This is Deric Ladnier’s 30th year in professional baseball, so it’s safe to say that he has seen a lot over the years, but the D-backs director of amateur scouting has never had to deal with anything like what he’s facing this year.

The COVID-19 worldwide pandemic has brought baseball at all levels in the United States to a halt. Colleges had their seasons abruptly ended prior to the end of their conference schedules, and some high school programs did not even get started before being shuttered.

In addition, due to social distancing, the usual Draft meetings have been conducted via video conferencing instead of in person.

The Draft this year will be five rounds instead of 40, and teams will be able to sign as many players as they want after the Draft ends for a maximum of $20,000.

“This year has been a unique challenge, and the cool part is to watch the staff rise to the challenge,” Ladnier said. ”I’m like a proud papa. Watching them get out of their comfort level to do things they’ve never done, myself included, and everybody rising to the occasion on behalf of the organization, it’s a credit to their character and their work ethic.”

The D-backs got to see the college players they had interest in, but did not get in the usual follow looks they get during college season and the subsequent tournaments. Still, that’s more information than they have on quite a few high school prospects who they were unable to see this year.

“At the end of the day we still have to produce Major League talent, albeit with limited opportunity with just five rounds,” Ladnier said. “But it’s still our responsibility to continue to try to reshape the organization through the acquisition of talent. That’s the bottom line, and that’s our commitment.”

Day 1 of the 2020 Draft airs tonight on MLB Network and ESPN at 4 p.m. MST, and includes the first 37 picks. Day 2 begins at 2 p.m. MST on Thursday on MLB Network and ESPN2, and spans the remainder of the 160 picks.

• D-backs’ Top 30 Prospect List

Comprehensive coverage will be available on MLB.com and MLB Pipeline, which will simulcast MLB Network’s broadcast. Go to MLB.com/Draft to see when teams pick, the Top 200 Prospects list, mock drafts from analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, scouting video and more. And follow @MLBDraft and @MLBDraftTracker on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying and to get each pick as it’s made.

Here’s how the Draft is shaping up for the D-backs, whose first selection is the 18th overall pick:

State of the system
The D-backs system has improved by leaps and bounds over the past couple of years as GM Mike Hazen has restocked it via shrewd Drafts, but also via trade. The D-backs picked up four highly rated prospects from the Astros in exchange for Zack Greinke at last year’s Trade Deadline and also added a comp pick last year from the Cardinals in the Paul Goldschmidt trade.

What they’re saying
“It’s different, but at the end of the day it still comes down to evaluating talent,” Ladnier said. “It still comes down to the numbers crunching, it still comes down to the personal relationships.”

Whom might they take?
If the D-backs decide to go with a bat at No. 18, the name most linked to them by Mayo and Callis is high school outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. If they instead decide to go pitching, high school right-hander Nick Bitsko was the one mentioned in a recent mock draft by Callis.

Money matters
Each team gets an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of its selections in the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. This year, with a five-round Draft, all signing bonuses of drafted players will apply toward the bonus pool total.

For 2020, there is a $20,000 limit on bonuses for non-drafted free agents. There is no limit to the number of undrafted players teams may sign, but they cannot go over $20,000 per player. These bonuses do not count toward the pool total.

The D-backs have a pool of $7,184,900 to spend, including $3,481,300 to spend on their first selection.

Shopping list
The D-backs loaded up on pitching early in last year’s Draft, but Ladnier believes that you can never have enough, a philosophy shared by Hazen when it comes to each year’s Trade Deadline as well. More frontline starters could be a target. The team has some catching depth near the top with Carson Kelly in the big leagues and Daulton Varsho knocking on the door, but that’s another area they may look to add.

Trend watch
Ladnier is adamant about taking the best available player at each spot and says drafting for need rather than talent, especially with early-round selections, is a big mistake. If you look at recent high selections under Ladnier, you can see that he likes athletic players who can impact the game on both sides of the ball, such as last year’s top pick, Corbin Carroll, or outfielder Alek Thomas from 2018. Positional versatility is something that the organization also values tremendously.

The D-backs' recent top picks
2019: Corbin Carroll, OF (Class A Short Season Hillsboro)
2018: Matt McLain, SS (Did not sign)
2017: Pavin Smith, 1B (Double-A Jackson)
2016: No first-round pick
2015: Dansby Swanson, SS (Majors, Atlanta)