Why MLB’s New Wooden Bat League Can Elevate The Sport

In late November, MLB made a proactive step to add another opportunity for draft-eligible high school, junior college and college ball players to showcase their talents. MLB announced it would launch a wooden-bat league for these prospects in spring 2021 called the MLB Draft League. The league is divided into two halves and is formatted for 68 regular-season games starting in late May and ending in mid-August.

The first half of the season will take place leading up to the 2021 MLB Draft, which is set to occur during the All-Star break currently scheduled for July 11-13, while the second half will involve teams replenishing with the top undrafted players, according to The Boston Globe.

The State College Spikes, Trenton Thunder, Williamsport Crosscutters, West Virginia Black Bears and Mahoning Valley Scrappers are the five teams that will take part in the league, while a sixth team is likely to join before the start of the season. As reported by Sports Illustrated, these teams were previously affiliated with Major League teams up until this offseason when MLB decided to reduce the number of Minor League affiliates.

A large number of wooden bat leagues designed for aspiring professional baseball players have existed throughout history with some dating back to as early as the late-19th century, as stated on the Cape Cod Baseball League’s website. However, these leagues operate independently of MLB and gain minimal publicity outside of local communities and scouting departments.

In recent years, Major League Baseball has received criticism for their efforts in marketing the sport, while the NBA and NFL have obtained tremendous praise for their marketing success. This divide is most notable when looking at the marketing of potential superstars before they reach the professional level. For example, basketball fans got a first glimpse of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James when their high school games were shown on national television. Even 15-year-old football phenom Arch Manning, the nephew of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, had one of his high school football games televised on ESPN this fall.

On a yearly basis, sports fans are exposed to the top amateur basketball and football events ranging from the top college matchups to All-American games, which feature the top high school prospects in the nation. The exposure of budding basketball and football stars before they reach the professional ranks provides fans with tremendous excitement for their first professional games. Not to mention, TV ratings soar when a young superstar like an 18-year-old James takes the court for the first time.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for baseball. Rarely, if ever, do baseball fans hear about a young high school or collegiate baseball prospect before they make their big league debut. High school showcase games, minor league baseball and college baseball games typically do not receive the same national publicity as football and basketball amateur leagues.

If MLB plays their cards right and markets the MLB Draft League successfully in the months leading up to its inception, baseball fans will have an opportunity to witness the game’s next generation of stars before they step on a big league field. With the MLB Draft taking place during the All-Star Break, a time when major professional sports games are not played, viewership of the draft should increase in 2021. If fans have exposure to top prospects before draft day, however, viewership could see a major spike since fans will have more familiarity with their favorite team’s future stars. A successful first season of this new league could lead to a major inflection point for the introduction of top amateur baseball for years to come, and the publicity of baseball outside of the major league level could skyrocket.

Photo courtesy of Sebastian Moore/All Talk, No Balk