As the Yankees prepare to mold their future, the 2020 MLB Draft will offer the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to far fewer candidates than ever before.
The draft was once an endlessly sprawling event, replete with 62 rounds of potential selections with treasure at every turn (hello, Pick No. 1,390: Mike Piazza!). The modern iteration had been whittled down to 40 rounds, until the coronavirus pandemic, combined with dissent between MLB and its minor league affiliates, knocked the tradition down to a mere five rounds in 2020.
That’s an entire universe of talent that will be forced to either sign contracts as undrafted free agents, or reenter the pool in 2021.