.F.
|
Texas
|
1987
|
32nd
|
HS-California
|
|
RHP
|
Vicente Padilla
|
Philadelphia
|
Arizona
|
1998
|
FA
|
Nicaragua
|
|
LHP
|
Odalis Perez
|
L.A.
|
Atlanta
|
1994
|
FA
|
Dominican Republic
|
|
LHP
|
Mike Remlinger
|
Atlanta
|
S.F.
|
1987
|
1st
|
Dartmouth
|
|
RHP
|
Curt Schilling
|
Arizona
|
Boston
|
1986
|
2nd
|
Yavapai JC, AZ
|
|
RHP
|
Eric Gagne
|
L.A.
|
L.A.
|
1995
|
FA
|
HS-Canada
|
|
RHP
|
Trevor Hoffman
|
San Diego
|
Cincinnati
|
1989
|
11th
|
U. of Arizona
|
|
RHP
|
Byung-Hyun Kim
|
Arizona
|
Arizona
|
1999
|
FA
|
Sungkyunkwan U.
|
|
RHP
|
John Smoltz
|
Atlanta
|
Detroit
|
1985
|
22nd
|
HS-Michigan
|
|
RHP
|
Mike Williams
|
Pittsburgh
|
Philadelphia
|
1990
|
14th
|
Virginia Tech
|
33 players
6 First-round picks
6 Second-round picks
2 Third-through-10th round picks
9 Later-than-10th round picks
10 Undrafted free agents
10 North American high school players
8 Latin American non-drafted players
3 Junior College players
12 College players
John Sickels is the author of the 2002 STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook. He is currently writing a biography of Bob Feller. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at johnsickels.com.
