It doesn’t yet have the same appeal as the NFL draft, but the MLB is taking steps to make their draft more and more interesting.
The 3 day event starts tonight at 6:00 P.M. EST when the Washington Nationals go on the clock.
The MLB Network will be televising the entire first round, and all rounds will be simulcast live on mlb.com.
The draft could pan out a million different ways, but there are 2 things that you can count on.
1) Washington Nationals select Stephen Strasburg. This pitcher from San Diego State has been the talk of the draft class. He should go #1.
2) Seattle Mariners select Dustin Ackley. This 1B/OF seems like the clear choice at #2.
The Pirates pick 4th. There are lots of possibilities for where the Bucs will go with this pick, including: Tony Sanchez (C – Boston College), Aaron Crow (P – Fort Worth Cats), Alex White (P – North Carolina), and Zach Wheeler (P – East Paulding H.S.).
I’m guessing that the Bucs first round pick will be a pitcher. We’ll find out closer to 6:45 tonight.
The Pirates also get the 49th pick. This is a compensatory first round pick, for unsigned 2008 No. 48 overall pick Tanner Scheppers.
Draft Update
Round 1 – Pick #4 – Jorge (Tony) Sanchez – C – Boston College
Compensatory Round A – Pick #49 – Victor Black – RHP – Dallas Baptist U
Round 2 – Pick #53 – Brooks Pounders – RHP – Temecula Valley H.S.
Round 3 – Pick #84 – Evan Chambers – CF – Hillsborough CC
