Unlike the NFL draft, the MLB draft doesn’t seem to get as much hype, or attention, or interest – from the fans. Most casual fans wouldn’t even be able to tell you when it takes place or who their team took. Only the most diehard of fans will know about the MLB draft, and even then, a lot of them don’t really seem to care that much about it (compared to the football draft).

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Unlike the NFL, there is no combine, and therefore no 40 times to compare and argue about. Also, half of the kids taken are high school kids who even the most knowledgeable fans know little about. And the other half are college kids who tend to be as equally unknown thanks to a lack of college baseball coverage in the media.

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Once drafted, it can take anywhere from 3~5 years before most prospects start to arrive in the majors. And many tend to either wash out, get injured or traded before they show up playing in the major league uniform of the team who drafted them. Unlike football, the success rate of kids reaching the majors and being productive drops off drastically after the first round or so.

The Cincinnati Reds draft #14 overall after finishing 79-83 in 2011.

They also get 2 “sandwich” picks between rounds 1 and 2, which are extra draft picks you can acquire for losing free agents. In the Reds’ case, the extra picks are for losing Francisco Cordero and Ramon Hernandez (I think?).

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So what’s your take on the MLB draft? And are you going to be following it?