The big day is here! The 2018 MLB draft will take place today, Monday, June 4, and the Detroit Tigers are leading off the festivities with the No. 1 pick. The Tigers will also be playing a doubleheader against the New York Yankees, with their second game set to kick off right around the time when MLB commissioner Rob Manfred will be announcing Detroit’s first selection in the draft. How do I watch the 2018 MLB draft? How to watch Day 1 of the MLB draft Time: 7:00 p.m. TV: MLB Network (6:00 p.m. preview show, 7:00 p.m. draft coverage) Stream: MLB.com Rounds: 1-2, plus the compensation and competitive balance rounds How to watch Day 2 of the MLB draft Date/Time: Tuesday, June 5, 1:00 p.m. Stream: MLB.com Rounds: 3-10 How to watch Day 3 of the MLB draft Date/Time: Wednesday, June 6, 1:00 p.m. Stream: MLB.com Rounds: 11-40 Who will the Tigers take No. 1 overall? The likely favorite is right-handed pitcher Casey Mize, out of Auburn. Mize has been the top prospect on draft boards all spring, and has been the No. 1 pick in nearly every mock draft available since February. Mize did nothing to change anyone’s mind over the weekend, tossing seven innings of one-run ball in the NCAA regional. Mize’s Tigers will move on to the NCAA Super Regionals after destroying NC State 15-7 on Sunday evening. What if the Tigers don’t take Mize? If the Tigers go elsewhere — that’s a very big if at this point — they would go with one of two other options. Florida righthander Brady Singer has been the 1b to Mize’s 1a on draft boards recently, and was an early favorite to go first overall before Mize bulldozed his way through the SEC. Georgia Tech catcher Joey Bart is also a possibility, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo. Bart is a fantastic two-way player who could draw comparisons to [insert elite catcher here] if he progresses well at the next level. Of all the college bats available, he could be the biggest gamechanger. Wisconsin prep outfielder Jarred Kelenic was once involved too, but seems to have fallen out of favor with the Tigers. So, if Mize is the No. 1 pick, he’s basically Justin Verlander ? No. Don’t even start with those comparisons. What’s all this about slot bonus money? Each pick is tied to a certain dollar amount, or slot value. Teams are allowed to exceed that amount to sign their draft pick, but only by five percent before they start to accrue penalties. The Tigers have $12,414,800 in slot bonus money for their entire draft class, with roughly $8 million of that tied to the No. 1 overall pick. While Mize is certain to ask for all of it, no player has even come within $1 million of the full slot bonus for the No. 1 overall pick since the new slot bonus system was implemented. How many other picks do the Tigers have? The Tigers have 40 picks in all, one in each round. Their second round pick will come at No. 44 overall, after a round of compensation picks and competitive balance selections. Their third round pick is at No. 79 overall, after another round of compensation and competitive balance picks. They will have the first selection in every round after that, starting at No. 105 overall in the fourth round. Who will the Tigers take in those rounds? Put bluntly, we have no idea. The MLB draft is notoriously unpredictable, and a few prominent names are sure to drop for reasons unknown on draft night. We have identified several players who could be available at those spots, but it’s anyone’s guess, really. The Tigers have reportedly been targeting high school outfielders for their second round pick, but that could change once the chips start to fall on Monday evening. Where can I read more about this year’s draft? We have been covering the MLB draft all spring long, from rumors to mock drafts to individual profiles. Check out our Tigers Draft Coverage hub for more info. Over at The Athletic, friends of the site Max Bultman and Emily Waldon have been providing excellent info with a Tigers slant. Max recently pondered possible Day 1 strategies for the Tigers, while Emily identified some prospects that should be available later in the draft. Max also stopped by as a guest on our podcast last week. You can also find national coverage at FanGraphs, Minor League Ball, ESPN, Baseball America, and elsewhere.<doc-sep>USA TODAY Sports The Detroit Tigers have No. 1 overall pick for second time in franchise history, and the first since taking Rice pitcher Matt Anderson in 1997. The Major League Baseball draft starts Monday and continues for 40 rounds over three days, with first two rounds (and two “competitive balance rounds”). MORE ON THE DRAFT Draft info Where: MLB Network Headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey Schedule: Monday (Rounds 1-2; 7 p.m. ET); Tuesday (Rounds 3-10; 1 p.m. ET); Wednesday (Rounds 11-40; 12 p.m. ET) TV: MLB Network (Round 1) Live Stream: MLB.com (All rounds) First round 1. Detroit Tigers 2. San Francisco Giants 3. Philadelphia Phillies 4. Chicago White Sox 5. Cincinnati Reds 6. New York Mets 7. San Diego Padres 8. Atlanta Braves 9. Oakland Athletics 10. Pittsburgh Pirates 11. Baltimore Orioles 12. Toronto Blue Jays 13. Miami Marlins 14. Seattle Mariners 15. Texas Rangers 16. Tampa Bay Rays 17. Los Angeles Angels 18. Kansas City Royals 19. St. Louis Cardinals 20. Minnesota Twins 21. Milwaukee Brewers 22. Colorado Rockies 23. New York Yankees 24. Chicago Cubs 25. Arizona Diamondbacks 26. Boston Red Sox 27. Washington Nationals 28. Houston Astros 29. Cleveland Indians 30. Los Angeles Dodgers Compensation picks If a team losing a qualifying free agent is a revenue-sharing recipient and if the lost player signs for at least $50 million, then the team is awarded a compensatory pick between the first round and Competitive Balance Round A. If the player signs for less than $50 million, the compensation pick for the team comes after Competitive Balance Round B. 31. Tampa Bay Rays (compensation for Alex Cobb, who signed with the Orioles. Baltimore forfeited its second-round pick.) 32. Tampa Bay Rays (compensation for not signing Drew Rasmussen) 33. Kansas City Royals (compensation for Lorenzo Cain, who signed with the Brewers. Milwaukee forfeited its third-round pick.) 34. Kansas City Royals (compensation for Eric Hosmer, who signed with the Padres. San Diego forfeited its second-round pick.) 35. Cleveland Indians (compensation for Carlos Santana, who signed with the Phillies. Philadelphia forfeited its second-round pick.) Competitive Balance Round A Teams that have either one of the 10 smallest markets or 10 smallest revenue pools receive an additional pick at the end of the first or second round. In 2017, six picks were assigned between the first and second rounds based on a formula that considers winning percentage and revenue. The remaining eight eligible teams received a supplemental selection between the second and third rounds. In 2018, the groups of teams switch places. Competitive Balance picks may be traded and are not subject to forfeiture. 36. Pittsburgh Pirates 37. Baltimore Orioles 38. San Diego Padres 39. Arizona Diamondbacks 40. Kansas City Royals 41. Cleveland Indians 42. Colorado Rockies 43. St. Louis Cardinals Second round 44. Detroit Tigers 45. San Francisco Giants 46. Chicago White Sox 47. Cincinnati Reds 48. New York Mets 49. Atlanta Braves 50. Oakland Athletics 51. Pittsburgh Pirates 52. Toronto Blue Jays 53. Miami Marlins 54. Seattle Mariners 55. Texas Rangers 56. Tampa Bay Rays 57. Los Angeles Angels 58. Kansas City Royals 59. Minnesota Twins 60. Milwaukee Brewers 61. New York Yankees 62. Chicago Cubs 63. Arizona Diamondbacks 64. Boston Red Sox 65. Washington Nationals 66. Houston Astros 67. Cleveland Indians 68. Los Angeles Dodgers Competitive Balance Round B 69. Miami Marlins 70. Oakland Athletics 71. Tampa Bay Rays 72. Cincinnati Reds 73. Milwaukee Brewers 74. Minnesota Twins Compensation picks If a team that loses a qualifying free agent does not receive revenue sharing and did not exceed the luxury-tax salary threshold the previous season, it is awarded a compensatory pick after Competitive Balance Round B. 75. St. Louis Cardinals (compensation for Lance Lynn, who signed with the Twins. Minnesota forfeited its third-round pick.) 76. Colorado Rockies (compensation for Greg Holland, who signed with the Cardinals. St. Louis forfeited its second-round pick.) 77. Chicago Cubs (compensation for Wade Davis, who signed with the Rockies. Colorado forfeited its second-round pick.) 78. Chicago Cubs (compensation for Jake Arrieta, who signed with the Phillies. Philadelphia forfeited its third-round pick.) Third round 79. Detroit Tigers 80. San Francisco Giants 81. Chicago White Sox 82. Cincinnati Reds 83. New York Mets 84. San Diego Padres 85. Oakland Athletics 86. Pittsburgh Pirates 87. Baltimore Orioles 88. Toronto Blue Jays 89. Miami Marlins 90. Seattle Mariners 91. Texas Rangers 92. Tampa Bay Rays 93. Los Angeles Angels 94. Kansas City Royals 95. St. Louis Cardinals 96. Colorado Rockies 97. New York Yankees 98. Chicago Cubs 99. Arizona Diamondbacks 100. Boston Red Sox 101. Washington Nationals 102. Houston Astros 103. Cleveland Indians 104. Los Angeles Dodgers Rounds 4-40 Detroit Tigers San Francisco Giants Philadelphia Phillies Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds New York Mets San Diego Padres Atlanta Braves Oakland Athletics Pittsburgh Pirates Baltimore Orioles Toronto Blue Jays Miami Marlins Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers Tampa Bay Rays Los Angeles Angels Kansas City Royals St. Louis Cardinals Minnesota Twins Milwaukee Brewers Colorado Rockies New York Yankees Chicago Cubs Arizona Diamondbacks Boston Red Sox Washington Nationals Houston Astros Cleveland Indians Los Angeles Dodgers Source: MLB.com, Associated Press<doc-sep>
Butch Dill/Associated Press The MLB draft is here. Over the next three days, over a thousand players will be drafted in the 40 rounds. Baseball's first-year player draft doesn't get as much attention as the NFL or NBA drafts, but this is the start for your favorite professional team to stock up on new talent. The lives of many high school kids will change, too. Remember, the MLB draft covers both the college and high school ranks. Let's look at where the coverage for this draft will be so you do not miss a single thing. Key Event Information Where: MLB Network Headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey Schedule: June 4 (Rounds 1-2; 7 p.m. ET); June 5 (Rounds 3-10; 1 p.m. ET); June 6 (Rounds 11-40; 12 p.m. ET) Watch: MLB Network (Round 1) Video Play Button Videos you might like Live Stream: MLB.com (all rounds) Round 1 Order 1. Detroit Tigers 2. San Francisco Giants 3. Philadelphia Phillies 4. Chicago White Sox 5. Cincinnati Reds 6. New York Mets 7. San Diego Padres 8. Atlanta Braves 9. Oakland Athletics 10. Pittsburgh Pirates 11. Baltimore Orioles 12. Toronto Blue Jays 13. Miami Marlins 14. Seattle Mariners 15. Texas Rangers 16. Tampa Bay Rays 17. Los Angeles Angels 18. Kansas City Royals 19. St. Louis Cardinals 20. Minnesota Twins 21. Milwaukee Brewers 22. Colorado Rockies 23. New York Yankees 24. Chicago Cubs 25. Arizona Diamondbacks 26. Boston Red Sox 27. Washington Nationals 28. Houston Astros 29. Cleveland Indians 30. Los Angeles Dodgers Compensation Picks 31. Tampa Bay Rays 32. Tampa Bay Rays 33. Kansas City Royals 34. Kansas City Royals 35. Cleveland Indians Competitive Balance Round A 36. Pittsburgh Pirates 37. Baltimore Orioles 38. San Diego Padres 39. Arizona Diamondbacks 40. Kansas City Royals 41. Cleveland Indians 42. Colorado Rockies 43. St. Louis Cardinals What Will Detroit Do With No. 1? The Detroit Tigers will select first in this year's draft. After losing nearly 100 games in 2017, the Tigers get the first crack at this crop of player talent. For a team like the Tigers, they can't mess with one up. Whoever they take with the No. 1 overall pick has to pan out for the sake of this ailing franchise. While they're in second place in the AL Central, that division is incredibly weak with four teams under .500, including the Tigers at 28-31. For the longest time, the Tigers were headed by starting pitcher Justin Verlander. The Tigers should look to get their replacement for him, and they can do that by taking Casey Mize out of Auburn. There may be some temptation to take catching prospect Joey Bart or fellow pitching prospects Matthew Liberatore or Brady Singer, but Mize is the top guy here. At 6'3" and 220 pounds, Mize has a repertoire that's somewhat rare for even a college arm, possessing a great fastball and a stellar splitter. But one of the best things about Mize is his ability to not walk many. In nearly 110 innings, Mize has just 12 walks to his 151 strikeouts. Don't get cute, Detroit. Mize is the future of the organization, and he may not need much time in the minors before we see him on the hill on a major league diamond.