USA Baseball, MLB agree on enhancements of joint Prospect Development Pipeline

26.01.2021 19:12

The PDP League serves as the primary identification opportunity for the USA Baseball U-18 National Team, which has won four of the last five WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cups.

Major League Baseball and USA Baseball have announced enhancements to the joint Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) to feature a lineup of evaluation and showcase events for 2021 & 2022 MLB Draft prospects.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Some big news about the <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLB</a>/<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USABaseball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USABaseball</a> Prospect Development Pipeline ➡️ the PDP will now include a first-of-its-kind <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBDraft?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLBDraft</a> Combine, and both the Combine and the 2021 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PDPLeague?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PDPLeague</a> will take place at the <a href="https://twitter.com/NTCCary?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NTCCary</a> this summer. ?: <a href="https://t.co/6xbtGMsDTf">https://t.co/6xbtGMsDTf</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZM9xZG1Xfz">pic.twitter.com/ZM9xZG1Xfz</a>— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/USABaseball/status/1353797013809344512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The inaugural MLB Draft Combine (June 20-28) will feature top high school and college baseball prospects, as identified by MLB Clubs, who will have the opportunity to participate in a series of medical & performance assessments as well as educational programming designed to prepare them for a career in professional baseball.

As part of the Combine experience, the top 88 high school players eligible for the 2021 MLB Draft will be selected to participate in a unique showcase tournament from June 20 through 26.

The MLB Draft Combine will be an integral part of the identification and development process for future USA Baseball national teams.

You might also be interested in: - <a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/mlb-to-launch-draft-league-in-2021-in-prospect-player-development-initiative">MLB to launch Draft League in 2021 in prospect player development initiative</a> - <a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/2015-wbsc-u-18-baseball-world-cup-fireballer-ian-anderson-is-red-hot-in-mlb-playoffs">2015 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup fireballer Ian Anderson red hot in MLB playoffs</a> - <a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/2017-wbsc-u-18-baseball-world-cup-star-ryan-weathers-the-second-pitcher-to-make-mlb-debut-in-postseason">2017 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup star Ryan Weathers the second pitcher to make MLB debut in postseason</a> - <a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/another-u-18-baseball-world-cup-star-turned-big-leaguer-mickey-moniak">Another U-18 Baseball World Cup star turned big leaguer: Mickey Moniak</a><a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/2015-wbsc-u-18-baseball-world-cup-fireballer-ian-anderson-is-red-hot-in-mlb-playoffs"> </a>- <a href="https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/2015-wbsc-u-18-baseball-world-cup-star-braxton-garret-wins-first-mlb-start">2015 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup star Braxton Garrett gets win in MLB debut with Marlins</a>

From July 22 through August 1, the second PDP League will feature the top 96 high school players who are eligible for the 2022 MLB Draft. The PDP League will also continue to serve as the primary identification opportunity for the USA Baseball U18 National Team.

The 2021 MLB Draft is planned for July 11-13, and for the first time since the inception of the Draft in 1965, the event will be scheduled outside the month of June. The Draft will feature a minimum of 20 rounds.