NEWSLETTER
For those of you who aren’t as familiar with the MLB Draft – it is starkly different from the NFL or NBA Drafts – I thought it would be useful to offer a rundown of the logistics in advance of this year’s iteration, which begins on Thursday. Tomorrow, I’ll offer some more detail on the mechanics of drafting in the post-new-CBA era.
The Schedule
Day One of the 2013 MLB Draft is this Thursday, June 6. The Draft begins at 6pm CT (7pm ET), and the first two rounds take place on Day One. It’s annually a fun night – the closest approximation to the NFL/NBA Drafts that MLB can offer, even if it isn’t quite the same. The Cubs pick second overall, and then again early in the second round, so the whole night is probably going to be pretty exciting.
Day Two of the Draft is Friday, June 7, and includes Rounds Three through Ten. That’s a change from last year, which saw Day Two carry the Draft through Round 15. Each team’s bonus pool is for the first 10 rounds, so there is no some synchronicity there, even if it shifts some of the excitement from Day Two to Day Three of the Draft – recall, many teams use the latter rounds before the 11th round to “save” bonus pool money for use elsewhere, making those rounds a little less intriguing than, say, rounds 11 through 15. Day Two of the Draft begins at 12pm CT (1pm ET).
Day Three of the Draft is Saturday, June 8, and finishes things up with Rounds 11 through 40. It’s rapid fire, and there’s very little fanfare (even if there is excitement for Draft nerds like us). You’ll see a lot of intriguing “overslot” types who’ve slipped get picked in this range. Day Three of the Draft also begins at 12pm CT (1pm ET).
The Coverage
Day One of the Draft is being televised on MLB Network and streamed on MLB.com, and begins with a Draft preview show at 5pm CT (6pm ET). There will be live coverage here at BN all evening, so make sure you stop by. It tends to have a fun, party atmosphere in the comments as the Draft goes on. People seem to enjoy it every year.
Day Two of the Draft is being streamed on MLB.com, and will not be broadcast on MLBN like it was last year (which is just crazy to me, but whateves). We’ll have pick-by-pick coverage here at BN, including plenty of thoughts/reactions/analysis from both me and Minor League Editor Luke Blaize.
Day Three of the Draft is also being streamed on MLB.com, and the coverage here at BN should be similar to Day Two’s coverage. We obsess, you enjoy. That’s the protocol.
The Order
First Round, which includes compensatory picks at the end (4.5 minutes per pick):
1. Houston Astros
2. Chicago Cubs
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Minnesota Twins
5. Cleveland Indians
6. Miami Marlins
7. Boston Red Sox
8. Kansas City Royals
9. Pittsburgh Pirates
10. Toronto Blue Jays
11. New York Mets
12. Seattle Mariners
13. San Diego Padres
14. Pittsburgh Pirates
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Philadelphia Phillies
17. Chicago White Sox
18. Los Angeles Dodgers
19. St. Louis Cardinals
20. Detroit Tigers
21. Tampa Bay Rays
22. Baltimore Orioles
23. Texas Rangers
24. Oakland Athletics
25. San Francisco Giants
26. New York Yankees
27. Cincinnati Reds
28. St. Louis Cardinals
29. Tampa Bay Rays
30. Texas Rangers
31. Atlanta Braves
32. New York Yankees
33. New York Yankees
Competitive Balance Round A (two minutes per pick):
34. Kansas City Royals
35. Miami Marlins (from the Pirates)
36. Arizona Diamondbacks
37. Baltimore Orioles
38. Cincinnati Reds
39. Detroit Tigers (from the Marlins)
Second Round (one minute per pick):
40. Houston Astros
41. Chicago Cubs
42. Colorado Rockies
43. Minnesota Twins
44. Miami Marlins
45. Boston Red Sox
46. Kansas City Royals
47. Toronto Blue Jays
48. New York Mets
49. Seattle Mariners
50. San Diego Padres
51. Pittsburgh Pirates
52. Arizona Diamondbacks
53. Philadelphia Phillies
54. Milwaukee Brewers
55. Chicago White Sox
56. Los Angeles Dodgers
57. St. Louis Cardinals
58. Detroit Tigers
59. Los Angeles Angels
60. Tampa Bay Rays
61. Baltimore Orioles
62. Texas Rangers
63. Oakland Athletics
64. San Francisco Giants
65. Atlanta Braves
66. New York Yankees
67. Cincinnati Reds
68. Washington Nationals
Competitive Balance Round B (one minute per pick):
69. San Diego Padres
70. Colorado Rockies
71. Oakland A’s
72. Milwaukee Brewers
73. Miami Marlins (from the Tigers)
The rounds thereafter, with a couple small changes in the third round, follow the order of the second round. There is one minute per pick for rounds three through ten, and then no time limit (i.e., they pick immediately) in the rounds thereafter.
