Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is no doubt playing hardball. But his proposal on Thursday to dramatically alter the draft could strengthen the talent pipeline to college baseball.

The MLB proposal would reduce the amateur draft to 12 rounds, from 20, and limit draft bonuses. There would be a new, separate international amateur draft.

But high school prospects would no longer be eligible for the amateur draft and would be required to attend a junior college or college for two seasons before they could be selected. This would modify the current rule, which is three years at a college, two years at a junior college or eligibility after two seasons if a player turns 21 before the draft.

Let’s state the obvious: Manfred is positioning ahead of time for a battle with the MLB players’ association over a collective bargaining agreement that expires on Dec. 1, 2026. That puts the 2027 MLB season in a tenuous spot, potentially a lockout or strike depending on how the negotiations play out.

The MLBPA doesn’t like this draft proposal one bit. Retired players have been speaking out against it on social media. Let the games begin at the bargaining table just weeks after the World Series finishes up.

But if this proposal (or a negotiated version) pushes forward, college baseball will benefit from a massive influx of high school talent. Will it make the sport better? An argument could be made for yes.

Think about all of the middle school and high school prospects who attend camps at a college and build relationships with coaches only to develop into first-round prospects or top-5 round picks after their senior seasons. The appeal is there to attend school, earn a degree and play for three years under the current system but a high school athlete (as well as his parents and advisors) could be passing up a seven-figure signing bonus when college coaches are offering revenue-sharing deals and NIL offers that are undoubtedly far less.

Under this proposal, high school prospects will go directly to college for two seasons. Guaranteed. We could argue it’s guaranteed to make college baseball two things: A better sport and a no-cost farm system for MLB. Even MLB admits to it in the proposal, calling college baseball "an increasingly important pathway." That's not good news for lower-level minor-league baseball teams, but it should be good for college baseball.

For the record, FSU alum and World Series champion Doug Mientkiewicz is not a fan of the proposal.

"It’s completely different," Mientkiewicz said on Twitter/X. "To think college players can go right into a high level for the first time and play every day, not the 4 games a week they currently play is uneducated. College and minor league ball are 2 completely different things."

Mientkiewicz is right that college baseball and minor league baseball are different animals. There are far fewer games in a college season. And there's the academic component. An argument has often been made that a college athlete’s development is better on a campus at 18, 19 and 20 years of age instead of starting out on a bus in rookie-level professional baseball.

But for a sport that we love, and if you've read this far you do, think about how this would resolve some of college baseball’s problems. Who decides when the draft will be on the calendar? MLB. Who decides how many rounds it will be? MLB. And who decides the eligibility rules? MLB.

It's the same calendar that places the MLB draft in July, to the desires of pro ball and not college ball. And it's that calendar that makes it tougher for college coaches to manage rosters.

In this MLB proposal, at least some variables are being removed. A high school prospect who has been recruited for three or more years by a college coach and signs in November won't be drafted in July. He will be in school in August and in fall ball a few months later, playing meaningful games in February.

How many recent names could have landed in Tallahassee? Catcher Ty Harvey was selected with the No. 160 overall pick last summer by the San Diego Padres. His deal was reported at $1.5 million for the fifth-round pick. FSU was able to land the majority of the high school signees, including John Stuetzer and Kelvyn Paulino Jr. (who is now in the transfer portal).

The 2024 draft included prep prospects in right-hander Dylan Jordan (fifth round, Angels), right-hander Chase Mobley (10th round, Guardians) and infielder Jack Lines (12th round, Rays). None made it to campus. Myles Bailey and Hunter Carns were both taken in the 20th round and of course went to FSU. It should be noted that Bailey and Carns are draft-eligible sophomores, with Carns opting to also jump in the portal.

There admittedly is another downside of the draft proposal. It's plausible FSU would lose a good number of its top players after their sophomore season, if they were selected in the new 12-round format. It wouldn't be fun to see the likes of a Parker Messick or Jamie Arnold leave after a second year. Messick was the ACC's pitcher of the year as a sophomore after going 8-2 with a 3.10 ERA in year 2, and Arnold was a first-team All-American in his second year.

With just 12 rounds, MLB teams will be more choosy than ever before. Signability has been vital in a 20-round draft, so it’s even more critical that teams are able to ink deals with every prospect who they select. Will that keep players who aren't ready yet for pro ball at the college level for a junior season? Or perhaps even a senior season?

Let's say FSU has an all-ACC player who is developing well as a sophomore but not viewed as a high-round pick just yet. That's where FSU's coaches could dangle enough money (revenue sharing or NIL) to bring a player back for his junior season. And what if he develops into an impactful player, an All-American that helps the team reach the College World Series?

The reality is this is a proposal. Manfred as well as the owners in the NL and AL will try to use it to their advantage. The players' association will fight it. Perhaps there will be some compromise on the structure of this proposal.

College coaches will have no say in it. But right now their jobs as roster managers are miserable. For college baseball the positives likely outweigh the negatives with this proposal.

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