MLB Draft Order For 2017 Set, Compensation Round Picks Revealed

The 2017 MLB draft order is set now that the final player with a qualifying offer has signed with a team. The compensation round has also been revealed, with three franchises earning an additional pick by losing a player to free agency. A report by MLB analyst Mark Polishuk gives a look at how the first round shakes out, with the Minnesota Twins being awarded the first overall selection. The Twins will also receive the first selection in every typical round, with the exception being compensation rounds A and B.

Ten players received qualifying offers from their former teams as the MLB offseason began. This amounted to a one-year, $17.2 million contract offer, with a team signing that player losing a pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. When Mark Trumbo decided to re-sign with the Baltimore Orioles, he ended the period where teams could be assigned compensation round picks. Had Trumbo signed with another franchise, the Orioles would have received an additional pick in the upcoming draft.

Three teams have lost first-round selections in the 2017 MLB Draft. The Cleveland Indians signed Edwin Encarnacion, the Colorado Rockies signed Ian Desmond, and the St. Louis Cardinals signed Dexter Fowler. As a result, the Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs picked up selections in the compensation round. Those selections take place immediately following the first round, giving teams that lost some of the top players in free agency a chance to replace that talent within the organization.

A prior report discussed the competitive balance rounds, which take place following the compensation round and after the second-round picks. Competitive balance round A has the Tampa Bay Rays, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, and Miami Marlins (in that order) receiving an additional pick. These selections begin immediately after the Chicago Cubs make the No. 30 overall pick in the compensation round.

Competitive balance round B rewarded the Arizona Diamondbacks (67), San Diego Padres (68), Colorado Rockies (69), Cleveland Indians (70), Kansas City Royals (71), Pittsburgh Pirates (72), Baltimore Orioles (73), and St. Louis Cardinals (74) with an additional selection. These selections take place immediately after the Chicago Cubs make the No. 66 overall pick in the second round.

Every round later in the draft will be in reverse order of the final 2016 MLB standings, with the Twins making the first pick each round and the Cubs making the final pick each round. Teams are not required to make selections every round, but this is how most organizations fill out the lower levels of their Minor League systems. It’s a big day for organizations that are in a rebuilding phase, although it may seem to some baseball fans that some of the teams at the top of the draft board have remained the same over the last few years.

The official schedule for the 2017 MLB Draft has also been released by the league, with the event set to take place this summer. The 40 rounds will run from June 12-14, with MLB Network and the MLB website providing pick-by-pick analysis. This is an opportunity for teams struggling during the 2016 MLB season to restock the Minor League systems. Many early mock drafts will start coming out this spring, with particular attention paid to the Chicago Cubs now possessing two of the top 30 picks this year.

2017 MLB Draft Order (First Round And Compensation Round)

1. Minnesota Twins
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. San Diego Padres
4. Tampa Bay Rays
5. Atlanta Braves
6. Oakland Athletics
7. Arizona Diamondbacks
8. Philadelphia Phillies
9. Milwaukee Brewers
10. Los Angeles Angels
11. Chicago White Sox
12. Pittsburgh Pirates
13. Miami Marlins
14. Kansas City Royals
15. Houston Astros
16. New York Yankees
17. Seattle Mariners
18. Detroit Tigers
19. San Francisco Giants
20. New York Mets
21. Baltimore Orioles
22. Toronto Blue Jays
23. Los Angeles Dodgers
24. Boston Red Sox
25. Washington Nationals
26. Texas Rangers
27. Chicago Cubs
28. Toronto Blue Jays (From Cleveland Indians Signing Edwin Encarnacion)
29. Texas Rangers (From Colorado Rockies Signing Ian Desmond)
30. Chicago Cubs (From St. Louis Cardinals Signing Dexter Fowler)

[Featured Image by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images]