PHILADELPHIA, PA — On Saturday afternoon, the brightest draft-eligible prospects in baseball did not descend on the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where a few of their futures were celebrated by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in a wedding-sized event space adjacent to the much larger MLB All-Star Village. After the conclusion of the first-round announcements, which were running around five or ten minutes behind the actual picks and therefore all spoiled well in advance by reporters, the fans were kicked out, and then a few minutes later the media. The draft then kept going for another three rounds.

It’s unclear who this draft event or telecast is for. The NFL and NBA drafts have become big spectacles over the past few decades; the 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia was held on the famous Rocky steps outside the Philadelphia Art Museum and was attended by hundreds of thousands. This was going for some of that big-spectacle vibe, or perhaps a Savannah Bananas game, but instead reminded me of the between-innings entertainment at your local A-ball stadium. What exactly is the crossover between people who want to see a Macarena contest (in 2026!) and people who have opinions on Carter Beck?