1979 Major League Baseball draft
The 1979 Major League Baseball draft was held on June 5–7, 1979, via conference call.
First round selections
The following are the first-round picks in the 1979 Major League Baseball draft.* Did not sign
Other notable selections
Later rounds of the draft included the following notable players:- Milt Thompson, 2nd round, 29th overall Atlanta Braves
- Derek Tatsuno, 2nd round, 40th overall San Diego Padres
- Dan Marino, 4th round, 99th overall Kansas City Royals
- Mark Thurmond, 5th round, 118th overall San Diego Padres
- Ron Gardenhire, 6th round, 132nd overall New York Mets
- Bill Doran, 6th round, 138th overall Houston Astros
- Harold Reynolds, 6th round, 144th overall San Diego Padres
- Von Hayes†, 7th round 163rd overall Cleveland Indians
- Johnny Ray, 12th round, 294th overall Houston Astros
- Pete O'Brien, 15th round 381st overall Texas Rangers
- Bud Black, 17th round, 417th overall Seattle Mariners
- Orel Hershiser†, 17th round, 440th overall Los Angeles Dodgers
- John Elway, 18th round, 463rd overall Kansas City Royals
- Don Mattingly†, 19th round, 493rd overall New York Yankees
- Brett Butler†, 23rd round, 573 overall Atlanta Braves
- Curt Warner, 32nd round, 784th overall Philadelphia Phillies
‡ Hall of Famer
A number of future football players were drafted in 1979, including John Elway, Kevin House, Dan Marino, Jay Schroeder, Jack Thompson, and Curt Warner.