The practice of players directly joining a major-league team has become increasingly rare since the MLB draft was instituted in 1965—it has only occurred nine times since 1980, and three times since 2000.
Players on an organization's 40-man roster are protected from the Rule 5 Draft. To be eligible for selection, a player must either have spent four seasons in professional baseball after signing at age 19 or older, or spent five seasons in pro ball after signing at 18 or younger (as of June 5 of that year).
Players who have graduated high school but not attended college are eligible for the draft, as are those who have completed at least one year of junior college. Players attending four-year colleges are eligible to be drafted upon completing their junior year or turning 21 years old.
But why do drafts extend so many rounds. As others have said, to fill out rosters of all the minor league teams. But later rounds of the draft teams will typically select players who fit three profiles: High school graduates with solid commitments to play for a four-year university.
The draft order is determined by a lottery system, starting in 2023, where teams that did not make the postseason in the previous year participate in a state-lottery style process to determine the first six picks.
The MLB Draft, also known as the First-Year Player Draft, typically takes place in June or July. It consists of 20 rounds, with each of the 30 MLB teams receiving one pick per round, totaling 600 picks. The draft order is determined by the previous season's standings, with the team with the worst record picking first.
Be realistic and look at the numbers. Pro teams thrive on players that think they will overcome the long odds against becoming a major league player. Actually only 5 to 6 percent of drafted players ever play a day in the major leagues And about 40 percent of the first round draft picks never make it either.
What are the divisions of Little League Baseball®? Tee Ball – Ages 4-7. Minor League – Ages 5-11. Major Division – Ages 9-12. Intermediate (50/70) – Ages 11-13. Junior League – Ages 12-14. Senior League – Ages 13-16.
Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons.