Shortened MLB Draft Could Cause Team To Miss Out On Future Stars

The chances of teams finding hidden gems this year in Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft seems like an impossible task.

The draft, which begins Wednesday, will consist of just five rounds rather than the customary 40. MLB has opted to shorten the draft to limit the amount of bonus money paid to picks in response to revenues lost due to the suspension of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thus, there will no finds in the later rounds by teams whose scouts spotted a player who might have been overlooked by other organizations.

While it is not as likely, impact players can still be chosen deep into the draft. The following is a list of four Hall of Famers and one other player destined for Cooperstown who were selected in the 11^th round or later:

ANDRE DAWSON

Year drafted: 1975

Round: 11th

Dawson was playing at Florida A&M, a history black university, when the Montreal Expos spotted him. Barely more than a year later, he made his major league debut and wound up spending 21 seasons as an outfielder with the Expos, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins.

“The Hawk” batted .279/.323/.482 in his career with 438 home runs and 314 stolen bases. He was National League Most Valuable Player in 1987 with the Cubs and played in eight All-Star Game.

Dawson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.

MIKE PIAZZA

Year drafted: 1988

Round: 62^nd

Piazza’s story has been told many times. He was a first baseman at Miami-Dade College and son of one of Tommy Lasorda’s childhood friends. Piazza was drafted as a favor to the Dodgers’ Hall of Fame manager.

Converted to a catcher, Piazza went on to a Hall of Fame career over 16 seasons with the Dodgers, Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics. He was selected to 12 All-Star Games while batting .308/.377/.545 with 427 homers.

Piazza was inducted into the Hall in 2016.

ALBERT PUJOLS

Year drafted: 1999

Round: 13th

As hard as it is to believe now, Pujols was relatively unknown as an amateur after moving to the United States from the Dominican Republic as a teenager. However, the St. Louis Cardinals found Pujols at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, Mo.

Pujols made a quick climb to the major leagues, debuting on opening day in 2001. He figures to be a lock to gain induction in Cooperstown five years after his playing career ends as he has three NL MVP awards and 10 All-Star Game selections on his resume.

In 19 seasons with the Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels, Pujols has hit .300/.379/.549 while smacking 656 home runs.

NOLAN RYAN

Year drafted: 1965

Round: 12^th

Ryan was selected during the first draft in 1965. However, the hard-throwing high school right-hander from Alvin, Texas lasted until the 12^th round before the Mets, on the advice of legendary scout Red Murff, selected him.

Barely more than a year after the draft, Ryan made his big league debut and ended up pitching for 27 seasons with the Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. His 5,714 strikeouts stand as the all-time record and he compiled a 324-292 record and 3.19 earned run average.

Ryan was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.

RYNE SANDBERG

Year drafted: 1978

Round: 20^th

Sandberg was a standout quarterback at North Central High School in Spokane, Wash., and had accepted a football scholarship to Washington State. However, the Philadelphia Phillies took a shot on him in the draft and convinced him to become a professional baseball player.

Sandberg played in just 13 games for the Phillies in 1981 before being traded to the Cubs and becoming a franchise icon. He was picked to the All-Star Game in 10 of his 16 seasons and won the 1984 NL MVP while batting .285/.344/.452 in his career with 282 homers and 344 steals.

Sandberg was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.