The 2017 MLB Draft order was finalized earlier this week, with the Minnesota Twins landing the first pick.
The MLB Draft never receives the same attention as the NBA or NFL drafts, but the depth within MLB drafts can often leave most teams with a handful of quality prospects.
After Jose Bautista and Mark Trumbo – the final two free agents with qualifying offers attached to their names – signed contracts last week, the MLB Draft order has been more or less finalized.
Here’s a look at the first round.
First Round
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. San Diego Padres
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Atlanta Braves
6. Oakland Athletics
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
8. Philadelphia Phillies
9. Milwaukee Brewers
10. Los Angeles Angels
11. Chicago White Sox
12. Pittsburgh Pirates
13. Miami Marlins
14. Kansas City Royals
15. Houston Astros
16. New York Yankees
17. Seattle Mariners
18. Detroit Tigers
19. San Francisco Giants
20. New York Mets
21. Baltimore Orioles
22. Toronto Blue Jays
23. Los Angeles Dodgers
24. Boston Red Sox
25. Washington Nationals
26. Texas Rangers
27. Chicago Cubs
The Minnesota Twins’ (59-103) dismal 2016 campaign resulted in yet another high draft pick, but the team has enough talent to turn things around rather quickly in a shaky American League Central division. Meanwhile, teams toward the bottom of the first round are still primed to draft players with high ceilings.
Whereas the NBA and NFL drafts typically don’t produce quality contributors in the latter half of the first round, the MLB Draft has enough depth to ensure the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs still leave the draft with a mid-level prospect.
The Colorado Rockies (11th overall to sign Ian Desmond), St. Louis Cardinals (19th overall to sign Dexter Fowler) and Cleveland Indians (25th overall to sign Edwin Encarnacion) will go without first-round picks as they signed qualified free agents. The remaining seven qualified free agents re-signed with their current teams.
As such, the Supplemental First Round (picks 28-30) includes the Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs. The Supplemental First Round standings are assigned in reverse order of the standings, so the team with the worst record (Toronto) gets the first pick in the round.
Additionally, MLB gives out extra draft picks to small-market teams in order to promote competitive balance.
Competitive Balance Round A
31. Tampa Bay Rays
32. Cincinnati Reds
33. Oakland Athletics
34. Milwaukee Brewers
35. Minnesota Twins
36. Miami Marlins
MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo explained how the Competitive Balance picks are assigned:
The Competitive Balance Rounds are no longer determined via lottery. Instead, all teams that fall in the bottom 10 in revenue and bottom 10 in market size will get a pick in Round A, after the first round, or Round B, following the second round. Using a formula that takes revenue and winning percentage into account, six teams were awarded Round A picks, with eight teams getting picks in Comp Round B. The groups of teams will switch in 2018 (meaning there will be eight Comp Round A picks, six in Round B), and will alternate as such for the life of this CBA.
Competitive Balance picks can be traded, but only during the regular season, for a player. Typically, these picks are only included as fourth pieces in a trade or for role players. In the NBA, teams can oftentimes trade late first-round picks for a rotation player – but that’s typically not the case in MLB.
The remaining rounds are essentially the same order as the first, although the Pittsburgh Pirates have an extra pick in the second round for failing to sign Nick Lodolo, the 41st overall pick in the 2016 draft.
More from Call to the Pen
The 2017 amateur draft will begin on June 12, and lasts three days. MLB Network will broadcast the first day. But be sure to follow CttP for coverage of all three days.
