Draft prospect lists are even more theoretical than usual

Nobody is going to Chicago except the White Sox personnel who live there, but perhaps the White Sox wanted to send Yermin Mercedes a message for his “see you in Chicago” with their latest/last round of spring training cuts.

The White Sox announced three procedural roster moves Monday, optioning catchers Zack Collins and Yermin Mercedes and pitcher Jose Ruiz to Triple-A Charlotte.

I actually don’t know for sure why these moves were made when they were. Perhaps they need to reduce their spring roster to an active roster by the end of original spring training despite the delay, and they’re just working their way through players with options.

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Keith Law posted his top 30 draft prospects at The Athletic, and with baseball seasons on all levels grounded until further notice, it’s weird to think that the lists that come out in mid-March might basically be the same lists waiting for us in mid-June.

In fact, if no games are played, players/coaches/advisors/agents are probably have to go to unusual lengths to make the second- and third-day prospects known, because Major League Baseball issued a moratorium on scouting that makes the most natural kinds of workarounds illegal.

Effective immediately, the Commissioner’s Office hereby imposes a temporary prohibition on all Club scouting activities, both domestic and international. During this time, Clubs may not hold tryouts (public or private) or attend non-Club amateur baseball events (e.g. games, showcases, workouts). Clubs also may not conduct in-home or other in-person visits or administer any tests or assessments of amateur players that are done as part of the pre-draft or pre-signing process. In addition, Clubs may not encourage players to conduct tryouts, workouts or games that Clubs would be able to watch remotely. These prohibitions will be in effect until further notice. 

The memo goes on to say that the league is still considering when to hold the draft.

With the MLB season, I can envision a whole bunch of different scenarios based on the calendar — 110-game season, 80-game season, weird two-month tournament, scratching the whole thing, etc. The season is going to be tagged as a compromised endeavor like the split season in 1981 or the years plotted around the World Wars, but the sport should find a way to go on. Settling the issues of service time and contracts will take some work, but the end result should look largely familiar.

The draft has a whole ‘nother set of complications because the system is designed to keep moving. The NCAA preserved a year of eligibility for spring athletes, but that still creates a backup with underclassmen who were supposed to break out, and the high school seniors who are hunting for scholarships of their own.

Not being entirely familiar with all the machinations involved in scouting and collegiate player procurement, I don’t have confidence in producing an ironclad idea, but my thinking leads me to a two-stage draft process — an abbreviated June draft, followed by a second draft or signing period for players who needed a spring season to establish their reputations, and might be able to show something in a showcase or workout format once restrictions are lifted.

I realize that kinda dovetails with one of the pillars of the dreaded Jeff Luhnow Plan for Minor League Baseball — reducing the draft to 20 rounds or so — which might make it a non-starter or more realistic, depends on who’s looking at this. But as long as this process isn’t ultimately designed to draft fewer names to fill fewer rosters, perhaps it’s a decent way to get by. The draft is one of the few safe ways baseball can make actual positive news, and the longer they watch NFL free agency get the entire world to itself, the more they might be inspired to generate their own action.

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