{"id":793656,"date":"2026-07-11T14:02:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T14:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/793656\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T14:02:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T14:02:26","slug":"the-last-mlb-draft-of-its-kind-plus-sinner-makes-wimbledon-final-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/793656\/","title":{"rendered":"The last MLB Draft of its kind? Plus: Sinner makes Wimbledon final, again"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning! Let\u2019s talk about high school. Coming up:<\/p>\n

MLB Draft: The league\u2019s bleak proposal for the future<\/p>\n

Major League Baseball\u2019s draft begins today at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. (Our live blog\u00a0will be here<\/a>.) If commissioner Rob Manfred gets his way, it\u2019ll be the last draft before the rules begin to change,\u00a0and what comes next will be worse.<\/p>\n

MLB and its player union continue to swap proposals ahead of a near-certain lockout this winter. The parties\u2019 early proposals are largely performative and\u00a0may not resemble the collective bargaining agreement<\/a>\u00a0they reach. But one of the league\u2019s proposals is such a stark departure from history that it stopped me in my tracks \u2014\u00a0a total overhaul<\/a>\u00a0of the way teams acquire amateur talent.\u00a0At the risk of slightly oversimplifying, the league wants to do three things:<\/p>\n

Institute an international draft, which would replace the current amateur signing system for players from outside Puerto Rico, the rest of the United States and Canada.
\nShorten the domestic draft\u00a0from 20 rounds to 12 and institute hard bonus slots in both this and the international draft.
\nClose the draft to high school prospects,\u00a0requiring that entrants be two years out from graduation and 20 years old by September in their draft year.<\/p>\n

Ken Rosenthal has already explained, in detail, why these proposals\u00a0don\u2019t help the growth of the sport<\/a>.\u00a0On draft day, I can\u2019t stop thinking about what MLB wants to do with this critical event.<\/p>\n

The draft used to be 40 to 50 rounds, but the league and union agreed to cut it to 20 starting in 2021. A much smaller influx of players made it easier for the league\u00a0to cut affiliations with 40 minor-league franchises<\/a>, saving money and headaches right before minor leaguers unionized. MLB says it has no plans to pursue more cuts, but having fewer draftees would be a good reason for the league to change its mind one day. It could mean fewer careers for baseball players and\u00a0fewer late bloomers\u00a0becoming productive big leaguers. The list of incredible players taken after the 12th round\u00a0is a long one<\/a>. Teams could simply\u00a0sign\u00a0the players that don\u2019t get drafted, but would they? And would they have the same incentive to develop them?<\/p>\n

MLB\u2019s idea to bar high school players from the draft might be an even bigger slap in the face\u00a0to fans and players alike. For the league, limiting the draft to college players would serve two purposes. One: It would save scouting and development costs. It\u2019s much easier to cover a few hundred Division I baseball schools than thousands of high schools. Two: It would prevent players like Bryce Harper and current Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Konnor Griffin from skyrocketing through the minors and playing in the majors at 19. An international prospect like Juan Soto wouldn\u2019t be able to reach the big leagues that young, either, so the next Soto (if there\u2019s ever another)\u00a0would sign for much less than $765 million<\/a>\u00a0once he gets to free agency.<\/p>\n

Maybe you don\u2019t care about millionaire ballplayers losing contract leverage. But surely you care about getting to\u00a0see the best players on big-league fields for as much of their primes as possible.\u00a0MLB\u2019s proposal would have a player like Griffin (now injured, but already blossoming into one of the league\u2019s better shortstops) playing for LSU this year. Ken Griffey Jr. wouldn\u2019t have been a Mariner at 19. And for what?<\/p>\n

These are memorable players, and MLB wants us to see less of them at the highest level.\u00a0The terrific baseball writer Joe Sheehan put it well\u00a0when he wrote<\/a>\u00a0that the league \u201cproposes to sever that tie to the game\u2019s history.\u201d It\u2019s clear why team owners would support that, but why would the rest of us?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a mock draft from Keith Law,\u00a0featuring high school shortstop Grady Emerson at No. 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n

News to Know\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Brennan Asplen \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Adebayo punches Herro<\/p>\n

Former Heat teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro got into a physical altercation in front of Herro\u2019s AAU team in Las Vegas yesterday. At a gym, Adebayo walked onto the courts and Herro said something to him, after which Adebayo approached Herro and\u00a0punched him without hesitation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sinner ousts Djokovic in semis<\/p>\n

The men\u2019s Wimbledon final is set, and for the second straight year, it features Jannik Sinner.\u00a0The 24-year-old Italian bounced seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets at the All England Club yesterday. Sinner gets Alexander Zverev in the final Sunday.\u00a0We\u2019ve got a full recap of both semifinals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wemby signs big extension<\/p>\n

NBA news of a different flavor. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs\u00a0agreed to a five-year contract extension<\/a>, worth a projected $252 million. It\u2019s a rookie-scale supermax extension because \u2026 yeah. The 22-year-old Frenchman paced the Spurs with 23.8 points per game this postseason, before falling to the Knicks in the NBA Finals. The 7-4 center also averaged 10.9 rebounds per game. He\u2019s called the \u201cAlien\u201d for a reason.<\/p>\n

More news:<\/p>\n

Scottie Scheffler\u00a0\u2014 the No. 1 men\u2019s golfer in the world \u2014 missed his first cut in nearly four years after a tough outing at the Scottish Open.\u00a0Big bummer for the American<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Colombian Football Federation\u00a0has condemned death threats<\/a>\u00a0directed at\u00a0Jaminton Campaz\u00a0and his family after the forward missed a late goal opportunity in the team\u2019s eliminating World Cup loss to Switzerland. The harassment toward Campaz comes\u00a032 years after the murder<\/a> of former Colombia national team defender Andr\u00e9s Escobar.<\/p>\n

Shohei Ohtani is sitting out the All-Star Game,\u00a0and was scratched from yesterday\u2019s start,\u00a0with left knee pain<\/a>. He will have his knee \u201cdrained,\u201d but will serve as the Los Angeles Dodgers\u2019 DH through the weekend.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s payday for\u00a0JJ Wetherholt.\u00a0The\u00a0St. Louis Cardinals\u00a0extended the rook on an\u00a0eight-year, $112.5 million contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Terrion Arnold could soon be back in the NFL\u00a0after a Florida judge ruled the former Lions defensive back\u00a0doesn\u2019t have to wear an ankle monitor<\/a>\u00a0while on bond for kidnapping and robbery. The NFL is \u201cclosely monitoring all developments in the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0Find more news here 24\/7<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch Guide\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Matthew Stockman \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0Wimbledon: Women\u2019s final
11 a.m. ET on ESPN
It\u2019s a battle between two Czechs who have made surprising runs to the final: Linda Noskov\u00e1 and Karol\u00edna Muchov\u00e1.\u00a0A nation\u2019s proud tennis legacy grows again<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa World Cup: Norway vs. England
5 p.m. ET on Fox
Erling Haaland and Harry Kane duel for advancement, legacy and possibly\u00a0the Golden Boot<\/a>. It\u2019ll be a blast to see them on the same pitch; Kane left Tottenham for Bayern Munich in 2023, only one season after Haaland came the other way from Dortmund to Manchester City.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa World Cup: Argentina vs. Switzerland
9 p.m. ET on Fox
Argentina\u2019s Lionel Messi looks good in this tournament.\u00a0He has real promise<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Pulse Picks<\/p>\n

Soccer\u2019s most likable superstar?\u00a0Here\u2019s why America has fallen in love with Haaland<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t many downsides to my job as Wirecutter\u2019s board game expert. But there is one annoying thing: how to store all those games. My secret to keeping more than 170 board games organized in my 1,200-square-foot apartment?\u00a0This ubiquitous IKEA shelving unit<\/a>, aka the GOAT of game storage. \u2014 James Austin<\/p>\n

From smart beds to cold rice pudding and magic urinals, Tour de France teams are\u00a0trying everything to combat the heat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NYT Cooking put together a collection of recipes themed around the World Cup quarterfinal nations.\u00a0Get cooking<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My tot has recently taken to\u00a0\u201cLittle Stories for Tiny People,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0audio-only original stories you can probably find anywhere you\u2019d get a podcast. Great for car rides or other (relatively) low-key moments. \u2014 Torrey Hart<\/p>\n

Lamine Yamal\u2019s 3-year-old brother, Keyne, is becoming a World Cup star himself.\u00a0So cute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWidow\u2019s Bay!\u201d It\u2019s like \u201cTwin Peaks\u201d meets \u201cJaws,\u201d written by a \u201cParks and Rec\u201d alum. Delightful, funny, beautifully shot, and so many amazing performances throughout. Show of the year for me. \u2014 Noah Chestnut<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The World Cup<\/a> quiz for those in need of a new rooting interest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":793657,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,85],"class_list":["post-793656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=793656"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/793656\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/793657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=793656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=793656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=793656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}