MLB Draft Schedule 2015: Order, Start Time, TV Coverage and Live Stream

On Monday night, Major League Baseball's first-year player draft begins, kicking off the first of 40 rounds to stockpile prospects.

All 30 teams will replenish their farm systems during the three-day procedure, a long process requiring a longer payoff before any draftees reach The Show. It's not the flashiest sell, but two of last year's first-round picks (Carlos Rodon and Brandon Finnegan) have already made their MLB debuts in short order.

With players eligible out of high school and signing concerns altering decisions, the MLB draft carries more complications than the other major sports. With only hours to go, the No. 1 pick remains up in the air. 

Date	Rounds	Start Time (ET)	TV
Mon, June 8	1 - Comp. Balance B	7 p.m.	MLB Network
Tues, June 9	3 - 10	1 p.m.	N/A
Wed, June 10	11 - 40	12 p.m.	N/A

All rounds available for live streaming at MLB.com.

Pick	Team
1	Arizona Diamondbacks
2	Houston Astros (compensation for not signing 2014 No. 1 pick Brady Aiken)
3	Colorado Rockies
4	Texas Rangers
5	Houston Astros
6	Minnesota Twins
7	Boston Red Sox
8	Chicago White Sox
9	Chicago Cubs
10	Philadelphia Phillies
11	Cincinnati Reds
12	Miami Marlins
13	Tampa Bay Rays
14	Atlanta Braves
15	Milwaukee Brewers
16	New York Yankees
17	Cleveland Indians
18	San Francisco Giants
19	Pittsburgh Pirates
20	Oakland Athletics
21	Kansas City Royals
22	Detroit Tigers
23	St. Louis Cardinals
24	Los Angeles Dodgers
25	Baltimore Orioles
26	Los Angeles Angels
Compensation Pick	Team (Free Agent Lost)
27	Colorado Rockies (Michael Cuddyer)
28	Atlanta Braves (Ervin Santana)
29	Toronto Blue Jays (Melky Cabrera)
30	New York Yankees (David Robertson)
31	San Francisco Giants (Pablo Sandoval)
32	Pittsburgh Pirates (Russell Martin)
33	Kansas City Royals (James Shields)
34	Detroit Tigers (Max Scherzer)
35	Los Angeles Dodgers (Hanley Ramirez)
36	Baltimore Orioles (Nelson Cruz)

Top Prospects

Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

One of three top-flight shortstop prospects, Vanderbilt's Dansby Swanson looks to parlay a .348/.441/.668 season into becoming the No. 1 overall selection, which is held by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The junior offered the complete package this year, tallying 14 home runs and 15 stolen bases while flashing serious leather at short.

Peter Gammons shared one of his spectacular defensive gems during the NCAA regionals:

If Arizona wants a high-floor position player at a spot difficult to fill, Swanson is its man. While Brendan Rodgers—Swanson's main competition for the top honor—may not stay a shortstop, Swanson will. Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin promoted his player to MLB.com's Andrew Simon:

"

I think he's a kid that can stay (at shortstop). There's no hesitation with me, because he continually gets better at that position. He's a point guard out there. He can play on the run. He can play in any direction. He's got dexterity, he's got flexibility, he's got awareness, and he creates angles. There's just a lot to his game.

"

Of course, anybody going so high also needs to hit. Swanson generated three home runs through his first two years at Vanderbilt before breaking out but generated an .876 OPS through those years. In a perfect world, he would blossom into a disciplined gap hitter a la Derek Jeter.

Alex Bregman, SS, Louisiana State

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Though behind Swanson and Rodgers on most big boards, fellow shortstop Alex Bregman shouldn't fall too far behind his peers. A talent evaluator for an unnamed American League club touted Bregman as the better choice.

"I think Bregman will impact the ball more," the evaluator told the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro, "while Swanson will shoot the ball around the park. I personally have Bregman over Swanson. But I may be in the minority."

The 21-year-old hit .313/.408/.539 for Louisiana State this season, striking out only 21 times while drawing 36 walks. Although not much of a threat to go yard, the undersized infielder stole 36 bases and produced 22 doubles.

Such gap power should prevent onlookers from using patronizing buzzwords such as "scrappy" and "gritty" when describing Bregman. He's certainly nothing like Kris Bryant, Joc Pederson and George Springer, the new wave of future stars who happily trade strikeouts for power, but that doesn't make him David Eckstein.  

Then again, the "grit" label might endear him to the Diamondbacks. Less of a certainty to stick to short, Bregman's lesser upside will likely make him the third shortstop of the trio selected, but that wouldn't toss him out of top-five consideration. 

Tyler Stephenson, C, Kennesaw Mountain (Georgia) HS

If Baseball America's John Manuel knows something everyone else doesn't, Arizona will shock the world Monday night. He has high school catcher Tyler Stephenson going No. 1 overall due to signability issues for another top prospect.

"More and more sources indicate Swanson is the fall-back plan here, with Stephenson, on a deal that would save the Diamondbacks more money for later selections, more likely to go first overall," Manuel wrote in his latest mock draft. "He’d be the first prep catcher to go that high since Joe Mauer in 2001."

Last month, ESPN Insider Keith Law reported that Arizona general manager Dave Stewart attended a game at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia. He didn't, however, anticipate that visit translating into action, as Stephenson's big frame limits his longevity behind the plate.

"I think Stephenson has a mid-first-round bat, with a modest boost to his value because he is a potential catcher," Law wrote, "but I think a team drafting him on the assumption that he'll remain a catcher for the long term is probably being too optimistic."

MLB.com ranks Stephenson as the No. 18 overall prospect, but it doesn't appear he'll last that long. If Manuel's stunning projection doesn't pan out, Scout.com's Max Wildstein mentioned heavy interest from the Philadelphia Phillies: 

A catcher with pop is an intriguing prospect for teams, so much so that Stephenson is poised to vault into the top 10.