NEWSLETTER
[The second in a short series of primer posts discussing the upcoming 2012 MLB Draft, which could be huge for the Cubs. The first in the series looked at ten of the players the Cubs might consider with their first round pick, and the final in the series will look at the changes to the Draft structure for 2012. The Draft will take place from June 4 to 6, and you can expect plenty of live coverage here at BN.]
The MLB Draft is not the NBA Draft or the NFL Draft. This is so for many reasons, not the least of which is the lengthy period that usually intercedes between the time a kid is drafted, and the time he actually appears in MLB (if he appears there at all).
Because the MLB Draft is not quite as dramatic as those in some of the other major American sports, it doesn’t get the months-long buildup of hype that, for example, the NFL receives on ESPN. And because it doesn’t have a hype machine, you might not know the precise details of what’s happening next week, logistically. This post is designed to give you a head’s up on exactly what will happen next week, and when.
Dates, Times, Coverage
The 2012 MLB Draft will begin on Monday, June 4 with the first round (and supplemental first round). The first round will be televised on MLB Network, beginning with a pre-show at 6pm ET (5pm CT), and the actual Draft at 7pm ET (6pm CT). If you’re really hankering for more pre-coverage, ESPN will have a Draft program starting at 3pm ET (2pm CT) on Monday. Obviously we’ll be covering it all here at BN live, so make sure you’re here to participate. It’s a pretty fun night.
Rounds 2 through 15 will take place on Tuesday, June 5, beginning at noon ET (11am CT). These rounds, too, will be televised on MLB Network. It’s amazing: it wasn’t but a few years ago that you couldn’t really follow the Draft live, even if you wanted to. Now, it’s all televised (though the picks roll in via conference call). Once again, the Draft will be covered here live at BN, so if you can’t follow on TV, you can catch the important Cubs bits here, as they roll in. You can also follow at MLB.com.
Rounds 16 through 40 (remember, the Draft has shrunk to 40 rounds this year, one of the many changes that will be previewed in the next primer post) will take place on Wednesday, June 6, beginning at noon ET (11am CT). Once again, you’ll have television coverage on MLBN, and online coverage here at BN and on MLB.com.
Draft Order
Here are the first, supplemental, and second round draft order, which are the rounds that tend to deviate a bit from the overall order. The deviations are noted.
First round:
1. Houston Astros
2. Minnesota Twins
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Kansas City Royals
6. Chicago Cubs
7. San Diego Padres
8. Pittsburgh Pirates
9. Miami Marlins
10. Colorado Rockies
11. Oakland Athletics
12. New York Mets
13. Chicago White Sox
14. Cincinnati Reds
15. Cleveland Indians
16. Washington Nationals
17. Toronto Blue Jays
18. Los Angeles Dodgers
19. St. Louis Cardinals (A. Pujols – LAA)
20. San Francisco Giants
21. Atlanta Braves
22. Toronto Blue Jays (T. Beede – unsigned)
23. St. Louis Cardinals
24. Boston Red Sox
25. Tampa Bay Rays
26. Arizona Diamondbacks
27. Milwaukee Brewers (P. Fielder – DET)
28. Milwaukee Brewers
29. Texas Rangers
30. New York Yankees
31. Boston Red Sox (J. Papelbon – PHI)
Supplemental First Round
32. Minnesota Twins (M. Cuddyer – COL)
33. San Diego Padres (H. Bell – MIA)
34. Oakland Athletics (J. Willingham – MIN)
35. New York Mets (J. Reyes – MIA)
36. St. Louis Cardinals (A. Pujols – LAA)
37. Boston Red Sox (J. Papelbon – PHI)
38. Milwaukee Brewers (P. Fielder – DET)
39. Texas Rangers (C.J. Wilson – LAA)
40. Philadelphia Phillies (R. Madson – CIN)
41. Houston Astros (C. Barmes – PIT)
42. Minnesota Twins (J. Kubel – ARI)
43. Chicago Cubs (A. Ramirez – MIL)
44. San Diego Padres (A. Harang – LAD)
45. Pittsburgh Pirates (R. Doumit – MIN)
46. Colorado Rockies (M. Ellis – LAD)
47. Oakland Athletics (D. De Jesus – CHC)
48. Chicago White Sox (M. Buehrle – MIA)
49. Cincinnati Reds (R. Hernandez – COL)
50. Toronto Blue Jays (F. Francisco – NYM)
51. Los Angeles Dodgers (R. Barajas – PIT)
52. Texas Rangers (D. Oliver – TOR)
53. St. Louis Cardinals (O. Dotel – DET)
54. Philadelphia Phillies (R. Ibanez – NYY)
55. San Diego Padres (B. Austin – unsigned)
56. Chicago Cubs (C. Pena – TB)
57. Cincinnati Reds (F. Cordero – TOR)
58. Toronto Blue Jays (J. Rauch – NYM)
59. St. Louis Cardinals (E. Jackson – WAS)
60. Toronto Blue Jays (J. Molina – TB)
Second Round:
61. Houston Astros
62. Oakland Athletics (J. Willingham – MIN)
63. Minnesota Twins
64. Seattle Mariners
65. Baltimore Orioles
66. Kansas City Royals
67. Chicago Cubs
68. San Diego Padres
69. Pittsburgh Pirates
70. San Diego Padres (H. Bell – MIA)
71. New York Mets (J. Reyes – MIA)
72. Minnesota Twins (M. Cuddyer – COL)
73. Colorado Rockies
74. Oakland Athletics
75. New York Mets
76. Chicago White Sox
77. Philadelphia Phillies (R. Madson – CIN)
78. Cincinnati Reds
79. Cleveland Indians
80. Washington Nationals
81. Toronto Blue Jays
82. Los Angeles Dodgers
83. Texas Rangers (C.J. Wilson – LAA)
84. San Francisco Giants
85. Atlanta Braves
86. St. Louis Cardinals
87. Boston Red Sox
88. Tampa Bay Rays
89. New York Yankees (S. Stafford – unsigned)
90. Arizona Diamondbacks
91. Detroit Tigers
92. Milwaukee Brewers
93. Texas Rangers
94. New York Yankees
95. Philadelphia Phillies
As you can see, the Cubs have four picks in the top 67, which is pretty nice. The later rounds will matter heavily, too, but the Cubs will hopefully make hay in those first four picks.
