Floyd Franklin Bannister (born June 10, 1955)[1] is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros (1977–1978), Seattle Mariners (1979–1982), Chicago White Sox (1983–1987), Kansas City Royals (1988–1989), California Angels (1991), and Texas Rangers (1992).

[2] His performance led to him being selected in the third round (71st overall) of the 1973 Major League Baseball draft by the Oakland Athletics, but he did not sign.

[3] Bannister went on to attend Arizona State University, where he was named college player of the year by The Sporting News as a junior.

He was selected by the Houston Astros as the first overall pick of the 1976 Major League Baseball draft, and signed with team, earning a $100,000 bonus.

In his first season with the White Sox, Bannister went 16–10 with a career-low 3.35 ERA in 34 starts, helping the team earn a playoff spot.

[1] On December 10, 1987, Bannister and infielder Dave Cochrane were traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for pitchers John Davis, Mélido Pérez, Chuck Mount and Greg Hibbard.