2012 Major League Baseball draft
The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was the 48th annual selection of amateur baseball players by MLB teams, held from June 4 to 6, 2012, with the first day broadcast from MLB Network's Studio 42 in Secaucus, New Jersey, and subsequent rounds conducted via conference call.[1][2] This draft marked the first implementation of new rules under the collective bargaining agreement, including mandatory signing bonus pools for the first 10 rounds to control spending and promote competitive balance, a reduction in rounds from 50 to 40 (plus two compensatory rounds), and an earlier signing deadline of July 13 (moved from August 15).[1][3] A total of 1,238 players were selected across these rounds.[3] The draft order was determined by reverse 2011 regular-season standings, granting the Houston Astros the first overall pick after their league-worst record; they selected Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, who signed for $4.8 million and later became a key player in the Astros' 2017 World Series championship.[4][5] The Minnesota Twins followed with outfield prospect Byron Buxton second overall from Appling County High School, while the Seattle Mariners chose catcher Mike Zunino third from the University of Florida; both were top prep and college talents, respectively, highlighting the draft's mix of high school and collegiate selections.[4] Other notable first-round picks included right-hander Kevin Gausman (fourth overall, Baltimore Orioles, LSU), shortstop Addison Russell (11th, Oakland Athletics, Pace High School), and third baseman Corey Seager (18th, Los Angeles Dodgers, high school), contributing to a class particularly rich in middle-infield talent that produced multiple All-Stars and award winners.[4][6] The bonus pool system influenced strategies, with teams like the Astros leveraging their large allocation ($11.1 million) for over-slot deals in later rounds, though the draft was generally viewed as weaker in overall star power compared to prior years.[7][1]Background
Event Overview
The first day of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft took place on June 4 at Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey, with subsequent rounds conducted via conference call.[8] The first round and competitive balance selections were broadcast live on MLB Network, with additional coverage available on MLB.com, increasing visibility compared to prior years.[9] The draft featured all 30 MLB teams selecting amateur players, focusing on high school graduates and college athletes who met eligibility criteria under MLB Rule 4, such as juniors and seniors at four-year institutions or those forgoing remaining college eligibility.[10] It consisted of 40 rounds, resulting in a total of 1,238 players chosen across the selections.[3] This process was part of a new collective bargaining agreement that introduced a signing bonus pool system to allocate funds for player contracts.[2] The draft plays a crucial role in Major League Baseball by allowing teams to replenish their minor league affiliate systems with emerging talent, fostering the development of future professional players.Rule Changes for 2012
The 2012 Major League Baseball draft marked the first implementation of rules under the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between MLB and the MLB Players Association, which aimed to curb escalating amateur signing bonuses and foster competitive parity across teams.[11] A central feature was the introduction of team-specific signing bonus pools, allocated for bonuses paid to players selected in the first 10 rounds.[12] These pools were determined by each team's draft position, with predetermined "slot values" assigned to individual picks to guide spending. For instance, the slot value for the first overall selection was set at $7.2 million, while values decreased progressively for later picks, reaching around $125,000 for selections in the 300-338 range.[13] Overall team pools reflected this structure and any supplemental allocations, resulting in a wide range from $1.7 million for the Los Angeles Angels—whose early picks were forfeited due to free-agent compensation—to $12.4 million for the Minnesota Twins, who benefited from multiple high selections.[12] Bonuses for players drafted beyond the 10th round generally did not count against the pool unless exceeding $100,000, and any unspent allocation from unsigned first-10-round picks reverted to MLB rather than carrying over.[14] To deter overspending, the CBA established a tiered penalty system for teams exceeding their bonus pools. Exceeding by 0-5% incurred a 75% tax on the overage amount.[11] For overages between 5-10%, teams faced the 75% tax plus ineligibility for multiple picks in the competitive balance rounds for the next two drafts.[12] Violations exceeding 10% triggered the tax, forfeiture of the following year's first-round pick, and the two-year competitive balance restriction.[14] These penalties escalated for repeat offenders: a second violation within the CBA period resulted in loss of the first-round pick plus the 75% tax, while a third led to forfeiture of the first two rounds' picks.[11] In practice, 10 teams exceeded their pools in 2012, paying a combined $1.5 million in taxes, though none lost future picks that year.[1] The 2011 CBA also integrated international amateur signings with draft pool mechanics to further limit overall spending on young talent, particularly for high-payroll clubs. Teams surpassing the luxury tax payroll threshold—$178 million in 2012—faced reduced international bonus pools, starting at a base of $2.9 million for the 2012-2013 signing period but scaled down based on payroll levels, with severe overages triggering further restrictions or taxes.[15] This linkage aimed to prevent wealthier franchises from dominating global talent acquisition. Additionally, the traditional supplemental draft picks awarded for losing qualifying free agents (formerly Type A or B) were eliminated, replaced by a new competitive balance round to support smaller-market and revenue-sharing recipient teams.[11] These picks, distributed after the first round and before the second, were granted via lottery to eligible clubs, providing extra selections without tying them to free-agent losses and enhancing parity.[16]Draft Order and Process
Determining the Order
The selection order for the 2012 Major League Baseball draft was established primarily through the reverse order of the 2011 regular-season standings, granting the team with the poorest winning percentage the first overall pick. This longstanding MLB practice aims to provide rebuilding franchises with superior access to top amateur prospects. The 10 non-playoff teams, which had the worst records, thus filled the initial slots, exemplified by the Houston Astros securing the No. 1 selection after their league-worst 43-119 finish, followed by the Minnesota Twins at No. 2 with a 63-99 record.[6] Playoff qualifiers from 2011, benefiting from stronger regular-season performances, were positioned in the latter half of the first round (picks 11–30), ordered by their reverse winning percentages rather than postseason results. This ensured that teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, who posted the National League's best 102–60 mark, deferred their selections until later rounds, while clubs with middling playoff records picked earlier among the group.[17] Ties among teams' 2011 winning percentages were resolved using MLB's standard tiebreaking procedures for regular-season standings, starting with head-to-head records, followed by performance in intradivision games, interleague play, and records against opponents from the same league or division groupings. If these criteria failed to break the deadlock, the order defaulted to the teams' relative positions from the 2011 draft, effectively using the prior year's standings as the ultimate tiebreaker. Several 2011 ties, such as among teams with 71 wins, were handled this way to finalize the sequence.[18][17] Under provisions of the newly ratified collective bargaining agreement, the Houston Astros were awarded a competitive balance pick at No. 41 overall due to their designation as a revenue-sharing recipient intended to bolster competitive balance for smaller-market clubs. This adjustment expanded the initial first round to 31 picks across the 30 teams, with further growth possible through supplemental allocations later in the process.[14][2][19]Compensation and Supplemental Selections
The 2012 Major League Baseball draft featured new mechanisms for compensation and supplemental selections under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed in November 2011, aimed at promoting competitive balance and adjusting for team losses. Competitive balance picks, a novel addition in 2012, were awarded to 10 teams to support smaller markets and revenue-disadvantaged franchises. Five picks went to the smallest-market clubs, including the Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals, while the other five were allocated to the highest recipients of revenue sharing, such as the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres. These picks were inserted after the first round and initial compensation picks, with Round A at selections 35 through 39 and Round B at 45 through 49, and could be traded among teams.[16] The CBA eliminated the prior Type A and Type B free agent classification system, which had allowed for sandwich picks between the first and second rounds. In its place, teams losing qualified free agents—who rejected a one-year qualifying offer and signed elsewhere for a qualifying contract—could receive supplemental picks, but only if the team's total draft bonus pool spending remained below its assigned limit to encourage fiscal restraint. This change shifted compensation away from automatic high-value slots, tying it instead to overall spending caps.[20] A supplemental first round encompassed picks 32 through 61 (30 picks total), primarily for teams that failed to sign high school or college players selected in the previous year's first round due to commitments like attending university, as well as compensation for lost qualified free agents and competitive balance allocations for revenue-sharing qualifiers. For instance, the Houston Astros' competitive balance selection following their No. 1 overall pick fell at No. 41. The arrangement of all supplemental and compensation picks adhered to a rule preventing any team from making consecutive selections, achieved by interleaving assignments based on reverse order of the prior season's standings to preserve equity.[14][1] These provisions linked supplemental selections to bonus pool allocations, where teams exceeding their pools forfeited picks or faced penalties, further integrating draft strategy with financial planning.[16]First Round Selections
Top 10 Picks
The 2012 Major League Baseball draft featured a first round rich in high-upside talent, particularly at shortstop, with the Houston Astros leading off by selecting Carlos Correa first overall as part of their ongoing rebuild strategy following several losing seasons. This selection underscored the team's focus on building a young core, as they possessed the highest bonus pool in the draft due to their poor 2011 performance. The top 10 picks included a mix of college and high school players, with signing bonuses often aligning closely with or below assigned slot values to manage teams' overall spending pools under the new collective bargaining agreement rules.| Pick | Team | Player | Position | Origin | Slot Value | Signing Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston Astros | Carlos Correa | SS | Puerto Rico Baseball Academy (HS, Gurabo, PR) | $7.2 million | $4.8 million |
| 2 | Minnesota Twins | Byron Buxton | OF/SS | Appling County HS (HS, Baxley, GA) | $6.2 million | $6.0 million |
| 3 | Seattle Mariners | Mike Zunino | C | University of Florida (college) | $5.2 million | $4.0 million |
| 4 | Baltimore Orioles | Kevin Gausman | RHP | LSU (college) | $4.2 million | $4.3 million |
| 5 | Kansas City Royals | Kyle Zimmer | RHP | University of San Francisco (college) | $3.5 million | $3.0 million |
| 6 | Chicago Cubs | Albert Almora | OF | Mater Academy (HS, Hialeah, FL) | $3.3 million | $3.9 million |
| 7 | San Diego Padres | Max Fried | LHP | Harvard-Westlake HS (HS, Studio City, CA) | $3.0 million | $3.0 million |
| 8 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Mark Appel | RHP | Stanford University (college) | $2.9 million | Unsigned |
| 9 | Miami Marlins | Andrew Heaney | LHP | Oklahoma State University (college) | $2.8 million | $2.6 million |
| 10 | Colorado Rockies | David Dahl | OF | Oak Mountain HS (HS, Birmingham, AL) | $2.7 million | $2.6 million |
Picks 11-31
The first round picks from 11 to 31 in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft included a balance of 12 high school selections and 9 college players, reflecting teams' varied approaches to balancing immediate readiness with long-term upside under the new bonus pool rules that encouraged signings below slot value.[1] These picks spanned infielders, outfielders, catchers, and pitchers, with several teams using compensation picks to target specific organizational needs such as pitching depth or athletic position players.[6] Thirty of the 31 first-round selections signed, with total bonuses amounting to approximately $203.7 million across the round, an 11% reduction from 2011 due to the slotting system.[1][21] The following table lists the picks 11-31, including supplemental selections at picks 27 and 31, with player details:| Pick | Team | Player | Position | School/Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Oakland Athletics | Addison Russell | SS | Pace HS (Pace, FL) |
| 12 | New York Mets | Gavin Cecchini | SS | Alfred M. Barbe HS (Lake Charles, LA) |
| 13 | Chicago White Sox | Courtney Hawkins | OF | Mary Carroll HS (Corpus Christi, TX) |
| 14 | Cincinnati Reds | Nick Travieso | RHP | Archbishop McCarthy HS (Southwest Ranches, FL) |
| 15 | Cleveland Indians | Tyler Naquin | OF | Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) |
| 16 | Washington Nationals | Lucas Giolito | RHP | Harvard-Westlake HS (Los Angeles, CA) |
| 17 | Toronto Blue Jays | D.J. Davis | OF | Stone HS (Wiggins, MS) |
| 18 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Corey Seager | SS | Northwest Cabarrus HS (Concord, NC) |
| 19 | St. Louis Cardinals (from LAA) | Michael Wacha | RHP | Texas A&M University (College Station, TX) |
| 20 | San Francisco Giants | Chris Stratton | RHP | Mississippi State University (Mississippi State, MS) |
| 21 | Atlanta Braves | Lucas Sims | RHP | Brookwood HS (Snellville, GA) |
| 22 | Toronto Blue Jays | Marcus Stroman | RHP | Duke University (Durham, NC) |
| 23 | St. Louis Cardinals | James Ramsey | OF | Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL) |
| 24 | Boston Red Sox | Deven Marrero | SS | Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) |
| 25 | Tampa Bay Rays | Richie Shaffer | 3B | Clemson University (Clemson, SC) |
| 26 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Stryker Trahan | C | Acadiana HS (Lafayette, LA) |
| 27 | Milwaukee Brewers (from DET) | Clint Coulter | C | Union HS (Camas, WA) (Supplemental) |
| 28 | Milwaukee Brewers | Victor Roache | OF | Georgia Southern University (Statesboro, GA) |
| 29 | Texas Rangers | Lewis Brinson | OF | Coral Springs HS (Coral Springs, FL) |
| 30 | New York Yankees | Ty Hensley | RHP | Edmond Santa Fe HS (Edmond, OK) |
| 31 | Boston Red Sox | Brian Johnson | LHP | University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) (Supplemental) |