Imagine the 2006 Tigers without Joel Zumaya, or the current organization minus electrifying lefty prospect Tarik Skubal.
Or two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom and slugger Paul Goldschmidt not being drafted, and left with no team to sign a professional baseball contract worth more than a $20,000 bonus.
Right there is the downside of the five-round 2020 MLB Draft.
The above-mentioned players signed professional baseball contracts after being selected in rounds eight through 11.
It's just a small sample of a countless outstanding players selected after the fifth round since the first MLB Draft in 1965.
While it's understandable baseball has been thrown into an unanticipated financial spiral by the pandemic, it should be planning for the future, not shunning it. Normally the MLB Draft is 40 rounds.
Limiting organizations to just $20,000 signing bonuses for those not drafted will have an adverse bearing on all levels of the game.
The notion of more players merely opting for college scholarships is naive.
Division 1 college baseball programs are limited to just 11.7 scholarships, spread over rosters of 27 to 35, and college athletes have already been allowed an extra year of eligibility because of this lost spring season.
Baseball is a non-revenue sport at the college level. It could be among the first to go at some schools experiencing budget crunches because revenue sports are facing the financial reality of a cancelled NCAA basketball tournament and possible empty stands for the upcoming football season.
It's not like MLB can push players to the college ranks in droves.
But baseball has a long history of biting the hand that feeds it.
The NFL's nearly exclusive feeder program is college football. It is similar in the NBA for American players. The NHL allows its players to compete in college hockey after being drafted.
In contrast, for years, MLB wouldn't even release the names of drafted players beyond the first round to prevent what they thought was poaching by college programs.
It's only recently MLB has embraced its draft, while it has long been a premier event in others sports.
A rebuilding organization such as the Tigers, who have committed extensive resources to scouting, analytics and player development, is particularly hurt by this wayward decision. It's not like the Tigers can outbid other organizations for undrafted players, either.
