The 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place on July 11–13, 2021. In conjunction with the
2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the draft was held in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the
2020 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who did not sign from the
2020 MLB Draft and for teams who lost qualifying
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
s. On March 26, 2020, MLB and the
MLBPA
The Major League Baseball Players Association (or MLBPA) is the collective bargaining, union representing all current Major League Baseball players. All players, Manager (baseball), managers, Coach (baseball), coaches, and athletic trainers who ...
reached a deal that included the option to halve the draft to 20 rounds due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. MLB ultimately opted to shorten the draft to 20 rounds. In total, 612 college and high school players were drafted.
The
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
, who had the worst record of the 2020 season, selected
Henry Davis with the
first overall pick in the draft. As punishment for their role in the
sign stealing scandal, the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...
forfeited both their first- and second-round picks in the draft.
On April 2, 2021, MLB announced that the
2021 MLB All-Star Game, along with the draft, was being relocated from
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
in protest of the
Georgia State Legislature
The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directly e ...
's passage of the controversial
Election Integrity Act of 2021
The Election Integrity Act of 2021, originally known as the Georgia Senate Bill 202, is a law in the U.S. state of Georgia overhauling elections in the state. It mandates voter identification requirements on absentee ballots, limits the use o ...
; three days later, Denver was announced as the new host city.
Chase Silseth made his MLB debut on May 13, 2022, making him the first player from the 2021 draft to make his major league debut.
Draft selections
The deadline for teams to sign drafted players was August 1, 2021.
First round
Compensatory round
Competitive Balance Round A
Second round
Competitive Balance Round B
Other notable selections
Notes
;Compensation picks
References
{{2021 MLB Draft
Major League Baseball draft
Draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...
Major League Baseball draft
The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...
Major League Baseball draft
The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...
2020s in Denver
Baseball in Colorado