Press release:
In a unanimous decision by the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) Board of Directors, the 16 member teams will now have the ability to sign graduating college seniors that do not have remaining college eligibility. The PGCBL will provide a platform for the most talented, graduating collegiate seniors, to improve their Major League Baseball (MLB) draft status by offering additional opportunities to be seen by scouts and compete against the highest level of competition.
Additionally, any other current collegiate player that will be exhausting their remaining college eligibility will be considered for roster inclusion. This provision will address any eligibility anomalies that were created by the Covid-19 pandemic.
As always, the PGCBL will continue to strive to serve as a showcase league for current top draft-eligible prospects leading up to each summer's MLB draft, as well as future top tier prospects not currently eligible to be drafted.
The MLB draft has historically taken place in early June but was held in mid-July for the first time in 2021. The 2022 draft will take place from July 17th-19th and feature 20 rounds of picks. Until a Covid-19 modified draft in 2020, the MLB draft had historically featured 40 rounds. With the draft now scheduled later in the year and featuring fewer rounds, the PGCBL felt it was important to provide additional opportunities to those exhausting their collegiate eligibility.
"We're excited to announce the inclusion of all players who have just exhausted their college eligibility," said PGCBL President & General Counsel, Robert Julian. "We hope to provide as many opportunities as possible to those players looking to increase their draft prospectus. With the reduction in draft rounds and the later draft date, we felt this was an important opportunity to provide for affected players."
The PGCBL will begin league-wide play for the 2022 season on Friday, June 3rd.
