Diversity will take a big hit in MLB Draft

The Major League Baseball Draft is coming, but no one knows the date or whether there even will be a central site.

The draft no longer will be 40 rounds, and it might be slashed to as few as five — an 87.5% reduction in players.

Scouts are permitted to talk with prospective draft picks by phone, text or Zoom, but they can’t even bump into them at the local burger carry-out.

They can study video, even going back to their Little League days, but anything filmed after March 27 is prohibited.

These are the new rules during the unprecedented times of the coronavirus pandemic, preparing for a draft like no other.

It’s widely considered to be a deep and strong amateur draft, one that has had teams salivating for years. But with draft limits in place and signing-bonus restrictions embedded, there is a growing fear MLB is endangering its future.

‘‘I’ll tell you what’s going to happen: You’re going to crush the dreams of kids playing baseball,’’ said agent Lonnie Murray, an African American woman who has represented baseball players since 2004. ‘‘The opportunity is lost now. You had kids excited about what was supposed to be a pivotal moment in their life — getting drafted — and now that’s gone.

‘‘And you know who that hurts the most? All of the kids who play in underserved communities, especially black and Latino players.’’

MLB negotiated in its agreement with the players’ union the option of limiting the draft to five rounds. If that’s the case, there might be a dearth of minority players entering the draft.

A year ago, there were only 17 African American and seven Latino high school players drafted in the first five rounds and only 12 from Division I colleges. If the draft is limited to five rounds and undrafted players can sign for no more than $20,000, where do those kids go? There were 72 African American and Latino kids from Division I schools drafted after the fifth round a year ago. Such players suddenly could disappear this year.

Sure, college is an option, but what if you can’t afford it? What are your chances of landing one of the 11.7 baseball scholarships per school stipulated by the NCAA? (Football Bowl Subdivision schools are permitted 95 scholarships.)

‘‘My biggest fear with the draft is that you now go back to the trend,’’ Murray said. ‘‘You’re going back to families that had the money to send their kids to college or the kids with two-parent households that are able to afford to send their son to all of the showcase events.

‘‘A large number of kids in underserved, unrepresented communities aren’t going to be afforded the same opportunity. Where is that door for them to walk through? Where is the pathway to play? They’re going to be left behind, and that’s just wrong.’’

With the decline of African American players to only 7.7% on Opening Day rosters and injured lists in 2019, MLB consciously has tried to reverse the trend. It has spent millions in urban academies, RBI programs, showcase events and diversity and fellowship programs.

But with the draft wiping out about 1,000 players who normally would be selected, MLB is jeopardizing all of the inroads it has made in the inner-city communities.

The MLB landscape is filled with veteran African American and Latino players — including Albert Pujols (13th round, 1999) and Lorenzo Cain (17th round, 2004) — who were late-round draft picks. Under the new system, however, they might not have gotten a chance.

If the draft is limited to five rounds, what is going to happen to all of those players?

‘‘We are hopeful that those kids will still sign, even if they’re not drafted,’’ said Tony Clark, the executive director of the MLB Players Association. ‘‘But there are concerns that young minority kids aren’t going to be provided the same opportunity as others, especially in a climate [in which] we’ve seen so many changes.’’

Major-league scouting departments still are holding out hope the draft, which must be conducted between June 10 and July 20, is at least 10 rounds. The extra five rounds would cost teams only about $1 million, and it would add 150 more players into the draft.

‘‘If your intended goal is to increase diversity, then why are we taking away their opportunity?’’ Murray said. ‘‘What are we doing here? We’re depleting the talent pool.’’