For the struggling teams that posted losing records last season, the 2019 MLB Draft brings a rare dose of optimism and the opportunity to turn things around.
Unlike in other sports, though, the flowers of a successful draft do not bloom for several years, so fans of organizations stockpiling talent in the lower minors must be patient. For the Orioles and Royals, who pick first and second respectively this year, escape from a subpar on-field product likely won't come until at least 2021.
Still, the caliber of players available is undeniable. The first round of the 2015 draft, for example, has already graduated Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman, Andrew Benintendi and Walker Buehler, among others. Each year's event generally produces several stars.
Top prospects available this time around include catcher Adley Rutschman (Oregon State), shortstop Bobby Witt (Coleyville Heritage High) and first baseman Andrew Vaughn (Cal).
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When is the MLB Draft in 2019?
- Date: June 3-5
- Start time: 7 p.m. ET (June 3) | the second round starts at 1 p.m. and the third round starts at noon.
- TV channel: MLB Network
- Live stream: MLB.com
The draft will begin the night of June 3 and continue through June 5, with the first night broadcast on MLB Network and the other days streamed on MLB.com.
What time does the MLB Draft start?
The first round of the 2019 MLB Draft begins at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, June 3. Day 2 begins at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 4 with Rounds 3-10. Round 11 starts at noon ET on Wednesday, June 5.
MORE: Looking back at the 2009 MLB Draft — 10 years after Trout
MLB Draft TV schedule, live stream
MLB Network will broadcast a pre-draft show starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 5 before showing the draft from 7 p.m. to the conclusion of the first round. While the other rounds are available exclusively online, MLB Network will continue to provide draft coverage and analysis.
You can also live stream all three days of the event for free on MLB.com.
| Rounds | Date | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| 1-2 | Monday, June 3 | 7 p.m. | MLB Network |
| 3-10 | Tuesday, June 4 | 1 p.m. | MLB.com |
| 11-40 | Wednesday, June 5 | noon | MLB.com |
MORE: Watch 'ChangeUp,' a new MLB live whiparound show on DAZN
MLB Draft 2019 order of picks
First round
| Draft pick | 2018 record |
| 1. Orioles | 47-115 |
| 2. Royals | 58-104 |
| 3. White Sox | 62-100 |
| 4. Marlins | 63-98 |
| 5. Tigers | 64-98 |
| 6. Padres | 66-96 |
| 7. Reds | 67-95 |
| 8. Rangers | 67-95 |
| 9. Braves | Compensation for unsigned 2018 first-rounder Carter Stewart |
| 10. Giants | 73-89 |
| 11. Blue Jays | 73-89 |
| 12. Mets | 77-85 |
| 13. Twins | 78-84 |
| 14. Phillies | 80-82 |
| 15. Angels | 80-82 |
| 16. D-backs | 82-80 |
| 17. Nationals | 82-80 |
| 18. Pirates | 82-79 |
| 19. Cardinals | 88-74 |
| 20. Mariners | 89-73 |
| 21. Braves | 90-72 |
| 22. Rays | 90-72 |
| 23. Rockies | 91-72 |
| 24. Indians | 91-71 |
| 25. Dodgers | 92-71 |
| 26. D-backs | Compensation for unsigned 2018 first-rounder Matt McLain |
| 27. Cubs | 95-68 |
| 28. Brewers | 96-67 |
| 29. Athletics | 97-65 |
| 30. Yankees | 100-62 |
| 31. Dodgers | Compensation for unsigned 2018 first-rounder J.T. Ginn |
| 32. Astros | 103-59 |
| 33. Red Sox | 108-54 |
2019 MLB mock drafts
SN's latest mock draft roundup forms a composite ranking of mock drafts from Baseball America (May 10), MLB.com (May 17), FanGraphs (May 14) and ESPN’s Keith Law (May 6). We’ll do this again as the draft draws closer. Here's how the first five picks are shaping up according to these rankings:
- Orioles: Adley Rutschman, C, Oregon State
- Royals: Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Coleyville (Texas) Heritage High
- White Sox: C.J. Abrams, SS, Blessed Trinity High (Roswell, Ga.)
- Tigers: J.J. Bleday, OF, Vanderbilt
- Marlins: Andrew Vaughn, 1B, Cal
Check out the entire first round here.
MLB Draft 2019 top prospects to know
According to Sporting News baseball writer Ryan Fagan, 11 of the first 20 picks will be college players, a slight uptick from the nine selected last year.
It's a position player heavy draft at the very top. The best of that bunch is probably Adley Rutschman from Oregon State, who is expected to be taken No.1 overall by the Orioles. Among pitchers, left-hander Nick Lodolo (TCU) and Alex Manoah (West Virginia) lead the way.
Here's what you need to know about a few of the top prospects, via Fagan's rankings:
Adley Rutschman, C, Oregon State
Three players from Oregon State went in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft — Nick Madrigal (4), Trevor Larnach (20) and Cadyn Grenier (37) — but Rutschman could be the first Beaver ever to go in the 1:1 spot. A 40th-round pick out of high school by the Mariners, Rutschman earned just about every accolade possible in his sophomore season — including Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series, with 17 hits and 13 RBIs as the Beavers claimed the title — and he’s been even better this season. An elite defensive catcher, Rutschman is hitting .427 with 16 homers, 55 RBIs and a .584 on-base percentage in 52 games for Oregon State this season. Oh, and there’s this: He’s a switch-hitter. Yeah. He’s the consensus No. 1 pick, not just with these four mock drafts but pretty much every one out there.
Bobby Witt, Jr., SS, Coleyville (Texas) Heritage High
Speaking of consensus picks, Witt is No. 2 with pretty much every outlet. He made his biggest national splash last summer, winning the High School Home Run Derby at Nationals Park during MLB’s All-Star Weekend; he powered eight over the outfield fences in 76 seconds to win the title. It’s that kind of power — and a pedigree of being the son of 16-year MLB pitcher Bobby Witt doesn’t hurt — that has him near the top of mock drafts. Here’s a fun challenge: Try to find a scouting report on Witt that doesn’t include the phrase “five-tool player.” I promise it’s difficult.
C.J. Abrams, SS, Blessed Trinity High (Roswell, Ga)
Teams like elite players with speed and power and high ceilings, and Abrams has all three. Where he winds up defensively will have to be determined, but sticking at shortstop seems like a possibility. He’s an Alabama commit, which gives him a bit of leverage — the same leverage every non-college senior has — but you won’t read much (or anything) about that being a huge road block.
Andrew Vaughn, 1B, Cal
Vaughn can hit. He’s only 6 feet tall, which is small for a first baseman, but he hit .402 as a freshman and won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s best amateur baseball player as a sophomore. Nice resume, eh? The folks at MLB.com mention Vaughn as a Plan B for the Orioles with the top pick, and he’ll be a big decision for the Royals at 2 and the White Sox at 3 and the Marlins at 4 and the Tigers at 5. Doesn’t seem like he’d get past there.
J.J. Bleday, OF, Vanderbilt
Few schools produce high picks like Vanderbilt. The list of first-round alums is impressive: David Price, Walker Buehler, Dansby Swanson, Sonny Gray, Mike Minor, Kyle Wright, Pedro Alvarez, Jordan Sheffield and on and on. A star from the time he arrived at Vandy, Bleday was named the top prospect of the Cape Cod league last summer, no small feat. He’s one of those guys who are given the “pure hitter” label.
Check out SN's top 20 list for more information about this year's top prospects.