February 2, 2021 – Bradenton, FL –
Major League Baseball has cut 43 of their minor leagues, standardizing the minor league system to just four teams per MLB team. This unfortunate cut of teams has not only left hundreds of current minor leaguers jobless, but has also hurt chances for players to make it to the majors.
The MLB draft usually has 40 rounds with more 900 of the drafted players signing with a minor league affiliate. Without 43 minor league teams there will now be only 20 rounds of the draft, significantly affecting the number of players drafted. With this new minor league system, Hall of Fame players like Mike Piazza and John Smoltz, drafted after the 20th round, would never have been drafted, and may have given up baseball for good.
Although the minor league system has been made smaller, MLB teams will still need access to a large pool of talent. So, where will they look now? Semi-Pro baseball leagues. There is huge possibility for semi-pro leagues to get top talent and become more competitive. The Atlantic League, Frontier League, and the many similar independent leagues will now likely have more players drafted from their teams to the MLB.
The shrinking of the minor league system has also allowed for a new independent league to be created, consisting of eight former Pioneer League franchises. These teams hope to remain in talks with their previous MLB affiliates, and become a new developmental league for undrafted and unsigned players hoping to make it to the MLB.
The 20 round MLB draft will also change where the drafted players are coming from. The usual 40 round draft has always consisted of a mix of top high school and college prospects. With the number of players being cut in half, MLB teams will more likely be drafting mainly from the pool of college players, players whose skills are more developed. This pushes top high school players to continue playing in college or semi-pro leagues. An ESPN top 50 player like Hunter Sallis or Trevor Keels could end up playing for a semi-pro league instead of going the college way. This creates great opportunities for semi-pro leagues to recruit some of the best players, with big potential for the future.
Although the MLB cut of 43 minor league teams hurts the chance for players to get drafted right out of high school or college, it creates new possibilities. Players will have the chance to develop their skills in semi-pro leagues, and semi-pro leagues can become more competitive and entertaining for fans. This cut does not mean that players will never get drafted to the MLB; there will just be a new path to get there.
