Red Sox News: 2020 MLB amateur draft details revealed
By Sean Penney
Major League Baseball has provided details regarding the 2020 draft. What are the changes and how do they impact the Boston Red Sox?
The next wave of Boston Red Sox prospects is on the way. Major League Baseball still hasn’t started the 2020 season but they will move forward with the amateur draft regardless of when the sport returns to action.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the draft will take place over a two-day period next month. The first round (37 picks, including compensation picks) will take place on June 10 starting at 7 p.m. EST.
The Red Sox own the No. 17 overall pick in round one, their highest selection since they drafted Jay Groome with the 12th pick in 2016.
Day two of the draft will feature rounds 2-5 (123 picks) on June 11 starting at 5 p.m. EST.
Boston lost their second-round pick as punishment stemming from the sign-stealing investigation. That leaves them with only three picks on day two and four overall. Each pick carries more weight in a shortened draft and the Red Sox are at a greater disadvantage compared to most teams.
The draft will be held remotely via video conference call. MLB isn’t currently planning to allow teams to gather their front office staff in one room during the draft. The head of baseball operations for each club will be on camera to represent their organization, similar to how the NFL conducted its draft last month.
For Boston, that would be Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom. He will be overseeing his first draft at the helm of the Red Sox front office but brings experience from his tenure with the Tampa Bay Rays, an organization that typically drafted well under his watch.
No word yet on if Bloom has any pets that may take over the draft board or if Bill Belichick’s dog will make an appearance instead.
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According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, teams can sign players who weren’t drafted for a maximum of $20,000 beginning at 9 a.m. EST on June 14.
The Red Sox could have an opportunity to restock their farm system by signing these players who would have been selected in a normal draft. It’s hardly unusual to find quality talent outside of the first five rounds. This might help mitigate the loss of their second-round pick. A thin farm system they could move quickly through and a major league club that historically has been willing to spend to compete makes the Red Sox a desirable option for these future prospects.
Unfortunately, it may prove difficult to convince the most talented among those undrafted players to sign for a pitifully small bonus. Many of them will end up staying in school so they can enter next year’s draft when it presumably will return to they typical format or they may pivot to another sport. That will leave the talent pool extremely shallow.
Next. Players who benefit from expanded rosters. dark
The Red Sox have one of the weakest farm systems in baseball. It’s possible they’ll find a blue chip prospect in the first five rounds to improve the quality of their assets but this clearly isn’t the year for improving the quantity.