It’s MLB Amateur Draft Week

Rev up the engine in your Chevrolet and have mom start whipping up the apple pie, this week we celebrate the forty-third anniversary of the MLB Amateur Draft. Here at SportsAgentBlog.com, we have all the information you need to get prepared for the big event. Also known as the First-Year Player Draft or the Rule 4 Draft, the Amateur Draft will last fifty rounds and will most likely include more than 1,500 picks. The reason that we are not sure of the precise amount of picks is due to the fact that teams are given the option to select a player in all fifty rounds or forfeit their picks as the draft winds down. Are you pumped? Here are the bare details:

• When: June 5th and 6th.
  • June 5th: 2-9 p.m. ET (BaseballChannel.TV coverage starts at 1 p.m. with a special ceremonial draft of former Negro Leaguers)
  • June 6th: 11:30 a.m. ET-end
• Where: Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex – Orlando, FL

The draft will be partly televised for the second year in a row. From 2-6 p.m. ET on June 5th, ESPN2 will broadcast live from Orlando, FL. The rest of the draft can be viewed in real-time at MLB.com and BaseballChannel.TV with its DraftTracker and separate live commentary. To tell you the truth, I hate the televised portion of the draft. Not only is it mostly predictable, but the commentary is usually garbage, and it tends to last forever. In fact, I feel like the only winner is ESPN and the Disney family, who racks up some nice change from advertisements. Each team gets five minutes in between picks in the first-round, which ends up seeming to last for an eternity. I would not be surprised if I turn off the TV at 2:30 p.m. and follow the rest of both days of the draft on the internet. Although I may stay tuned just to see Harold Reynolds back on an ESPN Network (he is representing the Mariners).

Anyway, enough of my bitching. In reality, I cannot freakin’ wait for Thursday to arrive. Between getting prepared with the entire Dynasty family on Wednesday to waking up early on Thursday and probably getting no sleep until Saturday, this week should be quite adventurous. I will provide updates with any Dynasty advised clients that are selected.

Who will be this year’s Rick Porcello? In layman’s terms, who will drop in the draft because his advisor is asking for a chunk of change? If you do not think it happens, check out this article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The St. Louis Cardinals have two white-boards on draft day. Neither of them are very white by Thursday, but one is definitely more ostracized than the other when picks need to be made. Advisors who are commanding more money than their players are determined to be worth by the club will be mostly ignored throughout the draft. Then again, the big bonus babies tend to reach success faster than the ones who accepted their recommended slotting value or below.

I cannot wait to see how it all pans out and if Dynasty makes any sort of splash. Feel free to use this comment section to discuss your opinions prior to draft day and while selections are made.