While it remains to be seen which guise baseball will be in when, and if, it comes back this season, this week fans can at least turn their attention away from the endless saga that is the negotiations between the MLB and the players’ union to focus on actual baseball for a few days. The MLB Draft gets underway on Wednesday.
Like the regular season, the draft has also been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced the MLB to scrap plans to hold the event in Omaha, Nebraska.
The draft will instead be held in the MLB Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey, the same location that hosted the draft 12 months ago. As was the case for the NFL Draft in April, the MLB Draft will be conducted remotely, with general managers submitting their selection from their homes or teams’ facilities.
Compared to previous years, the process will be significantly slimmed down, with just five rounds—the first to be held on Wednesday, with the remaining four to follow on Thursday—as opposed to the usual 40-round jamboree.
The shortened draft, which was approved by the MLB and the MLBPA back in March, will allow teams to sign an unlimited number of undrafted players for $20,000 and allow teams to delay signing bonuses, with a maximum of $100,000 to be paid within 30 days of a player signing.
Spencer Torkelson is unlikely to be affected by the shortened draft as the Arizona State first baseman is expected to be the first name off the board on Wednesday night when he could become the first baseman to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick since the Florida Marlins picked Adrian Gonzalez in the 2000 MLB Draft.
Torkelson has hit 54 home runs and recorded 130 RBIs in 498 at bats during his collegiate career, racking up 31 walks in 82 plate appearances in the shortened 2020 NCAA season. He looks set to be heading to the Detroit Tigers.
According to ESPN analyst Kiley McDaniel there is a “98 percent chance” Torkelson will be drafted by Detroit, with Vanderbilt’s Austin Martin the favorite to be the second player selected. A top-of-the-order hitter—he hit .368 with 200 hits, 76 RBIs and 43 stolen bases during his three college seasons—Martin has played most of his final college season at third base, despite suggestions he may be deployed at shortstop. A versatile defender, the junior has played in three different infield positions at Vanderbilt.
Behind the duo, Texas A&M left-handed pitcher Asa Lacy is a good bet to be the first pitcher off the board after compiling a 14-5 record and 2.07 ERA over three seasons in college.
Most mock drafts expect Mexico State second baseman Steve Gonzales, Georgia right-hand pitcher Emerson Hancock and his Minnesota counterpart Max Meyer to round out the top five picks. Zac Veen and Mick Abel, meanwhile, are expected to be the first two high-schoolers selected in the draft.
A product of Spruce Creek High School, Florida, Veen is considered by ESPN as “an above-average runner” with great hitting potential. Abel, a right-hand pitcher from Jesuit High School in Oregon, has impressed scouts thanks to an arsenal featuring a fastball, a slider and a changeup.
Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad, Louisville left-hand pitcher Reid Detmers and New Mexico State second baseman Nick Gonzales are favored by most mock drafts to round up the top-10 picks, but UCLA outfielder Garret Mitchell, North Carolina State catcher Patrick Bailey have all been touted as potential top-10 selections, as have high-schoolers Robert Hassell III, Austin Hendrick and Tyler Soderstrom.
MLB Draft picks order
With the Houston Astros forfeiting their first-round pick as part of their penalty for illegally stealing signs, 29 teams as opposed to the usual 30 will pick in the first round on Wednesday.
Seven teams (denoted by the *) have an additional pick at the end of the first round as part of the Competitive Balance Round A, which gives franchises that have either one of the 10 smallest markets or one of the 10 smallest revenue pools receive an extra pick at the end of one of the first two rounds.
Detroit TigersBaltimore OriolesMiami MarlinsKansas City RoyalsToronto Blue JaysSeattle MarinersPittsburgh PiratesSan Diego PadresColorado RockiesLos Angeles AngelsChicago White SoxCincinnati RedsSan Francisco GiantsTexas RangersPhiladelphia PhilliesChicago CubsBoston Red SoxArizona DiamondbacksNew York MetsMilwaukee BrewersSt. Louis CardinalsWashington NationalsCleveland IndiansTampa Bay RaysAtlanta BravesOakland AthleticsMinnesota TwinsNew York YankeesLos Angeles DodgersPittsburgh PiratesKansas City RoyalsArizona DiamondbacksSan Diego PadresColorado RockiesCleveland IndiansTampa Bay Rays*
