MLB Draft FAQ (Tonight, 7 ET on MLB Network, ESPN)
Broadcast and Logistical Details
For the third straight year, the Draft will be part of All-Star Week. Sunday’s action begins at 6 p.m. ET with a one-hour pregame show on MLB Network, followed by Round 1 (including one prospect promotion compensation pick), Competitive Balance Round A (10 picks), Round 2 and Competitive Balance Round B (six picks) and three second-round compensation picks.
All 70 picks can be seen on MLB Network, MLB.com, ESPN and, for the first time, ESPN+.
Days 2 and 3 can be seen on MLB.com. Day 2 gets underway at 2 p.m. on Monday, with Rounds 3-10 on the slate. The final day, featuring Rounds 11-20, begins at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Draft Order
The Pirates won MLB’s first-ever Draft lottery in December, securing their second top overall pick in three years. They will get another crack at the top pick only a few weeks after promoting ‘21 top overall pick Henry Davis to the Majors, proving how quickly the impact of getting that pick right can be for a franchise. This is the fifth time Pittsburgh has had the top pick, and the fourth Draft in a row that the Pirates will have a top 10 selection.
The hometown Mariners own the most picks on Day 1 with four – including a compensation pick for including Julio Rodríguez on their Opening Day roster in 2022. Seattle was awarded the compensation pick when Rodríguez won American League Rookie of the Year honors. The Mariners will pick 22nd overall, 29th, 30th and 57th on Day 1.
Here are how the first 10 picks will go:
1. Pirates
2. Nationals
3. Tigers
4. Rangers
5. Twins
6. A’s
7. Reds
8. Royals
9. Rockies
10. Marlins
Elsewhere, the A’s are uniquely positioned to make an impact with three of the first 41 picks. They’ll pick 6th, 39th and then again at No. 41. On the other side of that spectrum, the Mets (32nd overall) and Dodgers (36th overall) are the only teams without a first-round selection. They won’t pick until the Competitive Balance Round A, their first pick dropping 10 spots because they exceeded the competitive balance tax threshold by more than $40 million.
Bonus Pool and Slot Values
By virtue of their Lottery win, the Pirates also secured the highest assigned pick value in Draft history and the third-highest bonus pool ever.
Back up a second … what is a bonus pool?
Each choice in the first 10 rounds of the Draft comes with an assigned value, with the total for a club’s selections equaling what it can spend in those rounds without incurring a penalty. If a player taken in the top 10 rounds doesn’t sign, his pick’s value gets subtracted from his team’s pool. Clubs near the top of the Draft often spend less than the assigned value for those choices and use the savings to offer more money to later selections.
Teams that exceed their bonus pool face a penalty. Clubs that outspend their allotment by 0-5 percent pay a 75 percent tax on the overage. At higher thresholds, clubs lose future picks: a first-rounder and a 75 percent tax for surpassing their pool by more than 5 and up to 10 percent; a first- and a second-rounder and a 100 percent tax for more than 10 and up to 15 percent; and two first-rounders and a 100 percent tax for more than 15 percent.
Top 10 bonus pools:
1. Pirates: $16,185,700
2. Tigers: $15, 747,200
3. Nationals: $14,502,400
4. Twins: $14,345,600
5. Athletics: $14,255,600
6. Reds: $13,785,200
7. Mariners: 13,170,900
8. Marlins: $12,829,600
9. Royals: $12,313,500
10. Rockies: $11,909,800
Bonus pool and slot value breakdown »
Top Prospects
MLB Pipeline’s Draft Top 250 list offers rankings, scouting reports, bios and tool grades for the biggest prospects coming into Sunday. This year’s class is particularly deep in quality college position players, like LSU’s Dylan Crews, Florida’s Wyatt Langford and Kyle Teel of Virginia. But it also includes a group of prep bats that aren’t far behind – think names like Max Clark, Walker Jenkins and Arjun Nimmala. There are also enough college arms after Paul Skenes, like Rhett Lowder, Hurston Waldrep and Chase Dollander, to offer plenty of intrigue throughout Day 1.
These are the Top 10 Draft prospects:
1. Paul Skenes
2. Dylan Crews
3. Wyatt Langford
4. Walker Jenkins
5. Max Clark
6. Rhett Lowder
7. Kyle Teel
8. Noble Meyer
9. Chase Dollander
10. Jacob Wilson
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
