Professional sports teams spend millions of dollars to figure out who the “next big thing” is going to be. Football teams have turned the NFL Draft into a multi-day spectacle, the NBA has a draft lottery that gets as much coverage as the draft itself. Teams are always trying to make sure that their investments into young players will pay off for the future.<\/p>\n
Major League Baseball is a little bit different than the NFL<\/a> and NBA<\/a>, because they have an entire minor league system to help players advance, train, and get better. While that means there are a lot of players who will have the chance to finally break through to a pro career, it also means there are far more players drafted by MLB<\/a> teams who won’t make a pro team, versus the NFL and NBA.<\/p>\n \u00a0MLB First Round Picks Don’t Go Straight To The MLB<\/p>\n Even first round MLB players aren’t guaranteed a spot on their club’s roster, unlike the other two major leagues we’re talking about. It would be a pretty big story if a first round NFL draft pick didn’t make their team’s opening roster. Just about as big of a story it would be if a player went straight from the MLB draft stage to the MLB team’s roster. Nearly all MLB draft picks have to spend some time in the minor league system.<\/p>\n Which brings us to last year’s Texas Rangers first round draft pick, Malcolm Moore<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2024 MLB Draft Presented by Nike<\/p>\n Photo by Richard Rodriguez\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Moore was the Rangers’ first round pick, coming in at pick #30, out of Stanford. Its safe to say Moore\u00a0had an awesome experience at the draft, since it was held at the Cowtown Coliseum<\/a>, a baseball throw away from the Rangers’ home park.<\/p>\n Texas Rangers’ Draft Pick Malcolm Moore’s First Games<\/p>\n So in the year since Moore was taken in the first round by the Rangers<\/a>, how has he progressed?<\/p>\n Bleacher Report<\/a> took a look at all of the 2024 first round MLB picks to see where they are after a full year in the systems, and things don’t look great for Moore. The quote from Bleacher Report<\/a> is “Moore’s pro career hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts.”<\/p>\n Chicago White Sox v Texas Rangers<\/p>\n Photo by Sam Hodde\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The reason they say that is Moore only hit .209 with 3 home runs in his first 25 games at A-ball last year. In 2025, Moore has dealt with a broken finger, which has led to him playing less than 20 games before July 1st. He has also had to split his time between A-ball and Rookie-ball.<\/p>\n