Baseball has shortened its draft to 5 rounds. If the draft were to have always been 5 rounds, which current MLB players, would have never been drafted?
During a difficult time where making money is tough to come by, and saving money is at a premium, the MLB looks to do just that by reducing the June amateur draft from 40 rounds to just 5.
It’s an interesting time we’re living in with no sports, where the most exciting events programmed on television are drafts and schedule releases. Watching the NFL draft was one of the most exciting things I’ve watched in a long time, and the MLB draft should have that same effect.
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On March 26 however, the MLB and the players’ association agreed to terms which would shake up the MLB draft as we know it. The plan to cut the draft from 40 rounds to 5 came as a shock to me, but it was all in an attempt to save money.
It’s difficult to blame anyone for the desire to save a little cash nowadays, but this decision figures to save teams approximately $30 million each. With the season likely being shortened, this should help teams a bit in the revenue they lost and will continue to lose this season.
This got me thinking though, cutting out 35 rounds, cuts the number of players drafted by almost 90%. There has to be some good players in the league, who were drafted after the fifth round, and therefore, wouldn’t have even been draft if this rule was in effect during their draft year.
If you’re thinking that exact thing, you were correct. In fact, there are some absolutely great players in the league today who were taken after the fifth round, some of the league’s best.
I decided to countdown the five best current players in the MLB, who were drafted after the fifth round.