MLB Draft
'Have to rethink the whole thing:' MLB's downsized draft changes the equation for college baseball
![Portrait of Gabe Lacques](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/-mm-/35abe59abf958110753692b9ba4544991e47e885/c=5-21-573-589/local/-/media/2019/03/15/USATODAY/USATODAY/636882551001088387-Gabe-Lacques.jpg?width=48&height=48&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
USA TODAY
After two years of unprecedented disruption, something resembling a new normal will settle in for Major League Baseball’s draft – 20 rounds, down from 40, feeding far fewer amateurs into player development systems that saw a 26% trim in the number of affiliated teams after a massive reorganization of the minor leagues.
That teardown will have a significant impact on the amateur baseball ecosystem, too, which on one hand could be viewed positively: Fewer high school players signing professional contracts means a talent influx in college baseball, and perhaps a better eventual outcome for borderline talents.
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