Draft history was made last week

It was bound to happen sooner or later. For the first time in DMBL history, an ineligible player was selected No. 1 overall in the annual draft.

Arkansas chose top 3B prospect Rafael Devers to start last week's draft. The 21-year-old had 240 plate appearances with Boston in 2017 -- 10 shy of qualifying for the DMBL, in other words about two or three games. The lefty-swinging Dominican native was among the top overall prospects in the game heading into the 2017 season and batted .284/.338/.482 with 10 HRs and 38 RBIs after a midseason call-up by the Red Sox.

Over the past decade, it's become more common for teams to choose ineligible prospects in the first round but no one had ever gone 1st overall. The highest ineligible player selected before this year was third overall (Masahiro Tanaka in 2014 and Joba Chamberlain in 2008). In recent memory, the first ineligible player picked in Round 1 was Delmon Young in 2007 but it looks like J.D. Drew may have been the first-ever prospect taken in the 1st round, 4th overall back in 1998.

Devers was the first of three prospects picked in the first round this year, falling one short of tying a record set in 2014 when four prospects were taken in Round 1. Baseball America's No. 1 prospect in 2018, Ronald Acuna, came off the board at No. 4 to El Paso. The Atlanta OF turned 20 in December and has yet to reach the majors but is expected to arrive in 2018.

Atlanta 2B Ozhaino "Ozzie" Albies went 7th overall to Allentown. The 21-year-old switch-hitter was even closer to qualifying for the DMBL than Devers, with 244 plate appearances -- just six short, basically two games worth. Albies was selected in the supplemental 2nd round last year by Marietta but left unprotected in the offseason.

Here's a look at ineligible players taken in the first round in recent years:

2017 - 2
Alex Bregman, 3B, El Paso, 4th
Andrew Benintendi, OF, Livingston, 7th

2016 - 0
The first ineligible taken was Michael Conforto, OF, Philly, No. 1 in Round 2 (17th overall).

2015 - 2
Prince Fielder, 1B, Charlotte (franchise became Philly early that season), 4th
Mookie Betts, OF, Hillsborough, 16th

2014 - 4
Masahiro Tanaka, SP, Bridgewater, 3rd
Byron Buxton, CF, Hillsborough, 5th
Archie Bradley, SP, Livingston, 15th
Michael Wacha, SP, Hillsborough, 16th
2014 was  huge year for prospects -- five more ineligibles were taken in the 2nd round, making for nine ineligibles selected within the first 34 picks.

2013 - 2
Dylan Bundy, SP, Sardine City, 5th
Trevor Rosenthal, RP, Newark (now Poovey Farms), 11th

2012 - 1
Brett Lawrie, 3B, Livingston, 9th

2011 - 0
The first ineligible taken was Mike Trout, OF, Amityville, No. 4 in Round 2 (18th overall). Also taken was Bryce Harper, OF, New Jersey/Hopatcong, No. 6 in Round 2, (20th overall).

2010 -1
Jason Heyward, Las Vegas (now San Francisco), No. 6 in 2nd round (20th overall)

2009 - 0
There were three ineligibles taken in Round 2: Tommy Hanson, SP, Bridgewater, No. 2 in Round 2 (16th overall); Neftali Feliz, RP/SP, Sardine City, No. 5 in Round 2 (19th overall), and Pablo Sandoval, 3B/C/OF, Blue Ridge, No. 12 in Round 2 (26th overall).

2008 - 2
Joba Chamberlain, RP/SP, Sardine City, 3rd
Andrew Miller, SP/RP, Blue Ridge, 12th
There also were three straight ineligibles taken to start the 2nd round: Clay Buchholz, SP, Las Vegas, No. 1 (15th overall); Evan Longoria, 3B, Sardine City, No. 2 (16th overall); Joey Votto, 1B, New Jersey/Hopatcong, No. 3 (17th overall).

2007 - 1
Delmon Young, OF, Carolina, 10th

It would appear that prior to 2007, no ineligible player was ever taken in Round 1.