How Does the MLB Draft Work?

One of the most thrilling sporting events is the MLB draft. At this yearly event, teams choose amateur players for their MLB rosters. Young baseball players should take advantage of the MLB draft to show potential team scouts their talent. The MLB draft, nevertheless, is not without controversy. Over the years, there has been a lot of discussion around the MLB draft.

How Does the MLB Draft Work?

Through the MLB draft process, teams choose players from high school and college to add to their major league rosters. Each side gets to choose a total of 30 players throughout the course of seven rounds, which are divided into two rounds. The majority of the top players are chosen in the televised first round of the draft. Depending on how each team performed the previous season, teams will be selected in a particular sequence. While the top clubs must wait until later in the draft, the bottom teams get to pick first.

Shortly after the first round concludes, the second round is conducted on a conference call. And nobody is physically able to attend. It’s just over the phone, really. This frequently results in some highly talented athletes being passed over for draft picks because they were unable to attend one of these in-person meetings when they were still in high school or college. Other regulations affect how long a player can remain at the level they were selected (high school or college). Can the team give them “signing bonuses”—bonuses that players receive when they sign contracts after being drafted—can the team give them too? and whether or not a player may be selected again.

Major League Baseball Drafts

During the annual Major League Baseball draft, teams choose players from high school, college, and overseas baseball leagues. The first draft took place in 1965, and since then it has grown in popularity among players and fans. Through the draft, teams can add new talent to their squads. They could win titles as a result in the future. The fact that the MLB draft takes place before the players involved have played any games is one of its most intriguing features. Prospects still exist for many college athletes. However, they can be compelled to sign a contract after being selected by a team. And if they want to make money from their sport, they should start playing professionally straight away.

Players must fulfill certain standards outlined by the league’s collective bargaining agreement in order to be eligible for the MLB draft (CBA). Only high school athletes can participate in the draft. Additionally, collegiate players must finish their four years of eligibility by petitioning the NCAA or take a three-year break from school. The regulations, which change every year, can be perplexing. For instance, in the first two rounds of the MLB draft, three high school prospects were chosen. Houston selected Carlos Correa in the first round, and Oakland selected Addison Russell in the second. Texas also selected Billy McKinney in the third round. They had informed the NCAA through petitions that they would not participate in a four-year collegiate program. They were qualified for that season’s draft since they were chosen before turning 18 years old.

Ahead of the Draft

Baseball players, clubs, and fans all take an interest in the MLB draft. For the first time, players can now be selected in the first round right out of high school or college for the first time. Every year in June, there is a three-day draft. There is a lot of information to remember and a lengthy procedure. The process begins with an annual meeting where teams pick which players they wish to add to their squad and discuss the forthcoming season. Teams send out scouting reports on prospective draft picks following the meeting. so they have time to make trades and can start making picks ahead of time!

After scouts have acquired and evaluated all of this data, the draft itself is finally here! Depending on how well each player performed the season prior, teams select one player at a time in reverse order. As a result, if last year was a disaster, you’ll prioritize this year.

MLB Rule 5. Draft

A player’s career can be made or broken at the Rule 5 Draft, a significant event in the baseball world. Every year in December, the draft is held, giving teams the chance to choose players who are currently off their roster but have been competing in the minor leagues. If a team selects you in the first round, you can sign up with them right away (with no other teams being able to claim you). If you are chosen later in the draft, you will have to play for another team for a while before being able to join your new one. You can then choose to return to your old team at any moment while you are on their minor league roster by trading with them or selling your rights to them. If they want you back, this is fantastic; if not, it’s awful!

Competitive Balance Draft Picks

An innovative strategy to maintain league competition is the Competitive Balance Draft. While keeping the top teams strong and competitive, the underperforming teams have an opportunity to strengthen their lineups. Each team has one pick in the next draft. However, there is no cap on the number of times you can trade your pick. Therefore, this is a terrific opportunity whether you’re in the midst of a rebuild or simply want additional options for your roster. Teams choose players from high school and college baseball through the draft to join their organization as minor league prospects. The players chosen in this draft’s first round are not affiliated with any particular organization. However, later picks are limited to playing for one team (unless they choose to opt-out).

Compensation Draft Picks

The only option to obtain free agents released by their teams is through the Compensation Draft. This takes place after the regular season is over and the new season has begun. It is an opportunity for teams that failed to re-sign a key player to do so without having to give up any draft picks. Keeping your team together is equally as important as adding new talent. If you’re in a tight race for the playoffs and one of your players falls hurt, you might be able to sign another player who can step in for them until they return.

Teams might take part in this process in one of two ways. either by a trade with another team or by winning the lottery. The lottery system operates as follows: each team that missed out on a key player is placed into a drawing, and the winner gets to choose one player among the free agents that were released. Don’t get upset if you don’t win the lottery; you still have the option of exchanging with another team.

MLB Draft Bonus Pools

Dreams can come true during the MLB Draft. Young athletes can now realize their potential at the professional level after years of hard training. However, it’s also a period when teams must make challenging choices. Within a strict budget, they must choose who they will take and then sign them. The bonus pool enters into this equation. It is the maximum amount of money that each team may spend on signing bonuses for players from their draft class. Depending on how many picks each team has in each round, their bonus pool changes for each team. A team’s bonus pool will be larger the more picks it has, so

The purpose of this approach is to prevent organizations from acquiring an excessive number of high-risk players from a single region or demography. It also aids in preventing clubs from signing players selected by other teams because they will run out of money before they have signed all of their picks if they do so. As a result, there is a degree of equity across the 30 organizations. The market size and previous performance history are used to set the bonus pools (for example, if a player was injured during college). Before losing all rights to any drafted player, teams have until July 15th to sign them.

Differences From Other Sports Drafts

The MLB draft operates a little differently than other sports do. It’s not an actual draft, which is the first thing to keep in mind. Instead, it is a selection procedure that involves players who have completed their undergraduate or junior college degrees and lasts for many days. The second significant distinction between the MLB draft and those of other sports is that players can only be selected after three years of play following graduation from high school or college. To be eligible for the draft if you plan to play collegiate sports, you must be 18 by August 15 of the year you begin your freshman year. For those who want to continue playing after graduation from high school, there are two options. You can decide to sign with an agent and play professional baseball right away. Or, before deciding whether or not to play professionally, try out for an NCAA team.

When are MLB Drafts?

The first round of the MLB Draft takes place on the first Monday of the month, while the second and third rounds are held on the following Tuesday. There are two rounds of the draft, and each team gets to pick 40 players. At 7:00 p.m. ET, the first round of the draft gets underway. At 10:00 p.m. ET, the second and third rounds start. Teams make their selections during the draft from a pool of qualified athletes who have recently graduated from high school or college (or signed as an international free agent). During the draft process, teams can also exchange their picks for additional picks or players if they have contracts with those teams by July 15th (the deadline for signing international free agents). Teams are allowed to sign undrafted free agents to complete their rosters after selecting players in each round of the draft. and, after being signed by a major league franchise, may transfer or sell those players’ rights to other teams.

When do athletes become eligible for the MLB Draft?

An important event is the MLB draft. It’s important to consider when a prospect enters the draft as well as who is selected first. A player who is viewed as “unsignable” has the greatest influence over when he is selected. It indicates that he has already contracted with an agent and will not sign with a team after high school. Your team has until 2 p.m. ET on June 5 to decide if they want to sign you if you are deemed unsignable due to your age or the fact that you are a collegiate player. They forfeit control of your services if they don’t hire you before then. No matter how long they have had your rights, they are only allowed to offer you $300,000. They will be able to negotiate with other teams (if another team offers more than $300K) if they submit an offer within those limits after June 5.

Who Can Enter in the MLB Draft?

Everybody may participate in the MLB Draft. Every year, teams pick new players to add to their squads in a June draft. Only players who have completed high school and are under 21 are eligible for the draft. There have been nearly 75 million players selected in the draft since it began in 1965. Every year, more than 1,300 players are chosen. Players from high schools, colleges, and foreign amateur free agents are included in this total. When selecting players, each team uses a different approach. Some clubs look for young players that can immediately contribute to their success. Others, on the other hand, concentrate on players who might not be quite ready for the main leagues yet. But after they have some minor league baseball experience, it will be better.

How Does a Player Enter the MLB Draft?

Players can enter the MLB draft in a variety of ways. Being chosen in the MLB Draft itself is one way. When a team decides they want to sign you, this occurs. And with their first pick in the draft, they selected you. You may still be chosen by a team later in the draft if you are not taken in the first round. Every year, teams choose dozens of players in rounds two through forty. Playing collegiate baseball or joining an independent league like the Mexican League are more options. Someone may take notice of you and select you if you are good enough. There are various alternative methods to get into Major League Baseball besides getting drafted. They are able to be traded from one team to another and sign as an international free agent. A minor league team where they’ve played for years could also bring them up (like Mike Trout).

Conclusion

The MLB draft is a fantastic opportunity for teams to strengthen their roster and address their needs. Particularly crucial are the opening two rounds. The third round can also be useful because it gives clubs the chance to choose people who can assist them right away. However, its primary purpose is to identify players who might not be selected in the first two rounds. The talent later in the draft is primarily found in the final three rounds.

9 other active players who are among the best home run hitters other than Albert Pujols

At this point, Albert Pujols had hit close to 700 home runs. Barry Bonds is the only player to have reached that mark since then, joining Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. There have only ever been those three guys, and Pujols would make it four. We’re talking about four of baseball’s top hitters in history, which is exceedingly uncommon. Are there any active players who might attempt to reach 700 at some point, even though we know it’s a huge number?

Miguel Cabrera (506 HR, age 39), Nelson Cruz (459 HR, age 41), Giancarlo Stanton (371 HR, age 32), and Joey Votto are the current home run leaders after Pujols (342 HR, age 38). Only Stanton has more than a season’s worth left in his career, and although he can hit them in large quantities, his health history prevents it. It is considerably more feasible to reach 500. In 2022, Aaron Judge might theoretically attempt to set a single-season home run record, but the Yankees star is 30 years old and has 209 career home runs. Let’s examine nine other players who are currently playing and who are among the top home run hitters in the game.

Mike Trout

Trout, who is only 30 years old, has 338 home runs in his career. He averages 40 home runs over 162 games, but therein lies the problem. While Trout was extraordinarily durable for the first five seasons of his career, he has had several health difficulties thereafter. I merely highlighted Stanton’s health history. He is seriously held back by the cut-down 2020 season, the 36 games played last year, and the 91 scheduled for 2022. The amusing part is that he is moving faster now. He’s hit 53 in 180 games. His 162-game average over the past three seasons is 48 home runs. From this vantage point, I think we may conclude that a run is feasible if he starts to play tougher. However, he is still far from reaching 700, and his present back problem is highly concerning. The run is not a good bet here.

Bryce Harper

Although he is 29 years old and has hit 282 home runs in his career, the expectation is that he will continue to play into his 40s. His durability is also less of a concern than it is for Trout, as Harper’s injury this season—a broken thumb—was caused by a freak accident and is not indicative of future performance. He is still a great distance away. He has 68 home runs left until the half. After reaching 42 in 2015, Harper has since peaked in his mid-30s (34 in 2018, 35 in 2019, and 35 last season). Before this starts to seem reasonable, we’d need to see a few totals in the mid-40s.

Manny Machado

275 home runs in his career at age 30. From 2015 to 2018, he consistently hit 35, 37, 33, and 37 home runs per season. That makes 142 in a period of four years. Let’s double that and say he continued doing that for the next eight years, beginning with the upcoming season. In addition to however many home runs he hits the rest of the season, that would give him 559 for his career.

Rafael Devers

To work toward a career milestone like 700 home runs, you must get an early start. Devers acted. He made his debut at age 20, hitting 10 that season. At the age of 25, he has 137 career goals accomplished after having 38 the previous year. Although it is a strong foundation, the math is still not in his favor. His current total of 137 home runs multiplied by five equals 685. That is brief. He is currently in his sixth season. How much is he actually going to step up the tempo considering he hasn’t played for 30 years?

Juan Soto

Soto is only 23 years old right now. His career total is 122 home runs. Soto is ahead of the curve because Pujols had 114 home runs through his age-23 season. However, Soto has only hit 24 home runs this year, while his career high is 34 (2019). Pujols hit 46 home runs in his 24th season. Next year, he will turn 41. He turned 49 the following year. This means that even while Soto is presently outpacing Pujols’ rate of home runs per age, he’s about to either change completely or fall behind the rate pretty fast.

Ronald Acuña, Jr. 

On Acua’s counting stats ledger, the cut short 2020 season and the torn ACL from the previous year were both significant setbacks. Despite those facts, he is only 24 and has 115 home runs in his career. He has a fantastic 162-game average of 38 home runs, and he might raise it in the upcoming years. He still needs 585 home runs. Some of the best actors we’ve ever seen pursue careers in that field.

Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. 

The volume Vlad received in 2021 is something working in his favor here. We know he has it in him because he just turned 48. It would really make a difference if he put together a stretch of mid-to high-40s, amassing roughly 180 home runs in four seasons. He has only hit 27 this season, of course. Guerrero may be the best option in this situation, but given that 700 is such a large amount, he is also implausible.

Fernando Tatis, Jr.

Tatis hit 81 home runs in just 273 games during his 22nd season. Tatis, Acua, and Joe DiMaggio are the only players to have played in fewer than 330 games out of the 24 players in MLB history to have hit at least 75 home runs by the age of 22. Tatis was prevented from contributing to additional history by injuries and the epidemic. He was moving faster than Pujols. A run to 700 might have been feasible given his 48 home runs per 162 games. Of course, he later tested positive for PEDs and injured his wrist in a motorbike accident over the previous offseason. He won’t play again until the season because he turns 24 in May. He’s likely fallen behind the required pace at this point.

Julio Rodríguez

At that point, Pujols was 37 years old, and we’ve previously discussed how much more labor he put in over the subsequent seasons. It’s just a lot of volume. I’ll outline it. The years that Pujols hit home runs in his first 10 seasons are as follows: 37, 34, 43, 46, 41, 49, 32, 37, 47, and 42. Imagine if Rodriguez performed it over the course of the next ten seasons. He would already be a Mariners lore figure. Additionally, he would be a long way from 700. In those ten years, 408 homers were hit.

Bryan Reynolds was in the midst of a career year with the Pirates at this time last year. He appears to be on the verge of being dealt.

Reynolds was one of the game’s best centre fielders in 2021, batting.302/.390/.522 and finishing 11th in NL MVP voting. And, while the 27-year-old hasn’t quite replicated his success from last season, he remains a valuable player who could help a playoff contender.

Reynolds has been raking with a.911 OPS since the beginning of July. The Pirates, who are 40-58, appear unlikely to make the playoffs. A player of Reynolds‘ calibre has the ability to play in October.

Reynolds‘ availability is mitigated by a few factors. In April, he agreed to a two-year extension with the Buccaneers. This elevates Reynolds above the status of a rental, implying that Pittsburgh will seek additional assets for its star player.

So, which teams would be best for Reynolds? Game Defenders looks at four teams that have been linked to the Baltimore native.

Bryan Reynolds landing locations

Padres of San Diego

The Friars are currently in the running for Juan Soto. That doesn’t mean they’re not paying attention to Reynolds.

Back in March, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Padres and Pirates discussed a potential trade involving Reynolds and young San Diego pitchers Chris Paddack and Ryan Weathers.

The San Diego #Padres have engaged in trade talks this spring with the Pittsburgh #Pirates in an attempt to acquire All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds. The Padres have pitching depth, and young pitchers Chris Paddack and Ryan Weathers have been mentioned in discussions.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 31, 2022

Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer have big contracts that they won’t be able to make up for in terms of production. Meanwhile, Trent Grisham is an excellent defensive player, but he is only hitting.188 this year. Improvements are possible, especially if San Diego wants to secure a playoff spot.

Paddack is no longer with the Padres after being traded in an April deal that brought Taylor Rodgers and Brent Rooker from Minnesota to San Diego, but Weathers remains. Maybe the Friars could use him as a trade chip to get a better outfielder.

Phillies of Philadelphia

Bryce Harper’s injury hampered Philadelphia’s chances of winning the division. Still, with a record of 51-47, a playoff spot is well within reach. Kyle Schwarber is slugging home runs like they’re going out of style, Rhys Hoskins has picked up some of the slack in the lineup, and the Phillies‘ rotation has been strong.

To be clear, there are some gaps. The outfield fielding is subpar, especially with Schwarber and Nick Castellanos as the starting corner outfielders.

Reynolds isn’t exactly a defensive genius. He is, however, a consistent presence in the lineup. And he’s not quite the sieve Castellanos (-15.4 fielding runs above average) or Schwarber (-6.9 fielding runs above average) are, though Reynolds isn’t much better at -6.6 fielding runs above average.

More importantly, if Harper returns, Reynolds can help lighten his load as he gets back up to speed.

The Miami Marlins

Look, another National League East team! After Jazz Chisholm suffered a stress fracture in his back, it appeared that the Marlins were content to sell their assets. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Miami is open to offers for any player “not named Sandy Alcantara,” while Jim Bowden of CBS has the Marlins as clear sellers at this year’s trade deadline.

Nonetheless, Bowden reported that the Marlins were one of the teams still interested in Reynolds. Zooming out, the move makes sense from the Marlins‘ point of view.

Miami has a few pieces in its lineup, including Chisholm. However, the lineup lacks consistency; of the Marlins‘ players with at least 200 plate appearances this season, only Chisholm, Garrett Cooper, Jon Berti, and Brian Anderson are above league average hitters (based on OPS+).

At its best, Miami has a formidable rotation with Alcantara, Pablo Lopez (who may be moved), and Trevor Rodgers (who is having a bad season but still has a lot of potential). Reynolds could provide the offence with much-needed firepower. More importantly, he has another year left on his contract, which means the Marlins could run it back in 2023 and part ways with Reynolds at the deadline next year if they’re struggling.

Seattle Mariners

The wild card has arrived…literally. After missing the playoffs by one game a year ago, Seattle is in prime position to make its first postseason appearance since 2001.

The M’s are coming off a 14-game winning streak, have a budding superstar in Julio Rodriguez, and are simply a good team playing exciting baseball. Why not supplement that?

Reynolds has the potential to help Seattle both now and in the future. The M’s roster is stacked with talent in their mid-20s. Reynolds fits the bill perfectly and could be the type of bat Seattle needs to secure a playoff spot in 2022…and beyond.