How Many Rounds Are There In The Baseball Draft?

Are you a baseball fan wondering how many rounds are in the draft? Or maybe you’re considering entering the draft and want to know what to expect.

Either way, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at how many rounds are in the baseball draft and what that means for the prospects involved.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Introduction

The MLB Draft is an annual event in which Major League Baseball teams select amateur baseball players to join their organization. The draft has existed in some form since 1887, and it continues to be one of the most important ways for teams to replenish their rosters with young talent.

So how does it work? Each team is given a certain number of draft picks, which they can use to select players from the pool of eligible prospects. The number of rounds in the draft has varied over the years, but it currently stands at 40 rounds.

Some of the best players in baseball history were drafted in later rounds, so it’s important to remember that every pick matters. Who knows, the next sure-fire Hall of Famer could be taken with the very last pick of the draft!

The Three Phases of the Draft

There are three phases to the baseball draft. The first phase is the regular draft, which is held every June. The second phase is the Rule 4 draft, which is held in July. The third and final phase is the free agent draft, which is held in August.

Phase One: The First-Year Player Draft

The First-Year Player Draft, also known as the Rule 4 Draft, is Major League Baseball’s primary mechanism for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on the previous season’s standings, with the team possessing the worst record receiving the first pick. The draft consists of three rounds of 30 selections each for a total of 90 players chosen.

Phase Two: The Competitive Balance Round A

The second phase of the draft is known as the Competitive Balance Round A. It was added in 2012 as part of MLB’s efforts to increase parity between small- and large-market teams. This round allows teams with one of the 10 lowest revenues or 10 smallest markets to select a player at a slot above where they would normally pick in the draft order. These picks are made after the first round but before rounds 2 and 3.

In 2014, there were 14 picks in this round. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected outfielder Austin Meadows with the ninth overall pick, which they acquired from the Miami Marlins as compensation for All-Star pitcher Mark Melancon signing with them as a free agent during the offseason. The compensation picks given out ranged from the 28th to 40th overall selections.

Phase Three: The Competitive Balance Round B

The Competitive Balance Round B was added in 2013 and works similarly to Phase 2, except that these picks are made after round 3 instead of before it. These 13 picks are also awarded to teams based on their market size and revenues, with an eye towards maintaining parity in MLB. As with Phase 2 picks, these selections can be traded. Unlike Phase 2 however, these are “lottery” picks and not given out in order based on reverse standings from the previous season like Phase 1 or 2 are. In 2014, there were 11 Picks in this round

The Cincinnati Reds selected right-handed pitcher Nick Howard with the 19th pick in 2014 after acquiring it from Baltimore Orioles in a trade for pitcher Bud Norris earlier that offseason.

Phase Two: The Rule 4 Draft

The Rule 4 draft, commonly known as the amateur draft, is Major League Baseball’s (MLB) primary means of assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its franchises. The League is divided into three phases:

The first phase of the Rule 4 draft is popularly known as the “first-year player draft”. It refers to the portion of the draft in which MLB teams select high school and college players and other eligible amateurs. The first-year player draft is held every year in early June.

The second phase of the Rule 4 draft is commonly referred to as the “supplemental round”. It consists of a subset of rounds held between late June and early August in which MLB teams can drafted players who were either not selected in the first-year player draft or who were selected but did not sign a professional contract with the team that drafted them.

The third phase of the Rule 4 draft is popularly known as the ” Rule 5 draft”. It refers to the portion of the draft in which MLB teams can select certain eligible players from other professional baseball leagues. The Rule 5 draft is typically held in early December.

Phase Three: The Free Agent Draft

The third and final phase of the Major League Baseball Draft is the free agent draft. This phase is for players who were not selected in either the regular draft or the Rule 5 draft. The free agent draft is also referred to as the “sandwich” draft because it is held between the two rounds of the Rule 5 draft.

Players eligible for the free agent draft are those who:
-Are at least 19 years old and have not previously been drafted, OR
-Were drafted out of high school but did not sign with their team, OR
-Were drafted out of college but did not sign with their team, OR
-Have been released by their team during the season prior to the draft

Conclusion

The MLB draft has 40 rounds, but most draftees are selected in the first 10. In recent years, around 1,200 players have been drafted overall.