Cincinnati Reds news: MLB Draft to be held remotely in mid-June

Not surprisingly, when the Cincinnati Reds make the No. 12 selection in this year’s MLB Draft, it will be done remotely. The draft begins on June 10th.

The MLB Draft will not be the same this year. Most fans already know that the draft has been shortened from 40 to just five rounds, but when the Cincinnati Reds make the No. 12 overall pick, they will do so remotely, as will every other major league team. The draft is slated for June 10th and 11th.

According to a memo ascertained by Jeff Passan of ESPN, MLB will do a remote draft. According to Passan, the teams will not have a draft room and will do all drafting via video conference. This will likely very closely micmic what we saw from the NFL last month.

According to the memo obtained by Passan, Reds fans can expect president of baseball operations  Dick Williams or general manager Nick Krall to be sent a video kit and be on camera with no audio when making the selections for Cincinnati.

There are 37 picks in the first round, with the Detroit Tigers making the first selection. The No. 12 pick in the 2020 MLB Draft represents the lowest Cincinnati has selected since 2014 when the Reds took right-handed pitcher Nick Howard with the 19th selection out of the University of Virginia.

The past four years have seen Cincinnati make a Top 10 selection. In 2015, the Reds took catcher Tyler Stephenson with the No. 11 overall pick. The last time the Reds picked 12th, Cincinnati took catcher Yasmani Grandal out of the University of Miami in 2010. That turned out pretty well, despite Grandal never playing a game for Cincinnati.

Round 1 of the 2020 MLB Draft begins at 7 PM on Wednesday, June 10th. Rounds 2-5 will be on Thursday, June 11th. In total, only 160 picks will be made. However, after the competition of the five round draft, teams can sign undrafted players for a signing bonus up to $20,000.

The Cincinnati Reds, as most major league teams will do, typically select the best available player on their board. Unlike the NBA or even the NFL, value tops need. MLB.com’s latest mock draft has Cincinnati taking high school outfielder Austin Hendrick.