It’s no secret that the MLB Draft doesn’t get nearly as much attention as drafts in order sports do.
The unfortunate reality for MLB is that the league’s annual draft usually only appeals to diehard fans.
That’s a shame, and it doesn’t have to be that way.
There are plenty of factors that contribute to the overall lack of interest, and not all of them can be solved easily.
However, there are certainly a couple of ways the league could immediately spice up its draft process.
The introduction of a draft lottery is already a step in the right direction, but baseball shouldn’t stop there.
Here are two other ways for the league to add more appeal to its draft.
2. Allow Draft Pick Trading
Part of what makes drafts in other pro sports so electric are the trades that occur throughout the night.
Few things are more thrilling than watching a trade unfold in real time while a team is on the clock.
Unfortunately, this isn’t something that MLB fans get to experience.
The MLB Draft doesn’t allow pick trading, which means that there aren’t typically many surprises throughout draft night.
Sure, some MLB teams might marginally surprise folks with their selections, but that’s not really enough to capture the attention of casual fans.
In other sports, some of the biggest trades of the year are often completed before or during the draft.
If MLB were to allow pick trading, there’s no doubt that deals would become commonplace during the event.
Need MLB to start letting teams trade draft picks.
— Jack Fritz (@JackFritzWIP) February 21, 2021
No one would want to miss the drama, so fans would surely tune in.
That’s a surefire way to draw more eyeballs.
The trade deadline will probably always be the biggest time of year for trades in MLB, but the draft could become a close second if the league allows it to happen.
1. Help Grow College Baseball
The truth is that most baseball fans aren’t very familiar with the players who are selected in the MLB Draft.
While there are typically a few names that are on most fans’ radars going into the night, it’s nothing like drafts in other sports where fans are familiar with a plethora of prospects.
This is a hard problem to solve.
Since baseball players generally require several years of development in the minors before debuting at the MLB level, many fans feel that it’s hard to get excited over draft prospects.
That’s fair, especially since there’s a chance that any given prospect won’t pan out even after spending several years in the minors.
But if MLB wants to give its draft any chance at reaching its full potential, then the league needs to get its fans excited over the players who are in the draft.
That starts with growing college baseball.
College Baseball is the most underrated sport in America.
— MLBExecutiveBurner (@HotStoveintel) February 18, 2022
There are plenty of star players at the collegiate level, and if those players were to be marketed correctly, many of them would instantly earn tons of fans.
That’s a great formula for increasing excitement around the draft.
Fans would have a reason to watch if there were some household names available to be selected.
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