ST. LOUIS – There will never be another Major League Baseball player with the same path to the big leagues as Brad Brach.
He was a 42nd-round pick by the San Diego Padres in the 2008 MLB Draft out of Monmouth University in New Jersey, a round that doesn’t even exist anymore. The MLB Draft was shortened to 40 rounds in 2012 and now it sits at 20 rounds this year because of pandemic-related changes.
Short-season leagues disappeared as MLB cut 40 minor league affiliates prior to the 2021 season. The Reds lost the Billings Mustangs and the Greeneville Reds as their short-season affiliates and all organizations are capped at 180 players.