First round in 20 years

Tyler Kolek, 2nd overall pick in 2014

There were only 5 rounds in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. In total, 160 players were selected and they all agreed to contracts. The Detroit Tigers that had the worst record in the 2019 season used the first overall pick to select Spencer Torkelson, an infielder from Arizona State University.

In the 2020 Draft, 37 players were selected in the first round (including competitive balance round). Among these players, 15 are pitchers, 4 are catchers, 12 are infielders and 6 are outfielders. We might not truly understand what these numbers can tell us. However, if we look at the numbers from 2000 to 2020, we can see something interesting.

From 2016 to 2020, there are 192 players, who were selected in the first round (including compensation round and competitive balance round), agreed to contracts. Among these 192 players, 82 are pitchers. When we pay attention to the chart, it shows that fewer pitchers were selected in the first round gradually. From 2000 to 2005, 132 pitchers were drafted in the first round. From 2006 to 2010, 126 pitchers were chosen in the first round. From 2011 to 2015, there were still more than 100 pitchers picked. At the same time, we don’t see huge changes in the numbers of catchers and infielders, who were chosen in the first round. From 2011 to 2015, the number of outfielders, who were picked in the first round, rose to 60.

Let’s do some calculations to see percentage changes. From 2000 to 2010, more than 50% of players selected in the first round were pitchers. But, things changed in the last decade. It dropped to less than 50% from 2011 to 2020. Meanwhile, the numbers of outfielders went up. More than 20% of players drafted in the first round were outfielders from 2011 to 2020. We also see an upward trend in the infielders. Approximately 30% of players drafted by the MLB franchises were infielders in these 5 years. 

There is no good or bad in the numbers. However, it helps us understand the trends in the MLB draft. In the first decade of the 2000s, pitchers were usually the top choices for an MLB team. In the last decade, more outfielders and infielders did draw more attention from the MLB scouts and front office staff. There are several possibilities to the “shifts”. Previously, it is believed that pitching was 70%-75% of baseball, however, there are several studies, which indicate that pitching is less than 60% of baseball. Besides, in the past, it would be easier for pitchers to capture scouts’ attention because scouts can easily measure pitch velocity, particularly, fastball velocity, which was one asset that scouts treasure. Thirdly, with technology and data analytics, there are more innovative ways for MLB franchises to evaluate a player and his potential.

Baseball has evolved. We see the changes in the first round in these 20 years. The future is unpredictable. However, it will be very worth watching to see whether there will be any surprises in the MLB draft in this new decade.