The MaxPreps
High School Baseball 2009 MLB Draft Day Report

A high school baseball player’s journey into the world of Major League Baseball begins with the First-Year Player Draft, annually held by MLB during the second week of June. High school players, along with junior college and eligible college players, make up the pool of available athletes to the 30 teams making selections in the draft. The MLB draft has many layers with each team holding its own draft pick along with possible compensatory and supplemental picks.

Along with a team’s regular first round pick, compensatory first-round selections are also awarded to teams who fail to sign high draft picks from the previous year. These compensatory picks are slotted into the approximate place in the current draft order based on where the team drafted the previous year. For example, if Team A fails to sign a pick that it drafted with the No. 5 selection, it would receive a No. 6 compensatory pick the following year.

Teams also can receive compensatory picks for players lost in free agency. If a player declines salary arbitration and later signs with another team, the signing club must compensate the former team with a draft pick (except for overall picks 1-15 in the first round).

Teams that lose a Type A Free Agent receive a selection in the supplemental round. Teams that qualify for the supplemental round draft make selections beginning with teams with the lowest winning percentage. If a team loses two Type A Free Agents, it would receive a second supplemental draft pick, but only after all other teams with supplemental picks have chosen.