MLB Draft: When is the draft, where do the Angels pick, start time, more

Where to watch the 2020 MLB Draft, what time does it start, where do the Angels pick, where to watch, and all the other information you need to know.

The 2020 MLB Draft is set to get underway on Wednesday evening against a backdrop of uncertainty for the game of baseball. Between the Coronavirus pandemic and the resulting labor dispute, we have yet to see a live game in 2020. Likewise, minor league baseball has been essentially wiped out this season, with only whispers of a potential winter league for prospects being bandied about.

What better time than now to look to the future of the game?

This year’s MLB Draft is going to look quite a bit different than those of years past. Between format changes, cheating scandals, social distancing, and more, there are a lot of moving parts to wrap our heads around.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the important things we all need to know as we head into the 2020 MLB Draft.

When Is the 2020 MLB Draft?

The 2020 MLB Draft is slated to run over a two night period, with the first round beginning on Wednesday, June 10th, and rounds two through five being completed in the afternoon of Thursday, June 11th.

Where is the 2020 MLB Draft?

Originally slated to be aired live from Omaha, Nebraska, home of the College World Series, the league has been forced to once again make a change. Like the NFL Draft, the MLB Draft will instead be conducted virtually, as the league tries to adhere to social distancing in light of coronavirus.

Still, that could add some entertainment value to the draft, as fans will get a peek inside the homes or offices of their team representatives. Angels fans will certainly be hopeful that the team will find a way to involve Joe Maddon and perhaps a pajama theme for the war room.

How to watch the 2020 MLB Draft?

As the event will be aired virtually, that means no live attendance. However, the 2020 MLB Draft will be carried on both ESPN and the MLB Network, and a live stream will be played on MLB.com as well for all of you cord-cutters out there.

The first round will be aired on Wednesday starting at 7 pm Eastern and rounds two through five will go live on Thursday starting at 5 pm Eastern.

Draft Dates: Wednesday, June 10 (Round 1) and Thursday, June 11 (Rounds 2-5)
Start times: 7 pm ET (Wednesday) and 5 pm ET (Thursday)
Networks: ESPN, MLB Network
Live stream: ESPN Plus, MLB.com

How many rounds are in the 2020 MLB Draft?

The 2020 MLB Draft will be unlike any other you’ve ever seen. With the Coronavirus wreaking havoc on the game in 2020, the league and its owners opted to reduce the size of the draft from 40 rounds to just five. There will be just 37 total picks in the first round and 160 total picks overall, including compensation rounds.

The impact on a shortened draft could be huge for organizations with already weakened farm systems. While teams can sign an unlimited number of undrafted players for a maximum of $20,000 each, that will likely limit the pool of players to those that are college graduate players who won’t be returning for another year of eligibility. Most top-tier players will likely choose to go the college route or return to school to re-enter with a larger bonus pool in future years.

Where do the Angels pick in the 2020 MLB Draft?

The Los Angeles Angels will see their first pick of the draft happen in the number 10 slot. However, the team has just four selections in the draft, having forfeited their second-round pick due to signing Anthony Rendon this winter. The Angels pick slots are as follows:

Round 1 – 10th Overall – $4,739,900

Round 3 – 83rd Overall – $744,200

Round 4 – 111th Overall – $522,600

Round 5 – 141st Overall – $390,400

Other interesting facts to know for the 2020 MLB Draft

While teams normally forfeit draft picks when signing players that had been presented with qualifying offers from their prior years, this year’s MLB Draft features multiple forfeited picks for less than savory reasons.

The Houston Astros will give up both their first and second-round picks in the 2020 MLB Draft, and also see the same forfeiture in 2021. This comes as a landmark punishment passed down by Major League Baseball in conjunction with the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. The team was caught using live cameras and banging trash cans to relay pitch information to the hitter in 2017 and 2018.

Likewise, the Boston Red Sox will also lose a draft pick for illegally using replay footage to decipher signals from other teams. However, because the league found that Boston wasn’t using their methods during live at-bats and it appeared to be a rogue employee rather than a team-mandated process, they were stripped of just their second-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.

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