As long-time readers know, every year we do a Mock Draft the weekend before the real draft. Here are the ground rules.

The Commissioner of the Mock Draft is me, John Sickels. I will be guided by the principle of making this as fun as possible, and as fair as possible.

Step One: Selection of Scouting Director for Each Team

I will select a scouting director for each of the 30 Major League Baseball franchises. Each scouting director will be known by their Minor League Ball community name. This is basically on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you want to be a scouting director, ask.  Qualifications: You MUST be available to participate in the Mock Draft, Saturday June 5th at 12:00 PM noon, central time. You must also pledge to operate the Mock Organization Diary (see below) in a fair, open, and forthright manner. Any scouting director who does not or cannot do this will be relieved of their responsibility. My tolerance level for disruptive behavior is extremely low right now and I won't hesitate to pull the plug on someone not doing their job.

Step Two: Establishment of Mock Organization Diaries

Once a Scouting Director has been officially designated by the Commissioner (me), the Scouting Director should establish a Mock Organization Diary. This should be titled: MOD Angels, or MOD Yankees, etc. In the MOD, readers who want to participate in the Mock Draft should meet to exchange ideas and information, argue, and hash out who you want to draft. Anyone can participate in the MOD, however I suggest that readers try to stick with one or two organizations. Due to the vagaries of the "fanpost" system, it may be necessary to post new MODs frequently.

Step Three: Mock Draft, Saturday, June 5th, 12:00 PM Central Time

The Mock Draft will begin on Saturday, June 5th, at 12:00 PM Central Time. It will run through three rounds. That means round 1, and the supplemental rounds, all the way through supplemental round 3. Teams will select in the order that they select in the real draft. The Scouting Director for each club will be responsible for making the choice in the connecting thread, with the thread moderated by me

Post questions and comments about the mock draft here. Do NOT post requests for Scouting Director Assignments in this thread. I will post a separate thread for that shortly.