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Manfred Focused On Increasing Interest In Draft

by Andrew Perna

Jun 9, 2015 10:32 AM

In the moments leading up to the First-Year Player Draft on Monday night, first-year Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred spoke with a few members of the media about various topics.

Chief among them was the state of the draft, which celebrated its 50th anniversary.

"We have certain logistical limitations. The most important of which is that a lot of the college players are still playing. It's difficult to have them here," Manfred said. "This event, like every event, is about the players. That is a limitation. I've said this publicly, I think that we're going to try to have some conversations with the NCAA about a little better coordination of calendars so that we can make the event even better going forward."

The draft, which is held annually at Studio 42 in New Jersey, was attended by just four draft prospects -- Mike Nikorak, Brendan Rodgers, Ashe Russell and Garrett Whitley.

"The opportunity for our fans to see young men being drafted, the excitement that it generates for those young people makes for great television," the commissioner added. "It's something we need to strive to have more of."

I asked him directly if Major League Baseball would ever consider scheduling an off-day for all teams on the first day of the draft.

"We watch our schedule very carefully and we would love the focus, within the realistic parameters, to be on the draft. I think that's something that's aspirational. As few games as possible."

Tags: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals, Draft, Misc Rumor

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Andrew Perna writes on the MLB and NBA for RealGM.

Follow @Andrew_Perna on Twitter.

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