On November 18, 1997, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected players to form their initial rosters through the expansion draft. Both franchises were allowed to pick from a list of players whose MLB teams left them eligible to be taken.
With the first selection, Tampa Bay took left-handed pitcher Tony Saunders, who had previously been the property of fellow ’90s expansion team, the Florida (now Miami) Marlins. The Diamondbacks then selected fellow lefty Brian Anderson from the Cleveland Indians.
The Diamondbacks would eventually go on to win the 2001 World Series. Tampa Bay has since appeared in two Fall Classics, in 2008 and 2020, but has yet to win its elusive first championship.
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