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Wait continues for hundreds of undrafted baseball players

AP photo by Butch Dill / Florida pitcher Tommy Mace, shown during an SEC tournament game against Texas A&M on May 21, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala., was not taken on either day of the five-round MLB amateur draft this week. Mace, among the top prospects not selected, is returning to the Gators for his senior season, but other players will agree to contracts with MLB teams in the coming days. AP photo by Butch Dill / Florida pitcher Tommy Mace, shown during an SEC tournament game against Texas A&M on May 21, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala., was not taken on either day of the five-round MLB amateur draft this week. Mace, among the top prospects not selected, is returning to the Gators for his senior season, but other players will agree to contracts with MLB teams in the coming days.

By DENNIS WASZAK Jr. / The Associated Press June 13, 2020 5 min read

NEW YORK – They sat anxiously by their phones, computers and TVs, hoping to hear their names called by Major League Baseball teams.

Instead, the waiting continues for hundreds of young players.

MLB’s amateur draft wrapped up Thursday night, shaved to only five rounds over two days from the usual 40 rounds over three because of the coronavirus pandemic – a move that figures to save teams about $30 million. So, instead of more than 1,200 players celebrating the start of their professional careers, only 160 can do so right now.

For the rest, they must carefully weigh their options. And so must MLB teams.

“In terms of the postdraft signings, it’s going to be different,” said David Stearns, the Milwaukee Brewers’ general manager and president of baseball operations. “There are probably going to be all sorts of different mechanics in play there and market forces in play that we haven’t seen in the past.”