The 2020 MLB Draft will take place on its originally scheduled date of June 10th-12th

We’re about five weeks away from the start of the 2020 MLB First Year Player Draft. While Major League Baseball was negotiating with the players union about the time of the draft, it was believed that the draft would be pushed back to July. According to Jon Heyman, the draft will indeed be held on its original date: June 10th-12th.

The draft will likely be held remotely, instead of in the usual Studio 42 location at MLB Headquarters. Last weekend, the NFL was able to successfully do a virtual draft so I believe MLB can do the same. The draft will be somewhere in the ballpark of ten rounds, although it can be as few as five, as that was already agreed to by the two parties a month ago.

Holding the draft on its originally scheduled date of June 10th-12th always made sense. The COVID-19 outbreak has put the NBA, NHL, and MLB seasons on hold and the NFL is currently in the middle of their off-season, so there isn’t any competition for ratings with the draft. The MLB Draft might not compete with the drafts from other sports leagues, but in this period of no live major sports I think most people would like to have their breaks from everyday life for even just the most fleeting of moments. While even the most advanced prospect in the draft is at least two years away from contributing at the MLB level, it’s something to talk about at least.

The Diamondbacks will hold the 18th and 33rd selections of the draft on the first day, with their second round selection forfeited after signing Madison Bumgarner. In Rounds 3-10, the Diamondbacks will have the 18th selection of each round. Stay tuned for more coverage on the draft and who the D-backs could potentially target with their top two selections, as we really don’t have anything else to cover at the moment.