MLB Draft to be held in July for 1st time in '21

For the first time since its inception in 1965, the MLB Draft will not be held in June next year. Major League Baseball announced Thursday that the 2021 MLB Draft will take place during All-Star Week in Atlanta, from July 11-13, ahead of the 91st MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park.

A minimum of 20 rounds will be held across the three days of the Draft, beginning after the 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, July 11, and ending before the start of the Midsummer Classic that Tuesday night. Further details about the 2021 Draft will be announced in the coming months.

Thursday's announcement came in conjunction with the unveiling of the official 2021 MLB All-Star Game logo during a digital pregame ceremony prior to the Braves' game against the Marlins at Truist Park. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Hall of Famers and Braves legends Hank Aaron and Tom Glavine, former Braves player and current FOX Sports South analyst Jeff Francoeur and Chip Caray, the play-by-play voice of the Braves, participated in the ceremony.

"We are pleased to make our Draft the newest part of 2021 All-Star Week festivities in Atlanta," Manfred said. "The All-Star Game is a celebration of baseball, and the Draft will highlight the amateur levels of our great game and its future stars.”

As All-Stars prepare to take part in the Midsummer Classic, potential future All-Stars will begin their professional baseball journeys, connecting generations of players in a way unlike any other in the game's history.