None of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first seven picks from the 1966 June amateur draft (regular phase) ever wore Dodger blue. But incredibly, the Dodgers still had the best draft of any team that year thanks to some shrewd choices in the later rounds. According to Baseball Reference, the eight players from the Dodgers’ 1966 draft class to reach the majors produced 99.6 career Wins Above Replacement, the most of any team. These diamonds in the rough all emerged from the later rounds:

Charlie Hough, 8th round

Hough was drafted as an infielder-pitcher out of Hialeah High School in Florida. After a few middling seasons in the minors, he learned the knuckleball from Dodgers scout/coach Goldie Holt and never looked back. Hough is one of ten players in history to play 25 seasons in the majors.

Bill Russell, 9th round

The Dodgers drafted Russell, a raw prep outfielder out of Pittsburg, Kansas, because of his speed and athleticism. He eventually converted to shortstop and played 18 seasons for the Dodgers, making three All-Star teams and winning a World Series ring in 1981.

Billy Grabarkewitz, 12th round

Grabarkewitz, drafted out of St. Mary’s University in Texas, flashed briefly for the Dodgers before injuries derailed his career. In his All-Star season of 1970, he slashed .289/.399/.545 with 17 home runs and 84 runs batted. A shoulder ailment suffered the following season turned him into a utility player.

Ted Sizemore, 15th round

The Dodgers drafted Sizemore as a catcher out of the University of Michigan and moved him to middle infield in the minors. In 1969, he hit .271 as the Dodgers’ everyday second baseman and won Rookie of the Year honors. A year later, the Dodgers traded Sizemore and Bob Stinson to the St. Louis Cardinals for Dick Allen. Sizemore racked up 1,311 hits over a solid 12-year career.

Ray Lamb, 40th round

Talk about a sleeper. Lamb, a right-handed pitcher out of USC, emerged from the 40th round to reach the majors in his fourth professional season. He played five seasons in The Show and is perhaps best known for being the last Dodger to wear 42.

In addition to the above late-round picks from the regular phase, the Los Angeles Dodgers also picked future big-league catcher Bob Stinson in first round of the secondary phase. Two years later, the Dodgers pulled off the best draft in baseball history, an incredible class that included Steve Garvey, Bobby Valentine, Bill Buckner, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey, Joe Ferguson, Tom Paciorek, Doyle Alexander, and Geoff Zahn. The success of the Dodgers’ scouting department, under director Al Campanis, contributed to the franchise’s return to excellence in the mid-late 1970s.