Here is a copy of the MLB Press Release announced earlier today.
Day One on Thursday, June 6th to Feature Top 73 Selections Live From Studio 42 at MLB Network and Simulcast on MLB.com; Astros Select First Overall; Marlins, Yankees Each Hold Four Picks on Day One
Major League Baseball will hold day one of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft on Thursday, June 6th at MLB Network’s Studio 42 in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Draft will begin live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 7:00 p.m. (ET). Prior to the start of the Draft, MLB Network will air a Draft preview show, also simulcast on MLB.com, at 6:00 p.m. (ET).
The selection order of the First-Year Player Draft is determined by the reverse order of finish at the close of the previous championship season. The Houston Astros will have the first overall selection of the 2013 Draft, marking the second consecutive year, and the fourth time in Club history, that they hold the top selection (previous: 1976, 1992, 2012). It also marks the third time ever that a Club has the top pick in back-to-back years, joining the Tampa Bay Rays, who had the first pick in 2007 and 2008, and the Washington Nationals, who held the first selection in 2009 and 2010. The New York Yankees have a league-high three first round picks (26th, 32nd and 33rd overall). Four Clubs have two first round picks: the Pittsburgh Pirates (9th and 14th), the St. Louis Cardinals (19th and 28th), the Tampa Bay Rays (21st and 29th) and the Texas Rangers (23rd and 30th). The Yankees and the Miami Marlins each have four of the first 73 selections.
For the first time, the Draft will feature Competitive Balance rounds, which were agreed upon as a part of the 2012-2016 Basic Agreement between MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association. The Competitive Balance rounds give Clubs with the lowest revenues and in the smallest markets the opportunity to obtain additional draft picks through a lottery, which was held last July at MLB Network. The 10 Clubs with the lowest revenues and the 10 Clubs in the smallest markets were entered into a lottery for the six selections immediately following the first round of the First-Year Player Draft (picks 34-39). The eligible Clubs that did not receive one of the six selections after the first round, and all other payee Clubs under the Revenue Sharing Plan, were entered into a second lottery for the six picks immediately following the second round of the Draft (picks 69-73; only five picks will be made in this round for 2013 after the Cleveland Indians forfeited their pick for the signing of free agent Michael Bourn).
The Draft will have 40 rounds, and a Club may pass on its selection in any round and not forfeit its right to participate in other rounds. Like each of the previous four years, the 2013 Draft will span three days. For day one on June 6th, MLB Network and MLB.com will provide live pick-by-pick coverage during the first round, Competitive Balance Round A, the second round and Competitive Balance Round B. The intervals between selections will last four and a half minutes during the first round, two minutes during Competitive Balance Round A, and one minute during the second round and Competitive Balance Round B. The Draft will resume at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on both Friday, June 7th and Saturday, June 8th via conference call from MLB headquarters in New York City. Friday, June 7th will cover rounds three through 10, and Saturday, June 8th will cover rounds 11 through 40. Rounds three through 10 will have one minute between selections, and the remainder of the selections will be made without delays.
Beginning with the Draft preview show, MLB Network’s live coverage will feature interviews with Club front office personnel and representatives, footage from Club draft rooms, interviews with prospects and newly drafted players, and news and analysis from MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger, Larry Bowa, Peter Gammons, John Hart, Brian Kenny, Al Leiter, Dan Plesac, Harold Reynolds, Bill Ripken, Alanna Rizzo, Sam Ryan and Matt Yallof, as well as Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com and Jim Callis of Baseball America. MLB.com will begin its exclusive live programming of the Draft’s final two days with a live draft show from its New York studios at 12:30 p.m. (ET) on June 7th, followed by a live pick-by-pick stream and draft and scouting expert commentary from Mayo and Callis. It also will provide DraftCaster, a live interactive application that includes a searchable database of every draft-eligible player supplemented by statistics, scouting reports and video highlights.
Each of the 30 Major League Clubs will be represented at the Draft by one of its former players and/or a member of its front office. Last year’s representatives included Hall of Famers Pat Gillick, Ferguson Jenkins, Tommy Lasorda and Frank Robinson, along with MLB Executive Vice President Joe Torre, Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia and 14-time All-Star Ivan Rodriguez. The Club representatives who will attend the 2013 Draft will be announced in the weeks ahead. In addition to the Club representatives, five first round selections attended the 2012 First-Year Player Draft last year, including the number one overall pick Carlos Correa.