MLB Draft 2025: Players Skip Event, Sparking Controversy

The 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft made a weird kind of history. For the first time ever, not a single player showed up in person.

Even though the draft took place at Atlanta’s Coca-Cola Roxy during All-Star festivities, the scene felt oddly empty. Draft prospects were nowhere to be found.

MLB has tried to turn its draft into a big event like the NFL and NBA drafts. But baseball’s got its own unique problems, and those efforts haven’t really stuck.

The Players Were a No-Show: Why It Happened

In past MLB drafts, only a handful of players would actually attend—usually six or eight at most. But in 2025, not a single one showed up, which sort of highlighted bigger issues with the league’s showcase event.

Even prospects who lived in Georgia or nearby states stayed home. So, being close to the venue didn’t matter much.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred didn’t sugarcoat it. He pointed to structural and cultural reasons that kept players away.

The Role of Agencies in Player Absence

Agencies like The Boras Corporation, Excel Sports Management, and Wasserman played a big part in this. They represented 18 of the top 30 draft picks in 2025.

These agencies say they don’t have strict rules against attending, but their advice usually leans toward staying away. The main reason? The draft is unpredictable, and nobody wants to sit in the audience and watch their name drop down the board.

There are practical reasons, too. Agents want to keep their bargaining power for signing bonuses. The MLB draft isn’t like the NFL or NBA—deals are more fluid and negotiations can get messy right up to the last minute.

By staying home, players and agents can strategize without the pressure of cameras or a live audience. It’s just easier that way.

Why Draft Night Isn’t a Star-Making Event

Another big issue: the MLB draft just doesn’t make instant stars. Baseball prospects usually spend years in the minors before they even sniff the big leagues.

Compare that to the NFL and NBA, where first-round picks often jump right into the spotlight. It’s not hard to see why baseball’s draft feels less exciting.

Television Ratings Highlight the Gap

Even with some improvements, the MLB draft is still way behind the NFL and NBA in terms of fan excitement. The 2024 draft pulled in 863,000 viewers.

That’s better than before, but it’s nowhere near the millions who watch football and basketball drafts. There’s still a long way to go.

MLB’s Efforts to Attract Players Fall Flat

MLB tried to sweeten the deal in 2025. They offered free flights, hotels, All-Star tickets, and special experiences for players and families.

None of that worked. Prospects still skipped the trip to Atlanta.

The league’s perks didn’t really address the bigger cultural and business reasons for staying home. Commissioner Manfred has started rethinking the draft’s format and is talking with agencies about how to get players to show up.

Ideas floating around include paying players to attend or cutting off team-agent talks during the draft. But honestly, those are big changes that might need to wait for the next round of labor negotiations.

The Future of the MLB Draft: Can It Evolve?

Right now, most players still prefer celebrating draft night in private or just focusing on their long-term plans. High school and college draftees often choose to stay home with family, since they might still have college commitments or want to play another season before going pro.

Honestly, changing how the MLB draft feels will take a while. It’ll probably need some real shifts—structural, economic, and cultural. Baseball just isn’t like the NFL or NBA. Its development pipeline, the money, the whole vibe is different. So, trying to copy other leagues doesn’t quite work. For now, the MLB draft stays pretty low-key, with players sticking to what feels comfortable, even as the league tries to make it a bigger deal.

 
Here is the source article for this story: ‘Sad.’ ‘Embarassing.’ Why players were a no-show at the MLB draft