MLB Draft to be televised

[ExtremeGamer]

Coming in June... I can't see this being as big as the NBA or NFL.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2862901

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

It won't, and it's unfortunate that it won't. Fortunately, it looks like baseball is finally getting more attention from ESPN than it used to.

[injunwal]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

A bunch of players 99% of baseball fans have never heard of. This will get lower ratings for ESPN than bowling

[Gary Armida]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

I agree. I can't see this being as big. They have two things working against them. One is the lack of college baseball coverage/interest and two is that there are a lot of high school kids drafted. Nationally, these guys are known and 99% of them won't make an impact for 3+ years.

But, I'll give it a look.

[Dispatch]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

I'll probably tune in just to check it out. If they do a good job on telling us about the players drafted then I might watch most of it. Definately going to watch when the Red Sox pick though.

[sammyc521]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

How is this going to be exciting for people looking for immediate gratification?

The NBA and NFL drafts work because there's a 99.9% chance you'll see all the guys that were drafted on Day 1 on the opening day roster (Unless you're name is Maurice Clarett).

How many people pay attention to their MLB's farm team? That's where the draft will be exciting, if you're familiar with the B-AA teams.

To the casual fan, how many can even name half of the farm teams for an MLB franchise?

[Blzer]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

I think I'll be watching because there may be a few guys in the draft that I know, which will be pretty exciting as a whole.

[VanCitySportsGuy]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

I wonder if they will invite a couple of the top picks to the draft.

But the baseball system is so screwed up, the draft order doesn't go by talent alone. You have players that are top 10 talents slide way back because certain teams don't want to meet their bonus demands. MLB needs to change the whole draft system but that's for another thread.

I expect to see the D-Rays draft David Price. Matt Wieters and Josh Vitters will probably round out the top 3. The position player prospect pool is pretty thin this year.

[dkgojackets]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

no way this gets a big audience....ultra boring to all but the really hardcore baseball fan

[sportsdude]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

...ultra boring to all but the really hardcore baseball fan

yezzur and I can't wait to watch it.

However, if the MLB wants to make this a big deal, then they need to start capping player signing bonuses. I hate to see when teams don't draft a player they want because they don't want to hand over a ridiculously large check.

[NYJets]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

I won't watch it.

I follow the Yankees minor league system a little bit but I don't pay any attention to high school or college baseball. I don't think I could name one player who will be in the draft.

[jmood88]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

It won't, and it's unfortunate that it won't. Fortunately, it looks like baseball is finally getting more attention from ESPN than it used to.

Well it would be the MLB draft, the World Series of Dice, or the Jump Rope Championships.

Why in the world are there 50 rounds? That's just crazy.

[bravosfan]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

I don't really follow the amateurs all that much, but I'll surely tune in.

[sportsdude]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

Well it would be the MLB draft, the World Series of Dice, or the Jump Rope Championships.

Why in the world are there 50 rounds? That's just crazy.

Actually, I think 50 rounds is just the hypothetical cutoff. I believe teams are allowed to continue picking as long as they desire. Likewise, there are teams that may draft 30 rounds and quit.

[Nivek]

Re: MLB Draft to be televised

The problem with an MLB Draft is that it's an 'entry' draft and viewers won't even see these players take the field for 3 to 4 years. It's going to suffer in ratings just like the NHL entry draft.