MLB Insider Demands Overhaul of Draft System

Every major professional sports league has been trying for years to replicate the kind of popularity that the NFL has had around its annual draft. And while MLB may be a ways away from coming anywhere close to the NFL, MLB analyst A.J. Pierzynski and MLB insider Ken Rosenthal have one idea in mind to potentially bring attention to the draft in the future.
Before 2021, the MLB Draft was typically took place in June It has been moved to July to align with the league’s All-Star Week and Futures Game.
While the league views this as a positive way to bring attention to the important week, A.J. Pierzynski and Ken Rosenthal believe that the MLB Draft could be better utilized differently.
During Monday’s edition of the Foul Territory The podcast discussed Pierzynski’s suggestion to host the MLB Draft at the location of the College World Series with the aim of increasing awareness for both occasions.
“Here is a great idea for you,” said Pierzynski. “And I didn’t come up with this. Someone else did that is way smarter than me. Have the draft at the College World Series. You have supposedly the best eight teams there with the best players. Then you have the high school kids play out there that are all committed to these schools. So then these kids get drafted, and we can watch the college coaches kind of cry and say, ‘Oh, please come. We’ll pay you a million dollars to come to Florida instead of going for $5 million in the draft.’ Think of the drama we could have. It would be an awesome show. Plus, everybody would be in one location.”
Rosenthal subsequently added his thoughts, mostly concurring that this prospect would generate excitement for both the College World Series and the MLB Draft.
I support the concept of incorporating the draft into the College World Series," stated Rosenthal. "My approval isn't based on watching coaches get emotional. However, from an organizational standpoint, this move makes sense as it could boost engagement with both events according to me. Yet, the MLB appears fixated on hosting such drafts during All-Star week because they think it garners greater visibility then. In my view though, shifting the timing doesn't seem crucial enough to warrant moving it away from June to July. Of course, opinions vary, and the MLB surely has their own valid reasoning behind managing these schedules.
Pierzynski thinks that MLB prefers holding the draft in July rather than June because he feels it allows teams to maintain control over their players for an extended period.
“Here is the reason. It saves them a year because a lot of the guys don’t get to play that first year because they pushed the draft back so far in the minor league season. They are like, ‘Oh, don’t play that first year.’ And by the time they sign and all that, the season is over. Whereas before, in June, I signed, and that counted as a year to get to my Rule 5 status. They don’t want that anymore, it gives them an extra year of control. It’s a simple reason. They cut the minor leagues, therefore, they don’t want as many players. And they don’t want to have as many people play. It’s a simple equation. It has nothing to do with popularity. They just don’t want to do it.”
Last year, the viewership of the MLB Draft broadcasted on ESPN and MLB Network saw an increase. it recorded its second-highest viewership ever , with the event receiving an average of 863,000 viewers. So, one could argue that the current format that MLB has in place for its draft is working.
Nevertheless, the MLB Draft has not come close to matching the NFL Draft in terms of viewership, a trend that will probably continue through 2025. NFL Draft recorded its second-highest viewership ever this year.
As Pierzynski alluded to, it seems as if MLB may be set on the idea of holding the MLB Draft in July for a plethora of reasons. But there is at least an argument that, from a fan perspective, a move back to June may be a bit more ideal.
The post Ken Rosenthal, A.J. Pierzynski lobby for MLB Draft to be held at College World Series appeared first on Awful Announcing .
No comments