Major League Baseball draft

The Major League Baseball draft (officially the Rule 4 draft; also known as the First Year Player Draft) is the primary mechanism by which Major League Baseball (MLB) assigns amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams.^[1] The draft order is determined by a lottery system, starting in 2023, where teams that did not make the postseason in the previous year participate in a state-lottery style process to determine the first six picks. The team with the worst record has the best odds of receiving the first pick. Prior to 2023, the draft order was based on the previous season's standings, with the worst team selecting first.

The first amateur draft was held in 1965. Unlike most sports drafts, the MLB draft is held mid-season, taking place in July since 2021. Another distinguishing feature of the draft compared to those of other North American major professional sports leagues is its sheer size: currently, the draft lasts for 20 rounds, in addition to compensatory picks introduced in 2021. Until 2019, it lasted up to 40 rounds. In contrast, the NFL Draft lasts seven rounds (260 selections), the NHL Entry Draft lasts seven rounds (224 selections), the MLS SuperDraft lasts three rounds (87 selections), and the NBA draft is only two rounds (60 selections).

On March 26, 2020, MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) reached a deal that included the option to shorten that year's draft to five rounds, and halve the 2021 draft to 20 rounds.^[2] On March 10, 2022, after agreeing on a new collective bargaining agreement, it was decided that the first-round order would be based on a lottery participated by 18 non-postseason teams to determine the first six picks, starting with the 2023 draft. and secondly on the results of playoff teams.^[3] The remaining first-round picks and subsequent rounds are determined by the previous season's win-loss records for the first 18 selections in each round, followed by playoff finishes.^[4]

^ "Major League Baseball Draft". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013.
^ Baer, Bill (March 26, 2020). "MLB, MLBPA reach agreement on service time, pay, draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
^ Callis, Jim (March 10, 2022). "Here's how the new CBA impacts the Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
^ Callis, Jim (March 11, 2022). "Here's how the new CBA impacts the Draft". Major League Baseball. Retrieved March 16, 2022.

[1] "Major League Baseball Draft". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013.

[2] Baer, Bill (March 26, 2020). "MLB, MLBPA reach agreement on service time, pay, draft". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 30, 2020.

[3] Callis, Jim (March 10, 2022). "Here's how the new CBA impacts the Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.

[newcba-4] Callis, Jim (March 11, 2022). "Here's how the new CBA impacts the Draft". Major League Baseball. Retrieved March 16, 2022.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]