When is MLB going to smarten up with the draft?

[Bob846]

Starting this thread for discussion purposes.

What are thoughts on trading draft picks?

Having ability to sign and trade draft selections?

Look at the events (some might call them a circus) the NBA and NFL drafts are. Would you watch a live draft on ESPN when a team picks a guy and you had a baseball Mel Kipper telling you about his upside where that organization was going to start him yada yada yada? I would.

[JollyH]

I listen to the draft over the internet.

It's lightning fast, which doesn't leave you any time for commentary or commercial break.

Plus there are about 1500 players chosen, and even the most knowledgable draftniks have never heard of about 1200 of them...

[Donnybaseball72]

I think it is more important that MLB forces international prospects to enter the draft.

[Yankyfan]

I think the biggest waste is drafting players who will never sign.If they were smart they would make it that you have to place your name in the draft or your not eligible.As far as TV goes I say it every year.If the NHL draft is on TV why not the first 10 rounds of the MLB draft?

[ConnYanksFan]

I think the biggest waste is drafting players who will never sign.If they were smart they would make it that you have to place your name in the draft or your not eligible.As far as TV goes I say it every year.If the NHL draft is on TV why not the first 10 rounds of the MLB draft?

I agree. I think the first couple of rounds of the MLB Draft could make for good TV, as long as they spaced the picks out by 3-5 minutes.

[sugmasterflex]

I like the TV idea as well. How about the first 5 rounds of the draft?

[Donnybaseball72]

The NHL draft is on TV? Maybe on Canada but I've never heard of any network caring enough to pick it up.

[Looie #19]

I agree. I think the first couple of rounds of the MLB Draft could make for good TV, as long as they spaced the picks out by 3-5 minutes.

The draft is 50 rounds long, dragging the draft out an extra hour or two wouldn't help things. Considering the lack of exposure of college baseball compared to it's counterparts in basketball and football, and the huge amount of HS talent being drafted, I don't think anyone would watch. It's the die-hards who'd watch, the other 90 percent have no clue who these people are. I'd say a good 75 percent of fans have little idea about their own team's farm systems anyways.

I like the draft quite a bit, but it's not exciting enough to televise to the rest of the country.

[Dannman103]

I think the problem with MLB is that unlike in football, or basketball, or hockey, none of the guys are going the be making immediate impacts on the team that drafts them...wouldnt exactly be interesting televsion to hear about so and so who "could pan out in three to four years to be a decent-hitting utility player"

Most of the drama in the other drafts is because the players will have immediate impacts...even a first round pick in baseball wont make the big-league team for at least 2 years...just harder to make it as exciting as seeing your team draft a new starter at running back or wideout or power forward

[Fabien Brandy]

Some feel that televising or otherwise promoting the draft just puts more hype on draftees and pressure on teams to sign them, increasing leverage for guys like Scott Boras. I kind of like the way it is now, with blogs on BA and elsewhere.

[TheScooter]

The NHL draft is on TV? Maybe on Canada but I've never heard of any network caring enough to pick it up.

What planet do you live on?The first round of the NHL draft has been on ESPN2 every late June since 1994.The NHL draft is nine rounds with rounds 1-3 taking place on a Saturday and rounds 4-9 taking place the next day

[Yankyfan]

The NHL draft has been on ESPN for Years now!!

[mbn007]

Baseball is a draft where the guys get selected, 1/3 or more end up not signing, and the rest disappear for 2-4 seasons. So putting it on TV will do little as a promotion, unlike the NBA or NFL, where many draft picks are playing on opening day.

[ICEBERG18]

I think it is more important that MLB forces international prospects to enter the draft.

No way the Yankees need that route in the worst way.

[Fabien Brandy]

I think it is more important that MLB forces international prospects to enter the draft.

I'd agree with a rule that anyone 19 or over would have to enter the draft. If the youngsters in the DR and LatAm had to be drafted the league would have to replace the amount of money teams spend in those countries developing academies and infrastructure. Teams with big budgets are going to pull that money out if they can't reap the rewards.

I'd have no issue with the trading of picks. It would allow the Twins to draft a Mark Prior and then trade him to a rich team rather than just having him drop to a team that will pay him. It might encourage draftees to hold out more often but the draft is so uncertain that the benefits would outweight the faults.

[Yankyfan]

Why can't YES televise the first 10 Yankee pick's and do a little bio of them as they go down? I might be wrong here But I think no one would lose sleep if they missed the 10th showing of the poker challenge one afternoon!!

[Donnybaseball72]

No way the Yankees need that route in the worst way.

Yeah I see it's really working.

[ICEBERG18]

Yeah I see it's really working.

we will see if it works over the next 2-3 years with Carlos Rios at the helm in Latin America.