2012 MLB Opening Day Roster Breakdowns



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Updated: April 8, 2012

More Than Half Of Players Were Drafted And Signed Out Of College

Drafted And Signed Out Of College: 51.6% (387 players)
Drafted And Signed Out Of High School: 23.6% (177 players)
International Free Agent Signs: 23.1% (173 Players)
Undrafted Free Agent Signs: 1.6% (12 players)
Other: .13% (1 player, Yunel Escobar, Cuban defect who was drafted)

Signed High School Draftees Were Selected Earlier In The Draft Than Signed College Draftees
Among the players on opening day rosters, 40.1% (71 players) of the signed high school draftees were selected in the first round (including the supplemental first round), compared to 18.9% (73 players) of the signed college draftees. Similarly, 31.3% (121 players) of the signed college draftees were selected in the 11th round or later, compared to just 14.7% (26 players) of signed high school draftees. Below are more detailed breakdowns.

1st Round:
(including supplemental first round):
Among All Signed Draftees: 28.3% (160 of the 565 signed draftees)
Among Signed College Draftees: 18.9% (73 of the 387 signed college draftees)
Among Signed High School Draftees: 40.1% (71 of the 177 signed high school draftees)

Rounds 2-5:
Among All Signed Draftees: 30.6% (173 of the 565 signed draftees)
Among Signed College Draftees: 28.9% (112 of the 387 signed college draftees)
Among Signed High School Draftees: 33.9% (60 of the 177 signed high school draftees)

Rounds 6-10:
Among All Signed Draftees: 15% (85 of the 565 signed draftees)
Among Signed College Draftees: 16.8% (65 of the 387 signed college draftees)
Among Signed High School Draftees: 11.3% (20 of the 177 signed high school draftees)

Top 5 Rounds:
Among All Signed Draftees: 58.9% (313 of the 565 signed draftees)
Among Signed College Draftees: 51.9% (201 of the 387 signed college draftees)
Among Signed High School Draftees: 74% (131 of the 177 signed high school draftees)

Top 10 Rounds:
Among All Signed Draftees: 74% (418 of the 565 signed draftees)
Among Signed College Draftees: 68.7% (266 of the 387 signed college draftees)
Among Signed High School Draftees: 85.3% (151 of the 177 signed high school draftees)

Rounds 11-20:
Among All Signed Draftees: 15.6% (89 of the 565 signed draftees)
Among Signed College Draftees: 18.3% (71 of the 387 signed college draftees)
Among Signed High School Draftees: 10.2% (18 of the 177 signed high school draftees)

Rounds 21+:
Among All Signed Draftees: 10.3% (58 of the 565 signed draftees)
Among Signed College Draftees: 12.9% (50 of the 387 signed college draftees)
Among Signed High School Draftees: 4.5% (8 of the 177 signed high school draftees)

College Players Reach The Majors About 10 Months Earlier Than High School Players
Number Of Months Between Signing And MLB Debut (Median):
Players drafted and signed out of college: 37 months
Players drafted and signed out of high school: 47 months
(Includes all players who had made their MLB debut prior to opening day)

Number Of Months Between Signing And MLB Debut (Mean)
Players drafted and signed out of college: 37.9 months
Players drafted and signed out of high school: 49.56 months
(Includes all players who had made their MLB debut prior to opening day)

California High Schools Produce The Most MLB Players

High School Breakdown Of All Players
(excludes international free agent signs)
California: 120 players
Florida: 65 players
Texas: 58 players
Georgia: 24 players
Illinois: 17 players
Washington: 16 players
Arizona: 15 players
Missouri: 15 players
Virginia: 15 players
All states except for Alaska, Delaware, and Montana have at least one player.

High School Breakdown Of Players Who Were Drafted And Signed Out Of High School
Florida: 30 players
California: 28 players
Texas: 22 players
Georgia: 11 players
North Carolina: 7 players
Arizona: 6 players
Puerto Rico: 6 players
Washington: 6 players
Illinois: 5 players

The Dominican Republic Produces The Most International Players
Dominican Republic: 90*
Venezuela: 57
Japan: 10
Cuba: 8
Panama: 7
Mexico: 4
Australia: 3
Curacao: 3
Nicaragua: 3
Columbia: 1
Italy: 1
Korea: 1
Netherlands: 1
*Includes Alfonso Soriano who was born in and played high school baseball in the Dominican Republic (his contract was purchased from the Japanese Baseball League by the Yankees).

The Mariners Have Originally Signed The Most Players On Opening Day Rosters
Mariners: 34
Braves: 33
Cubs: 32
Rangers: 31
Rockies: 30
(The Baltimore Orioles have originally signed the fewest players on opening day rosters. The bottom five are: Orioles (15), Indians (18), Marlins (19), Astros (20), Padres (21), Nationals/Expos (21).)

The Rangers Have Originally Signed The Most Draftees On Opening Day Rosters With The Cubs, Giants And Cardinals Leading The Pack Among College Draftees And The Dodgers, Twins, And Braves Leading The Pack Among High School Draftees

Overall:
Rangers: 26
Cardinals: 25
Cubs: 23
Royals: 23
Giants: 22
Braves: 21
Athletics: 21
Reds: 21
Twins: 21
Rays: 21
Rockies: 20
Dodgers: 20
Blue Jays: 20
White Sox: 20
Pirates: 20
(The Cleveland Indians have originally signed the fewest draftees on opening day rosters. The bottom five are: Indians (10), Orioles (13), Astros (13), Mets (13), Red Sox (15), Angels (15), Yankees (15).)

Players Drafted And Signed Out Of College:
Cubs: 19
Giants: 19
Cardinals: 19
Rangers: 18
Diamondbacks: 17
Athletics: 17
Padres: 17
Tigers: 16
White Sox: 15
Blue Jays: 15
(The Dodgers and Angels have originally signed the fewest players on opening day rosters who were drafted and signed out of college. The bottom five are: Dodgers (7), Angels (7), Marlins (8), Twins (8), Braves (8).)

Players Drafted And Signed Out Of High School:
Twins: 13
Dodgers: 13
Braves: 12
Royals: 9
Rays: 9
Rangers: 8
Phillies: 8
Marlins: 8
Angels: 8
(The Indians have originally signed the fewest players on opening day rosters who were drafted and signed out of high school. The bottom five are: Indians (1), Padres (2), Diamondbacks (2), Red Sox (3), Tigers (3), Giants (3).)


The Rangers Have Originally Signed The Most Pitchers On Opening Day Rosters With The Giants Leading The Pack Among College Pitchers And The Dodgers Leading The Pack Among High School Pitchers

Overall:
Rangers: 18
Cubs: 17
Giants: 16
Mariners: 15
Yankees: 15
(The Baltimore Orioles have originally signed the fewest pitchers on opening day rosters. The bottom five are: Orioles (7), Marlins (7), Padres (8), Brewers (8), Indians (9), Astros (9), Pirates (9).)

Pitchers Drafted And Signed Out Of College:
Giants: 12
Cubs: 10
White Sox: 10
Diamondbacks: 9
Rangers: 8
Mariners: 8
Yankees: 8
Nationals/Expos: 8
(The Florida Marlins have originally signed the fewest pitchers on opening day rosters who were drafted and signed out of college. The bottom five are: Marlins (2), Astros (3), Rockies (3), Dodgers (3), Orioles (4), Indians (4), Brewers (4), Tigers (4).)

Pitchers Drafted And Signed Out Of High School:
Dodgers: 8
Rays: 6
Rangers: 5
Phillies: 5
Royals: 4
Braves: 4
Marlins: 4
(Six teams have only originally signed one pitcher on opening day rosters who were drafted and signed out of high school. They are the Orioles, Indians, Tigers, Padres, Nationals/Expos, and Diamondbacks.)

The Braves Have Originally Signed The Most Hitters On Opening Day Rosters With The Tigers, Cardinals And Athletics Leading The Pack Among College Hitters And The Twins Leading The Pack Among High School Hitters

Overall:
Braves: 20
Mariners: 19
Rockies: 18
Tigers: 16
Cardinals: 15
Athletics: 15
Cubs: 15
Diamondbacks: 15
(The Baltimore Orioles have originally signed the fewest hitters on opening day rosters. The bottom five are: Orioles (8), Indians (9), Red Sox (9), Phillies (9), Nationals/Expos (11), Astros (11), Giants (11), Rays (11).)

Hitters Drafted And Signed Out Of College:
Tigers: 12
Cardinals: 12
Athletics: 12
Rockies: 11
Padres: 11
Rangers: 10
(The Minnesota Twins have originally signed the fewest hitters on opening day rosters who were drafted and signed out of high school. The bottom five are: Twins (1), Angels (2), Yankees (3), Braves (3), Phillies (4), Dodgers (4).)

Hitters Drafted And Signed Out Of High School:
Twins: 10
Braves: 8
Angels: 6
Brewers: 5
Royals: 5
Dodgers: 5

(The Indians and Red Sox have not originally signed any hitters on opening day rosters who were drafted and signed out of high school. The bottom five are: Indians (0), Red Sox (0), Giants (!), Diamondbacks (1), Padres (1), Athletics (1).)

The Mariners Have Originally Signed The Most International Free Agents On Opening Day Rosters
Mariners: 15
Yankees: 12
Braves: 10
Rockies: 10
Mets: 9
Cubs: 8
Diamondbacks: 8
Angels: 8
Indians: 8
Dodgers: 7
Tigers: 7
Red Sox: 7
(The Cardinals, Royals and Rays have only originally signed one international free agent on opening day rosters. The bottom five are: Cardinals (1), Royals (1), Rays (1), Orioles (2), Brewers (2), Padres (2).)

The Giants Have The Most Players On Their Current Roster That They Originally Signed

Players On Opening Day Roster Originally Signed By That Team:
Giants: 16
Twins: 14
Rockies: 13
Reds: 13
Cardinals: 13
(The Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics have the fewest players on their opening day rosters originally signed by them. The bottom five are: Indians (6), Athletics (6), Diamondbacks (7), Orioles (7), Marlins (7).)

Players On Opening Day Roster Originally Drafted By That Team:
Giants: 14
Twins: 12
Cardinals: 12
Reds: 11
Rays: 11
Royals: 10
Tigers: 10

(The Mariners have the fewest players on their opening day roster originally drafted and signed by them. The bottom five are: Mariners (3), Indians (4), Athletics (5), Diamondbacks (5), Astros (5), Blue Jays (5), Yankees (5).)

The Marlins Have The Most Players Returning From Last Year’s Opening Day Roster
(2012 opening day MLB 25-man active rosters compared to 2011 opening day MLB 25-man active rosters and MLB disabled list)

Most Players On 2012 Opening Day Roster Who Were On The Team’s 2011 Opening Day Roster
Marlins: 20
Angels: 19
Yankees: 19
Reds: 17
White Sox: 17
Rangers: 17

Fewest Players On 2012 Opening Day Roster Who Were On The Team’s 2011 Opening Day Roster
Athletics: 7
Orioles: 10
Twins: 10
Mariners: 10
Royals: 11
Dodgers: 11
Rockies: 11
Pirates: 11

The Dodgers Have The Most Players That Were On Another Team’s 2011 Opening Day Roster
(2012 opening day MLB 25-man active rosters compared to 2011 opening day MLB 25-man active rosters and MLB disabled list)

Most Players On 2012 Opening Day Roster Who Were On A Different Team’s 2011 Opening Day Roster
Dodgers: 9
Red Sox: 8
Blue Jays: 8
Diamondbacks: 7
Mets: 7
Phillies: 7
Orioles: 7

Fewest Players On 2012 Opening Day Roster Who Were On A Different Team’s 2011 Opening Day Roster
White Sox: 1
Astros: 2
Yankees: 2
Mariners: 3
Rangers: 3

The Athletics Have The Most Players Who Were Not On Any 2011 Opening Day Roster
(2012 opening day MLB 25-man active rosters compared to 2011 opening day MLB 25-man active rosters and MLB disabled list)

Most Players On 2012 Opening Day Roster Who Were Not On A 2011 Opening Day Roster
Athletics: 14
Mariners: 12
Astros: 11
Twins: 9
Rockies: 9

Fewest Players On 2012 Opening Day Roster Who Were Not On A 2011 Opening Day Roster
Marlins: 1
Angels: 2
Reds: 3
Yankees: 4
Braves: 4
Phillies: 4
Mets: 4
Diamondbacks: 4
Red Sox: 4



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