The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox created plenty of local buzz in the 2020 amateur draft with their first-round selections of Mount Carmel shortstop Ed Howard IV and Tennessee pitcher Garrett Crochet.
This year’s draft, scheduled for July 11, presents a challenge for scouting departments because the COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2020 college season in mid-March and wiped out summer leagues — a major evaluation period for scouts.
Baseball America, in consultation with major-league scouts, published its first mock first round this week. It enlisted the help of an unidentified evaluator to make every odd-numbered pick, with the Baseball America staff making the even-numbered selections.