List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball

Players

Listed below are baseball players who did not play baseball professionally before their major-league debuts. The players are grouped by era: the early years of baseball, "bonus babies" (circa 1947–1964), and players selected in the major-league draft (1965–present). A few players who have accomplished the feat since World War II were neither bonus babies nor draft selections; they are listed independently.

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 ft, 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.

Early years

The below players are known to have advanced directly to the major leagues between the start of the modern baseball era (considered 1900) and the creation of the bonus rule in 1947. Listed alphabetically.

Several of the below made their debuts due to a shortage of players during World War II. Examples include Joe Nuxhall, who went on to pitch in over 500 major-league games, and Harry MacPherson, who appeared in a single game in 1944. Multiple of the listed players made their debuts with the Philadelphia Athletics, as longtime manager Connie Mack "relied largely on an informal network of old ballplayers, high school and college coaches, and other friendly sources" to find players.

Note that some major-league players listed in some sources as having never played in the minor leagues are excluded here, as they played semi-professionally before their major-league debuts. Examples include Milt Gaston and Danny MacFayden. Other players, whose statistics are incomplete or appear to indicate that they did not first play in the minor leagues, are known to have played professionally prior to their major-league debuts. Examples include Wayne Ambler.

Bonus babies

These players advanced directly to the major leagues while being subjected to baseball's bonus rule, which required teams to place any player who received a signing bonus of greater than $4,000 on their major-league rosters. The rule was in force intermittently from 1947 through 1964, most notably from 1953 through 1957. Not all players who were subjected to the bonus rule went on to play in the major leagues. There were also instances of teams avoiding the bonus rule, such as by having a player sign their contract with a minor-league affiliate. "Bonus babies" who did make their major-league debuts without playing in the minor leagues are listed below, alphabetically.

Draft selections

A total of 24 players have accomplished the feat after being selected in a major-league draft, the first of which occurred in 1965. Listed chronologically.

Source:

Other players

Listed here are players who have debuted directly in the major leagues since World War II without playing professionally beforehand and without being subjected to the bonus rule or being selected in the major-league draft. Listed alphabetically.

Notes

References

References

1. "1978 Major League Baseball New Debuts". [[Sports Reference]].
2. "Charlie Faust".
3. "Eddie Gaedel".
4. "Herb Washington".
5. "Joe Nuxhall".
6. "Harry MacPherson".
7. Sargent, Jim. "Carl Sheib".
8. Nowlin, Bill. "Milt Gaston".
9. Nowlin, Bill. "Danny MacFayden".
10. Sargent, Jim. "Wayne Ambler".
11. (August 18, 1915). "Ancker Signs With Philadelphia Athletics". [[The Record (North Jersey).
12. Wancho, Joseph. "Joe Dugan".
13. Schechter, Gabriel. "Charlie Faust".
14. Rainey, Chris. "Johnson Fry".
15. Saccoman, John. "Gil Hodges".
16. DiTullio, Ted. "They Never Played in the Minors".
17. Kaese, Harold. (August 24, 1944). "Braves Out for 6th Place". [[The Boston Globe]].
18. Wancho, Joseph. "Cal McLish".
19. (August 15, 1943). "Junior Legion Player Signs with White Sox". [[Battle Creek Enquirer]].
20. Borgemenke, Ryan. "Joe Nuxhall".
21. McKenna, Brian. "Tillie Shafer".
22. Lamberty, Bill. "George Sisler".
23. Gagnon, Cappy. "Cy Williams".
24. "MLB Bonus Babies".
25. Treder, Steve. (November 1, 2004). "Cash in the Cradle: The Bonus Babies". The Hardball Times.
26. Taylor, Dan. "Paul Pettit".
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28. English, Jeff. "Catfish Hunter".
29. "Catfish Hunter Winter Leagues Statistics".
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31. "Nick Koback Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
32. "Frank Leja Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
33. "Bob Miller Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
34. "Bob Miller Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com.
35. "Ariel Prieto Cuban, Independent, and Minor & Winter Leagues Statistics".
36. "Straight to the Major Leagues".
37. McKenna, Brian. "Eddie Gaedel".
38. Wancho, Joseph. "Dick Groat".
39. Wolf, Gregory H.. "Claude Osteen".
40. (August 16, 2021). "Straight to the Majors: (A Two-Week Series) – Chan Ho Park".
41. Costello, Rory. "Herb Washington".