MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, presiding last night over his initial First-Year Player Draft since taking over the league’s top job in January, said he intends to make further progress with the NCAA to harmonize the sport’s calendar and aid the transition for amateur players turning pro. The MLB Draft, marking its 50th anniversary, continues to lag well behind the major media and fan attention paid to the NFL and NBA Drafts. Beyond the longer development time typically needed by MLB draftees to reach a major league roster, the MLB Draft has traditionally conflicted with the NCAA’s upcoming College World Series. Negotiations have been ongoing about fixing that conflict, along with establishing a clearer path of player development. Some of those efforts will also be subject to collective bargaining with the MLBPA. “We have certain logistical limitations, the most important of which is the fact a lot of the college players are still playing, and it’s difficult to have them here,” Manfred said. “This event, like every event, is about the players. That is a limitation. We’re going to try to have conversations with the NCAA about a little better coordination of calendars so we can make the event even better going forward. I don’t think we’re necessarily talking huge shifts" (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). Manfred said MLB "might be open to holding the draft during a different week -- or even at a new venue." He added, "I think the opportunity for our fans to see young men who are being drafted, the excitement that it generates for those young people makes for great television. It's something we need to strive to have more of." Manfred in an interview on MLB Network added that he would "like to see the draft include international players." Manfred: "I've long been a believer that it makes sense for everybody to enter the game through the same mechanism. I think there's a fundamental fairness to have everybody enter the game through the same system" (AP, 6/9).
