Looking Back:
Drafts in Other Sports
The NFL was reviewed last week.
Major League Baseball: The MLB draft has been going since 1965 and is held in the middle of the season. Generally, the teams pick in reverse order based on last year’s results. The MLB has a lot of high school (prep) athletes picked. In 1965 Rick Monday from ASU was the very first pick (he went to the KC Athletics), but the next seven picks were all high schoolers. But note, very few of the MLB draftees go directly to the Major Leagues (only 23 have done it), and only three since 2000. Pitchers have the best chance to make it to the Majors quickly. MLB is based on the minor leagues developing players and the needs of the parent club. The MLB drafts for 40 rounds compared to NFL’s seven, and the NBA two rounds. The MLB draft was first broadcast on ESPN in ‘07. The MLB draft history is complicated, but the main theme is controlling the cost of procuring new players.
National Basketball Association: The NBA draft is an annual event that typically focuses on college basketball players, but international players are also eligible. College players who have finished their four-year college eligibility are automatically eligible, while underclassmen have to ‘declare’, and give up their remaining college eligibility. International players at least 22 years old are automatically eligible, while players <22 have to declare. The NBA draft started in 1947, and takes place near the end of June. Since ‘89, the draft has consisted of two rounds, drafting sixty players. In the past, high school players were also eligible, (2003 Lebron James for example). However, starting in the ‘06, ‘prep’ players were not eligible directly after graduating. They now have to wait one year after graduation, and be at least 19. The NBA Draft also includes a Lottery, where teams who did not make the playoffs participate in a state-lottery-style process in order to determine the first picks of the draft. The NBA introduced the lottery process in 1985. The league was attempting to counter accusations that teams were losing on purpose. Since 2019, the first four picks have been determined by the lottery.
National Hockey League: The NHL Entry Draft started in 1963. Requirements: North American players 18–20 years old and European/international players 18–21. The NHL drafts for seven rounds. The teams have two years to sign their pick. During the draft, teams take turns selecting amateur players from junior or collegiate leagues and professional players from European leagues. The NHL Draft was known as the NHL Amateur Draft until 1979. In 1994 the draft was solely determined by using the reverse order of the standings. In ‘95 a ‘weighted’ lottery system was started where only non-playoff teams participate and the team’s chances of moving up or down in the draft is determined by the lottery. (It’s a bit complicated.) The playoff teams follow the lottery teams. Their order is determined by how they did in the playoffs.
Major League Soccer: The MLS drafts have evolved based on the league’s needs. The types include: Inaugural, College, Supplement, Super, Contraction, Expansion, and the Re-Entry Drafts. Currently, only the Super Draft is being used. The league has expanded from 10 to 29 teams. The first college draft was held in 1996 and the first Super Draft in 2000. Expansion clubs get the first pick. Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record. Teams that made the MLS Cup Playoffs are then ordered by which round of the playoffs they are eliminated. Since 2010 the MLS Super Draft is considered secondary because the league started its own Youth Academies that feed the parent clubs. In fact, players as young as 14 have received pro contracts and have played in the MLS. The players trained by the Academies are called ‘Homegrown’ players.
USA Lacrosse: Professional Lacrosse had its first draft in 2001. The Premier Lacrosse League was formed in 2019. The PLL 2023 College Draft will take place on May 9. (The draft will pick 32 players.) Most players come from Ivy League colleges. The PLL has eight teams that are not assigned to a particular city. The teams have multiple venues. Kevin Durant is one of its investors.
USA Cricket: Believe it or not an American Cricket draft took place on March 19. It appears MLC (Major League Cricket) will be played this summer, starting with a tournament. Anytime a new league is started things can change quickly. Who will sanction the league was the first big obstacle. It is my understanding a cricket minor league started in 2021. MLC will start with 6 teams. Boy, this be interesting. Hold on to your wickets.
USA Rugby: OK, let us wrap this up with the good old MLR (Major League Rugby). The MLR was started in 2017. It presently has 12 teams. The new league had its first collegiate draft in 2020. They also have their own Youth ‘Academies’.
By the way, I was almost drafted once, but it was into the Army.
Until next time.
