Under Major League Baseball's current collective bargaining agreement, there are 40 rounds in the June amateur draft. That doesn't include possible compensatory picks, which brings the total to more than 1,200 selections for the league's 30 teams.
Naturally, it's hard to pay attention to a select few, no matter where they're drafted. To a point, that includes number-one picks. We've only paid attention to certain players from recent years -- like Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper and Carlos Correa.
But did those who came before get lost in the midst of everything? How do we find out where those recent and notable players rank? And if they don't make the list, who then has fulfilled expectations of a number-one pick even more?
Thankfully, we have wins above replacement (WAR) to guide us in figuring out the answers to those questions. This metric, according to FanGraphs, attempts to summarize a player's total contributions to their team over the course of a season or career. Here, we're concerned with the bigger picture -- which players have contributed the most in their respective careers.
Keep in mind that the amateur draft started in 1965, but we're only looking at years 1965 through 2012, which helps to eliminate recent players who have yet to play or who have barely participated in Major League games. Also, remember that recent selections will have many opportunities to jump their way up the list as they rack up more seasons and more games. In other words, don't fret if any of the aforementioned names don't make the top 10.
In consideration of this, who does make up the list? Let's check it out.