USA TODAY International Edition
An MLB Draft unlike any other
Three weeks ahead of the 2020 MLB Draft, the first one he’s ever been eligible for, right- hander Ben Wiegman toed a turf mound and unleashed the fastest pitch he’s ever thrown: 98 miles per hour.
Wiegman, who committed to Louisville as an eighth- grader, has long been considered one of the top pitchers in his class, and the 18- year old’s high heat was 5 miles per hour faster than the MLB average. He feels like with a normal spring, on a dirt mound, and with scouts in the stands, he could’ve eclipsed 100 miles per hour — the triple- digit threshold of golden arms that hurries top draft picks into the pro ranks.
“I think I probably would’ve ended up getting drafted in the top couple rounds,” he said of a normal year. “Obviously, you don’t know exactly what would’ve happened.”
His pivotal spring instead was interrupted by the coronavirus, and he wasn’t able to display his talent — “my arm is in the best shape it’s ever been in,” he said — during his senior year at Carmel Catholic in Illinois.
It’s now unlikely he’ll be drafted at all. Instead, the fastballer will probably take the slow route to the pros.
In an effort to save money following coronavirus concerns, the MLB Draft has shifted from its traditional 40 rounds to a five- round affair this year. There were 1,217 players taken last year,
but only 160 picks will be selected this year, 13% of the usual. The draft will be held on Wednesday and Thursday on ESPN.
Not only will fewer players be selected in 2020 but a smaller proportion of high schoolers, specifically, are expected to be drafted. Each year, the vast majority of MLB picks — over 75% of the first 10 rounds — are college players, and that number is expected to rise this year. It’s a strong college class and, without sufficient scouting of top prep players, experts project MLB clubs will load up on college players, safer bets who have had a couple of years to showcase themselves. Plus, prep prospects often fetch higher signing bonuses, which could make cash- strapped teams wary.
“I expect it to be the highest percentage of college players that we’ve seen in a very long time, and maybe ever,” said Baseball America draft expert Carlos Collazo.
Wiegman’s goal has always been to play in the major leagues, but he knows that his pro aspirations may be stalled. He had hoped for a $ 1 million signing bonus, typical of a top- 75 pick, but that’s not likely. If he goes to college, he won’t be eligible for the MLB Draft again until 2023, after his junior season.
“Right now, I do feel ready to play professional baseball, but the thing with these five rounds is it’s going to be extremely college- heavy,” Wiegman said.
He’s more than happy to go to college, though, at Louisville, which began the 2020 campaign at No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports college baseball coaches poll and has a great history of producing draft picks. His brother, Drew, is a freshman infielder at Louisville, and he may be joined by A. J. Vukovich, with whom he trains at Hitters Baseball Academy in Wisconsin.
Vukovich placed second at the 2019 High School Home Run Derby, held during MLB’s event at All- Star Weekend. He’s established himself as a power hitter with enough promise to be drafted in the top five rounds. Still, there are no certainties this year, especially for high school players. Dylan Crews, an LSU signee who was ranked as the No. 68 pro prospect by MLB. com, removed his name from consideration for the draft last week.
Last year, 28 high schoolers were drafted and signed from rounds 6 to 15 for signing bonuses that got as high as $ 922,000. This year, MLB teams may sign any undrafted player after the five rounds conclude, but not for more than $ 20,000 — a minuscule amount when considering the paltry wages minor leaguers earn.
For Vukovich, Wiegman and a slew of top prospects, signing as a free agent is not alluring.
“I would not consider doing that,” Vukovich said of signing for the $ 20K. “I just don’t want to undervalue myself.”
The top- shelf prospects won’t be affected in 2020. They will still be firstround picks and sign for large sums numbering in the millions. The players who would’ve been picked in the later rounds, say the 15th or 20th, won’t be dramatically affected, either, because huge signing bonuses likely aren’t on the line for them.
But for players projected to be picked in the fifth to eight- round range?
“That’s the exact kind of player that’s going to get really screwed over by this draft,” Baseball America’s Collazo said.
Louisville coach Dan McDonnell said that in a typical year, one or two of the team’s signees goes pro, but this year he “wouldn’t be shocked” if it were zero.
Across baseball, the result will be an influx of pro- ready high schoolers enrolling in college. That reality, paired with the fact that many undrafted college players — both juniors and seniors, since they retain an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA — will return to school should make for roster overload in college baseball.
“For college coaches, I think they’re going to have a more difficult time than they’ve ever had figuring out who their team is going to be made up with, who’s going to be getting at bats,” Collazo said.
The draft classes in each of the next three years are likely to be influenced, and if MLB teams are unable to scout prep players this summer due to the coronavirus, that could affect the high school draft class of next spring. Ripples from this draft will continue, most immediately in the probable college careers of players like Vukovich and Wiegman as they adapt to the once- in- a- lifetime wrench thrown into the MLB Draft machine.
Said Wiegman, “There’s never been anything like this.”