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MLB Draft

'Have to rethink the whole thing:' MLB's downsized draft changes the equation for college baseball

Portrait of Gabe Lacques Gabe Lacques
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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