The 1961 Major League Baseball expansion draft was held by Major League Baseball on October 10, 1961, to fill the rosters of the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s. These new franchises were set to enter the National League (NL) as part of the 1962 Major League Baseball expansion. Selections in the draft were limited to a pool of players designated by existing NL teams.
Due to the poor performance of the Mets and Colt .45s after two seasons, another draft was held for the teams on October 10, 1963. The other existing NL clubs made four players from their 40-man roster available at $30,000 apiece. A maximum of eight players could be selected between the two clubs. However, only three selections were made, two by New York and one by Houston.
* All-Star only before 1961 expansion draft