No other amateur sports organization in the world has had
more players drafted into the professional ranks
The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks own the Major League Baseball draft like no other team in baseball history. There have been a record 1,180 player selections devoted to Goldpanners ballplayers, dating back to 1965 and Rick Monday -- the very first player ever drafted by a major league franchise. Of those picks, there have been 125 first round selections, and 19 were either the very first or second pick of the entire draft! In addition, there have been over 200 players to reach Major League Baseball. This, too, is a record among all non-professional teams, and the 16% average of drafted Goldpanners to reach MLB is well ahead of the average ratio of 1 draftee in every 33 (3%) to reach baseball’s pinnacle .
In addition to the spectacular number of draftees, there have also been many dozens signed to free agent contracts without having to wait for the official draft. The latest player to be signed to a free agent contract following the Fairbanks season is 2016 Goldpanners outfielder Isaiah Aluko.
In 1976, there were multiple phases of the draft. The Goldpanners represented the overall first pick in the January regular draft (Steve Kemp), the January secondary draft (Pete Redfern) and the June regular draft (Floyd Bannister). In total, the Panners had five players selected in the first round of all phases of the 1976 MLB draft. The record for Panners selected in the first round of all draft phases was nine in 1973.
