1974 Major League Baseball draft

The 1974 Major League Baseball draft took place prior to the 1974 MLB season. The draft saw the San Diego Padres select Bill Almon first overall.

First round selections

The following are the first round picks in the 1974 Major League Baseball draft.

1	Bill Almon	San Diego Padres	SS	Brown University
2	Tommy Boggs	Texas Rangers	RHP	Austin, Texas
3	Lonnie Smith	Philadelphia Phillies	OF	Compton, California
4	Tom Brennan	Cleveland Indians	RHP	Lewis University
5	Dale Murphy	Atlanta Braves	C	Portland, Oregon
6	Butch Edge	Milwaukee Brewers	RHP	Sacramento, California
7	Scot Thompson	Chicago Cubs	OF	Renfrew, Pennsylvania
8	Larry Monroe	Chicago White Sox	RHP	Mt. Prospect, Illinois
9	Ron Sorey	Montreal Expos	3B	Dayton, Ohio
10	Mike Miley	California Angels	SS	Louisiana State University
11	Rod Scurry	Pittsburgh Pirates	LHP	Sparks, Nevada
12	Dennis Sherrill	New York Yankees	SS	Miami, Florida
13	Garry Templeton	St. Louis Cardinals	SS	Santa Ana, California
14	Ted Shipley	Minnesota Twins	SS	Vanderbilt University
15	Kevin Drake	Houston Astros	OF	Lompoc, California
16	Lance Parrish	Detroit Tigers	3B	Diamond Bar, California
17	Cliff Speck	New York Mets	RHP	Beaverton, Oregon
18	Willie Wilson	Kansas City Royals	OF	Summit, New Jersey
19	Terry Lee	San Francisco Giants	2B	San Luis Obispo, California
20	Eddie Ford	Boston Red Sox	SS	University of South Carolina
21	Rick Sutcliffe	Los Angeles Dodgers	RHP	Kansas City, Missouri
22	* Jerry Johnson	Oakland Athletics	C	Austin, Texas
23	Steve Reed	Cincinnati Reds	RHP	Fort Wayne, Indiana
24	Rich Dauer	Baltimore Orioles	3B	University of Southern California

* Did not sign

With the number one pick of the June regular phase, San Diego tabbed infielder Bill Almon from Brown University, one of six shortstops selected in round one. Twelve of the first 13 and a total of 16 first round selections went on to become major leaguers, including Lonnie Smith, Dale Murphy, Garry Templeton, Lance Parrish, Willie Wilson and Rick Sutcliffe.
Three players from the June regular phase were among the ones who got away. Pitcher Bob Welch, infielder Paul Molitor and pitcher Eric Show turned down pro offers for college scholarships.