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FORT WORTH, TX - JULY 14: Cam Caminiti takes the stage after being drafted by the Atlanta Braves with the 24th pick of the first round during the 2024 MLB Draft presented by Nike at Cowtown Coliseum on Sunday, July 14, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Seriously, does anyone think this is weird? When the Draft was moved to align with the All-Star Break, it seemed like a no-brainer to actually put the draft during the All-Star Break. Instead, this weekend, the Draft will begin while teams are still playing their final games heading into the Break. It’s just so weird, like cannibalizing your own viewership. I guess it’s somewhat consistent with MLB’s overall contempt for the regular season, and the idea that no one is going to revolt in terms of local viewership just because a couple of games coincide with something else… but it still feels suboptimal.
Like, the Draft itself is from 1pm to 7:45 pm ET on Saturday, and from 11:30am to 7:30 pm ET on Sunday. You could have everyone play day games and push it into the night. Or, more duh-ingly, just push it into Monday and Tuesday. I understand that MLB might want to have the Draft be more of a hoopla/spectacle like the drafts in other sports, but come on: Day 1 will feature 135 picks in nearly seven hours, a rate of about 20 picks an hour. One pick every three minutes is an awful, interminable “pace of play” as far as viewership goes, and the fact that it’s going four rounds and teams can play underslot games really dents the wide audience viewing interest of it all. If you want to hype up the first few picks, start the Saturday games earlier, put Round 1 on weekend primetime and let the rest go after, trailing into the night. Day 2 is more rapid-fire but also not much to watch live, so they could even put Day 1 on Sunday where all games are over before evening primetime anyway, and burn off Day 2 when there are no games.
In the end, this doesn’t matter, it’s just… weird. I guess like, “Still trying to make the All-Star Game a thing in 2026,” weird, so that tracks.
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