The Rockies and 29 other teams are about to get shiny new prospects. Major League Baseball’s Rule 4 draft begins tonight in Secaucus, New Jersey. There will be 40 rounds plus interstitial competitive balance and compensation rounds, ultimately resulting in over 1,200 players being drafted. Not all of them will sign, especially late round high school selections, but they’ll all forever have their names coupled with one of 30 teams on Baseball Reference.
How do I watch?
MLB Network and MLB.com will begin exclusive coverage of the draft at 4:00 p.m. MDT. The first picks should take place around 5:00 p.m. MDT. TV coverage drops off after the Competitive Balance Round A, the 43rd selection, but MLB.com will continue to stream all picks up to 78, through second round the second slate of compensation picks.
The draft will continue Tuesday and Wednesday. MLB.com will have coverage on these two days beginning each day 10:30 a.m. MDT. Rounds 3-10 will take place on Tuesday, and things wrap up on Wednesday with rounds 11-40.
Where will the Rockies pick?
Unlike last year, the Rockies will have a first round selection. In fact, they’ll pick twice before the second round begins. Because of the Rockies 87-75 record in 2017, they’ll pick at the lower end of the first round, pick number 22. They also have pick number 42 in Competitive Balance Round A. (Competitive Balance Rounds come right after the first and second rounds of the Rule 4 draft. They are for teams that are either in one of the 10 smallest markets or have one of the 10 smallest revenue pools.) The Rockies third and final selection on the first day of the draft will be pick number 76.
Who will the Rockies pick?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It’s really tough to predict a relatively late first round selection. That said, the current Rockies front office has displayed some tendencies that give us a general idea of the type of player the Rockies will choose. The Rockies have tended to either go with high ceiling prep position players or more polished college pitchers. There are exceptions to that overall trend—Riley Pint was a high ceiling prep pitcher and Garret Hampson a polished college position player—but that’s mostly been the rule.
Purple Row’s Matt Kok has provided excellent coverage of possible first round selections for the Rockies, and there are mock drafts aplenty around the internet. My personal favorite possibilities are a first baseman named Beer (Clemson first baseman Seth Beer—Beer time!), a pitcher named Grayson (Grayson Rodriguez, or “Son of Gray” as he may be known), and a catcher who’s both a switch hitter and a switch pitcher (Anthony Siegler).
How can I follow what the Rockies do?
On Purple Row, obviously. We’ll have a draft tracker and analysis of the Rockies’ early picks, and you can always follow along on Facebook and Twitter (@PurpleRow).