SEC baseball is in a golden age.

The league has won 6 of the past 11 College World Series crowns. Four times in that span, the SEC had a league-record 6 players selected in the 1st round of the annual MLB Draft.

Scan any reputable college baseball media outlet — my go-to is Baseball America, where I worked in the mid-1990s — and you’ll see nothing is changing in 2021.

Five SEC teams are ranked in the top 10 in this week’s BA poll, led by No. 1 Ole Miss and No. 4 Vanderbilt.

In terms of the draft, the Commodores might have the greatest pitching duo in college baseball history in Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter. Both are vying to become the No. 1 overall pick in June. They could become the first set of college teammates to go 1-2 and set the stage for the SEC to set a draft-record with 7 or more players taken in the 1st round.

That drama will play out over the next 4 months.

And while it’s fair to ask whether we are just beginning the greatest season of SEC baseball in history, it’s also responsible to recognize just how good this conference has been.

As such, here is the best 1st-round pick from every SEC team, even if the player selected never played in the SEC. Call it the Max Scherzer Exemption. (Also, keep in mind, some of these programs’ best MLB players were selected after the first round. Call that the Pete Alonso Rule.)

Alabama: Taylor Tankersley

First-round picks: 2

What you need to know: Nick Saban produced more 1st-round picks last year than the Tide baseball program has since the MLB Draft came to be in 1965. That’s OK, the Tide will always have Hall of Famer Joe Sewell.

Tankersley, who carved out a role as a classic lefty specialist, gets the slight nod over Joe Vitiello, who spent parts of 7 seasons in the majors. Tankersley finished with a more than respectable 118 strikeouts in 115 career innings before an elbow injury forced him to retire in 2010.

Arkansas: Kevin McReynolds

First-round picks (as an SEC program): 9 (7 as an SEC program)

What you need to know: Jeff King was the No. 1 overall in 1986, but McReynolds (No. 6 overall in 1981) had the better career. Neither played in the SEC. McReynolds finished with 211 HRs and helped the San Diego Padres reach the 1984 World Series. He finished 3rd in the 1988 NL MVP race.

Among SEC Hogs, Andrew Benintendi, taken 7th overall in 2015, was for years considered one of the Red Sox’s top prospects. Last week, he was traded to the Royals, where he’ll contend for a starting outfield spot. His 2020 season was a disaster, but he showed flashes of hitting prowess in the previous 3 seasons. The Royals are counting on him to rediscover that stroke.

Auburn: Frank Thomas

First-round picks: 5

What you need to know: The most obvious choice on this list, the Big Hurt was drafted No. 7 overall in 1989 — and, 521 home runs later, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Don’t blame the 6 teams that passed on Thomas … fellow Hall of Fame first baseman Jeff Bagwell was the No. 109 overall pick in this same draft. They’d go 1-2 in a do-over.

Florida: Mike Zunino

First-round picks: 14

What you need to know: Pete Alonso is well on his way to becoming the greatest Gator major-leaguer ever, but Alonso lasted until the 2nd round of the 2016 draft, so he’s not eligible for this team. Brad Wilkerson had a nice MLB career, too, but he was a supplemental pick after the 1st round in 1998. To be sure, the Gators’ best players were all taken after the opening round. Among the 14 1st-rounders, Zunino gets credit for carving out a nice living despite hitting .200 for his career. Rays fans couldn’t care less about his career numbers. Zunino was Mr. October in 2020, crushing 4 home runs to help the Rays reach the World Series.

Georgia: Gordon Beckham

First-round picks: 6

What you need to know: Beckham finished 5th in the 2009 AL Rookie of the Year vote, when he posted a 14-63-.270 campaign in just 103 games. The homers nearly matched his career high (16 in 2012); the RBIs were a career-high. He stuck around but hasn’t had an offensive season like that since.

Kentucky: Joe Blanton

First-round picks: 5

What you need to know: Joe Blanton cashed in. The No. 24 overall pick in 2002 made more than $46 million during his 13-year career. That works out to about $450,000 for each of his 101 victories. Phillies fans will always remember the home run he hit in Game 4 of the 2008 World Series, which the Phillies won.

LSU: Alex Bregman

First-round picks: 14

What you need to know: Fellow Tiger Ben McDonald was the No. 1 overall pick in 1989, and he had a fine MLB career. But Bregman’s trajectory is much higher. About to turn 27, he’s already a 2-time All-Star and a World Series champion. Twice, he’s finished in the top-5 of the AL MVP vote. He is, by far, the best active player among the SEC’s 1st-round picks.

Mississippi State: Thunder and Lightning (you decide)

First-round picks: 13

What you need to know: There might never be another college duo like Rafael Palmeiro and Will Clark. Both were All-Americans. Both have statues outside Dudy Noble Field. Both were taken in the 1st round of the 1985 draft. Clark went No. 2 overall, a program-best. Palmeiro went No. 22. Both were MLB All-Stars. Both won Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. Clark finished with a higher lifetime average (.303). Palmeiro played longer and piled up bigger career numbers (569 HRs, 1,869 RBIs). Forced to pick one, I’d choose Palmeiro.

Missouri: Max Scherzer

First-round picks (as an SEC program): 4 (1 as an SEC program).

What you need to know: Scherzer sets the bar for all Tigers (and just about every SEC pitcher, too, even though he never played in the SEC). A 7-time All-Star, 3-time Cy Young Award winner and a World Series champion, Scherzer is putting the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career.

Ole Miss: Drew Pomeranz

First-round picks: 2

What you need to know: Don Kessinger is the Rebels’ greatest major-leaguer, but he turned pro just before the draft was instituted. Kessinger was a 6-time All-Star and 2-time Gold Glove award winner at shortstop, playing his best ball for the Cubs.

By default, the nod goes to Pomeranz, who enters 2021 with a 47-58 career mark.

South Carolina: Justin Smoak

First-round picks (as an SEC program): 11 (7 as an SEC program).

What you need to know: You can poke holes in Smoak’s game, but he needs just 4 more home runs to join the 200-club for his career. In the history of baseball, only 355 men can make that claim.

Tennessee: Todd Helton

First-round picks: 8

What you need to know: Tennessee’s quarterback room once included Todd Helton, Peyton Manning and RA Dickey. I wrote about Dickey while at Baseball America. His football stint didn’t last long. He joked that he turned in his helmet and shoulder pads as soon as he saw Helton and Manning warming up and headed straight to the baseball field. When I reminded him that Helton pitched, too, Dickey immediately laughed and said, “Not every day!” It worked out. Dickey became a 1st-round pick, too, in 1996.

But no Vol can approach the homegrown Helton’s Hall of Fame credentials. Drafted 8th overall in 1995, he finished with 2,519 hits and a .313 career average. He appeared on 44.9% of the Hall of Fame ballots this year and is trending toward Cooperstown.

Texas A&M: Chuck Knoblauch

First-round picks (as an SEC program): 11 (4 as an SEC program).

What you need to know: Knoblauch, the No. 25 overall pick in 1989, was a Minnesota menace. A 4-time All-Star, he helped the Twins win a World Series title in 1991 — when he won AL Rookie of the Year — and then was part of 3 more titles with the Yankees.

Vanderbilt: David Price

First-round picks: 18

What you need to know: The VandyBoys already lead the SEC in 1st-round picks and that lead is only going to grow in 2021.

Vandy has as many No. 1 overall picks (2: Price in 2007 and Dansby Swanson in 2015) as some SEC programs have 1st-round picks. That number also could grow.

Price has earned the top spot, but the race with emerging Dodgers ace Walker Buehler is just beginning and Buehler is just now entering his prime. This list could look different in 10 years.

Cover photo of Frank Thomas courtesy of Auburn Athletics.