The MLB Draft is far less scripted than many people have been led to believe. Contrary to the cliches, most organizations don’t have a good feel for who they’re going to select until just minutes before they’re on the clock.
There are several reasons for this. Most front offices wait to negotiate with agents until an hour or two prior to their selection. It provides leverage and helps avoid the dreaded bidding war in the days/hours leading up to the pick.
Alongside the typical games that come with leverage and negotiations comes surprises when teams are finally on the clock. All too often teams don’t plan for the scenario where a certain player is on the board for their consideration. Executives scrambling at the last second to call agents they haven’t forged relationships with is commonplace. In most cases, a team will have four-to-six names on their board for their …