The 2011 MLB Draft gets underway on Monday evening and the Seattle Mariners will reap the benefits of an atrocious 2010 campaign. Although nothing will erase the bad taste of disappointment following a season in which the fans had high expectations, the Mariners will have a chance to pick-up a player that could become a cornerstone of the franchise with the second pick in the 2011 MLB Draft. Seattle last picked second just two years ago, and was able to secure Dustin Ackley, who appears to be just days away from making his major league debut.
The Pittsburgh Pirates will pick first by virtue of their 57-105 record in 2010. The Pirates are widely expected to take UCLA starting pitcher Gerrit Cole, leaving the Mariners with plenty of options at No. 2. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals round out the top-5.
The 2011 MLB Draft gets underway late on Friday as it switches to a three-day format. Like the NFL, the draft will be broadcast in prime-time on Monday, with the first and compensatory rounds set to take place. The draft encompasses 50 rounds, with the bulk of the picks stretched over the second and third days. Picks will begin rolling in at 4 p.m. PDT on Monday, with a pre-draft show set for 3 p.m. on MLB Network. You can find a live broadcast of the draft on MLB Network and online at MLB.com.
Below is the order for the first round and the sandwich round. The sandwich, or compensatory round, is for teams who lost Type A free agents following the 2010 season. You'll see the reasons for the compensatory picks listed next to the team names below.
First Round
| 1. | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 2. | Seattle Mariners |
| 3. | Arizona Diamondbacks |
| 4. | Baltimore Orioles |
| 5. | Kansas City Royals |
| 6. |
Washington Nationals |
| 7. | Arizona Diamondbacks (for unsigned 2010 pick Barrett Loux) |
| 8. |
Cleveland Indians |
| 9. |
Chicago Cubs |
| 10. |
San Diego Padres (for unsigned 2010 pick Karsten Whitson) |
| 11. |
Houston Astros |
| 12. |
Milwaukee Brewers |
| 13. |
New York Mets |
| 14. |
Florida Marlins |
| 15. | Milwaukee Brewers (for unsigned 2010 pick Dylan Covey) |
| 16. |
Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 17. |
Los Angeles Angels |
| 18. | Oakland Athletics |
| 19. |
Boston Red Sox (from Detroit Tigers for free agent Victor Martinez) |
| 20. | Colorado Rockies |
| 21. | Toronto Blue Jays |
| 22. |
St. Louis Cardinals |
| 23. | Washington Nationals (from Chicago White Sox for free agent Adam Dunn) |
| 24. |
Tampa Bay Rays (from Boston Red Sox for free agent Carl Crawford) |
| 25. | San Diego Padres |
| 26. | Boston Red Sox (from Texas Rangers for free agent Adrian Beltre) |
| 27. |
Cincinnati Reds |
| 28. |
Atlanta Braves |
| 29. |
San Francisco Giants |
| 30. |
Minnesota Twins |
| 31. | Tampa Bay Rays |
| 32. | Tampa Bay Rays (from New York Yankees for free agent Rafael Soriano) |
| 33. |
Texas Rangers (from Philadelphia Phillies for free agent Cliff Lee) |
Compensatory Round A
| 34. | Washington Nationals (for Type A free agent Adam Dunn (Chicago White Sox)) |
| 35. | Toronto Blue Jays (for Type A free agent Scott Downs (Los Angeles Angels)) |
| 36. | Boston Red Sox (for Type A free agent Victor Martinez (Detroit Tigers)) |
| 37. | Texas Rangers (for Type A free agent Cliff Lee (Philadelphia)) |
| 38. | Tampa Bay Rays (for Type A free agent Rafael Soriano (New York Yankees)) |
| 39. | Philadelphia Phillies (for Type A free agent Jayson Werth (Washington)) |
| 40. | Boston Red Sox (for Type A free agent Adrian Beltre (Texas)) |
| 41. | Tampa Bay Rays (for Type A free agent Carl Crawford (Boston)) |
| 42. | Tampa Bay Rays (for Type A free agent Grant Balfour (Oakland)) |
| 43. | Arizona Diamondbacks (for Type B free agent Adam LaRoche (Baltimore)) |
| 44. | New York Mets (for Type B free agent Pedro Feliciano (New York Yankees)) |
| 45. | Colorado Rockies (for Type B free agent Octavio Dotel (Toronto Blue Jays)) |
| 46. | Toronto Blue Jays (for Type B free agent Kevin Gregg (Baltimore Orioles)) |
| 47. | Chicago White Sox (for Type B free agent J.J. Putz (Arizona Diamondbacks)) |
| 48. | San Diego Padres (for Type B free agent Jon Garland (Los Angeles Dodgers)) |
| 49. | San Francisco Giants (for Type B free agent Juan Uribe (Los Angeles Dodgers)) |
| 50. | Minnesota Twins (for Type B free agent Orlando Hudson (San Diego Padres)) |
| 51. | New York Yankees (for Type B free agent Javier Vazquez (Florida Marlins)) |
| 52. | Tampa Bay Rays (for Type B free agent Brad Hawpe (San Diego Padres)) |
| 53. | Toronto Blue Jays (for Type B free agent John Buck (Florida Marlins)) |
| 54. | San Diego Padres (for Type B free agent Yorvit Torrealba (Texas Rangers)) |
| 55. | Minnesota Twins (for Type B free agent Jesse Crain (Chicago White Sox)) |
| 56. | Tampa Bay Rays (for Type B free agent Joaquin Benoit (Detroit)) |
| 57. | Toronto Blue Jays (for Type B free agent Miguel Olivo (Seattle Mariners)) |
| 58. | San Diego Padres (for Type B free agent Kevin Correia (Pittsburgh Pirates)) |
| 59. | Tampa Bay Rays (for Type B free agent Randy Choate (Florida Marlins)) |
| 60. | Tampa Bay Rays (for Type B free agent Chad Qualls (San Diego Padres)) |
Via ESPN
For more on the draft, stay with our 2011 MLB Draft StoryStream. For a local look at what the Mariners are planning, head over to SB Nation's Lookout Landing.