Jeffrey Negre @JeffreyNegre - Twitter Profile

15 days ago

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 MLB Draft = No High School Drafted Players? 20 Draft Rounds to 12 Rounds? MLB just PROPOSED one of the biggest changes to amateur baseball in decades. It's not APPROVED YET! If approved, it could reshape high school recruiting, college baseball, NIL, and the MLB Draft pipeline. A few thoughts 🧵👇 1/ MLB has proposed that beginning in 2028, players would only be draft eligible once they are: ✅ 20 years old AND ✅ Two years removed from high school Translation: The era of most high school players signing professionally could be ending. 2/ This would push nearly every elite baseball player into college baseball before becoming draft eligible. The result? College baseball instantly becomes the primary development pathway to professional baseball. 3/ Recruiting would become even more important. College coaches would essentially become MLB's farm system evaluators. The pressure to identify and develop talent early would increase dramatically. 4/ The talent level across college baseball could explode. With NCAA roster limits now capped at 34 players, elite talent would be distributed across: • Power 4 programs • Mid-majors • DII • DIII • NAIA • JUCO Parity could improve across the board. 5/ This could also create a massive boost for NIL. If elite players are staying in college longer, schools, collectives, and brands will have more opportunities to invest in athletes who previously would have gone straight to pro ball. 6/ Another proposed change: The MLB Draft would move from 20 rounds to just 12 rounds. Think about that. That's 40% fewer draft selections every year. 7/ Fewer draft rounds means more talented players stay in college. We've already seen this trend since the draft was reduced during COVID. College baseball has never been deeper. This proposal would accelerate that trend. 8/ A hard-slotted draft may be equally important. No more bonus negotiation games. More transparency. More certainty for players and families making life-changing decisions. 9/ The biggest winner may be player development. Historically, college players reach MLB at a higher rate and often move through the minor leagues faster than high school signees. MLB may be betting on a more efficient development model. 10/ But there are potential concerns. • Will college rosters become even harder to crack? • What happens to late bloomers? • Will JUCO baseball become even more important? • How will MLB organizations adjust scouting strategies? 11/ If this passes, the ripple effects will touch: ⚾ High School Baseball ⚾ Travel Baseball ⚾ College Recruiting ⚾ NIL ⚾ MLB Scouting ⚾ Transfer Portal Dynamics ⚾ Player Development Virtually every stakeholder in the baseball ecosystem. 12/ This is only an opening proposal and negotiations are expected to continue. But if adopted, this could be remembered as one of the most significant structural changes in baseball development since the MLB Draft was created. What do you think? Good for players? Good for college baseball? Good for MLB? Or are there unintended consequences we're not seeing yet? 👇 Let's discuss. @CaseyDill22 @FASTBaseballCO @TheCatchingGuy @Mike_Rooney

SportsForceBB's tweet photo. 🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
MLB Draft = No High School Drafted Players?
20 Draft Rounds to 12 Rounds?

MLB just PROPOSED one of the biggest changes to amateur baseball in decades. It's not APPROVED YET!

If approved, it could reshape high school recruiting, college baseball, NIL, and the MLB Draft pipeline.

A few thoughts 🧵👇

1/ MLB has proposed that beginning in 2028, players would only be draft eligible once they are:

✅ 20 years old AND ✅ Two years removed from high school
Translation:
The era of most high school players signing professionally could be ending.
2/ This would push nearly every elite baseball player into college baseball before becoming draft eligible.
The result?

College baseball instantly becomes the primary development pathway to professional baseball.

3/ Recruiting would become even more important.

College coaches would essentially become MLB's farm system evaluators.

The pressure to identify and develop talent early would increase dramatically.

4/ The talent level across college baseball could explode.

With NCAA roster limits now capped at 34 players, elite talent would be distributed across:

• Power 4 programs • Mid-majors • DII • DIII • NAIA • JUCO

Parity could improve across the board.

5/ This could also create a massive boost for NIL.
If elite players are staying in college longer, schools, collectives, and brands will have more opportunities to invest in athletes who previously would have gone straight to pro ball.
6/ Another proposed change:
The MLB Draft would move from 20 rounds to just 12 rounds.
Think about that.
That's 40% fewer draft selections every year.

7/ Fewer draft rounds means more talented players stay in college.

We've already seen this trend since the draft was reduced during COVID.
College baseball has never been deeper.
This proposal would accelerate that trend.
8/ A hard-slotted draft may be equally important.
No more bonus negotiation games.
More transparency.

More certainty for players and families making life-changing decisions.

9/ The biggest winner may be player development.

Historically, college players reach MLB at a higher rate and often move through the minor leagues faster than high school signees.

MLB may be betting on a more efficient development model.

10/ But there are potential concerns.

• Will college rosters become even harder to crack? • What happens to late bloomers? • Will JUCO baseball become even more important? • How will MLB organizations adjust scouting strategies?

11/ If this passes, the ripple effects will touch:

⚾ High School Baseball ⚾ Travel Baseball ⚾ College Recruiting ⚾ NIL ⚾ MLB Scouting ⚾ Transfer Portal Dynamics ⚾ Player Development

Virtually every stakeholder in the baseball ecosystem.

12/ This is only an opening proposal and negotiations are expected to continue.

But if adopted, this could be remembered as one of the most significant structural changes in baseball development since the MLB Draft was created.

What do you think?

Good for players? Good for college baseball? Good for MLB?
Or are there unintended consequences we're not seeing yet?
👇 Let's discuss.

@CaseyDill22 @FASTBaseballCO @TheCatchingGuy @Mike_Rooney

30

153

70

105

53K

JeffreyNegre retweeted

Jeffrey Negre

@JeffreyNegre

Who to follow

Last Seen Users on Sotwe

Trends for you

Most Popular Users