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Baseball's Draft has come a long way
Annual event sure to be memorable for fans in attendance
There is one day remaining before the 2008 First-Year Player Draft will begin, and for all intent and purposes, Tampa Bay is on the clock. When Commissioner Bud Selig announces which player the Rays have taken with the first pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft on Thursday afternoon, the long wait will be over. The 2008 Draft will be under way and the future of professional baseball will change once again, adjusting to the talents of whoever the Rays elect to make the top selection. There will be 29 other selections to follow in the first round before supplemental picks are made.
So it will go until each of the 30 teams has exhausted its supply of picks sometime late Friday afternoon. While none of the players chosen over the two-day span at The Milk House figures to make a major impact this season -- though it could happen -- the future of the game will forever be changed once the Commissioner announces that first selection.
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There won't be any need for telephones, telegraphs or messengers to get the word out about who will be chosen this season as there was in Monday's day. That's because MLB.com will be there to bring it to you live, once again broadcasting every pick of the Draft. Coverage on Day 1 begins at 2 p.m. ET, with a simulcast of ESPN2's national broadcast of the first round and compensation picks.
So who will be the first selection? According to Rays the five players under consideration are: Florida State catcher Buster Posey; Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez; Georgia high school shortstop Tim Beckham; San Diego left-hander Brian Matusz; and California high school catcher Kyle Skipworth. Mayo's prediction is Beckham.
Whether it's Beckham, Posey or any of the other aforementioned amateur stars, expect several of the top players to be on hand to hear their names called. Who will be in attendance has yet to be determined because the NCAA playoffs are ongoing.
As for the First-Year Player Draft itself, each of the 30 Major League clubs will have a special representative at its table during the opening rounds of the selection process, helping to announce and welcome that club's latest would-be stars. There will be Hall of Famers, World Series heroes, Cy Young Award winners and sentimental favorites on hand at Disney World to help usher in baseball's newest era.
And the future is now. Well, sort of. The only way to know is to tune in or show up and be part of the day's festivities.
Kevin T. Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
FIRST ROUND
1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. Pittsburgh Pirates
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. San Francisco Giants
6. Florida Marlins
7. Cincinnati Reds
8. Chicago White Sox
9. Washington Nationals
10. Houston Astros
11. Texas Rangers
12. Oakland Athletics
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Minnesota Twins
15. Los Angeles Dodgers
16. Milwaukee Brewers
17. Toronto Blue Jays
18. New York Mets (Glavine/Braves)
19. Chicago Cubs
20. Seattle Mariners
21. Detroit Tigers
22. New York Mets
23. San Diego Padres
24. Philadelphia Phillies
25. Colorado Rockies
26. Arizona Diamondbacks
27. Minnesota Twins (Hunter/Angels)
28. New York Yankees(hopefully Yankees get agreat pick)
29. Cleveland Indians
30. Boston Red Sox
