CINCINNATI -- Without a selection having been made yet, it’s a stone-cold lock that the 2020 MLB Draft will be like no other previously held in baseball.

The COVID-19 pandemic that stopped sports worldwide has also affected how the Reds -- and the other 29 clubs -- could prepare to make their picks. There have been no recent high school or college games at which scouts could have taken fresh looks at prospects. And as part of the negotiations for a 2020 season radically altered by the coronavirus, the MLB Players Association agreed to allow MLB to shorten the Draft to five rounds.

The scouting staff and Reds director of amateur scouting Brad Meador -- in his second year running the organization’s Draft -- have held all meetings over Zoom instead of gathering in conference rooms and at the homes of players.

“The biggest difference is just not having everyone here and having to do it remotely,” Meador said this week. “As far as the process goes for us, we’ve tried to keep it the same. We’ve obviously got cut short with the college season, but it hasn’t changed the Draft process and how we’re working through the players, putting up the board and talking it through.”

But despite no scouting visits to see them, the Reds have maintained contact with the potential selections.

“We did a lot of the home visits and campus visits in the fall and winter,” Meador said. “Because of the time here we’ve had, we’ve spent a lot of time on Zoom calls with players. It’s been good.

“We’ve seen these guys for three years, or at least a couple of years. We have history with them. Teams will lean towards more players they have a history with and relationships with, especially as we get deeper. I know it’s only five rounds, but once we get past the first couple, I think you’ll see teams start to lean towards where they have the most history and their scouts have the relationships.”

Day 1 of the 2020 Draft airs tonight on MLB Network and ESPN at 7 p.m. ET, and includes the first 37 picks. Day 2 begins at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday on MLB Network and ESPN2, and spans the remainder of the 160 picks.

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 Reds, whose first selection is the 12th overall pick:

State of the system: In the winter ahead of the 2019 season, the Reds traded several prospects to acquire Sonny Gray, Yasiel Puig, Tanner Roark and more. Those moves have had the organization trying to replenish with more elite talent after multiple Top 30 prospects were moved.

Cincinnati liked the outcome of the 2019 Draft with pitcher Nick Lodolo as their current No. 1 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Other picks, such as third baseman Rece Hinds and infielder Tyler Callihan, are part of its Top 10. That trio joined coveted prospects outfielder Michael Siani, shortstop Jose Garcia and righty Hunter Greene, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery.

What they’re saying: “We’ve had to go back and really rely on our follows more, which we do a good job with -- especially in the summer. We always put a lot of stock, especially with high school kids, into the summer and fall coverage. We put a lot into spring as well. But in summer, the best players are playing against each other with wood bats. You’re able to evaluate them better. We’ve always gone back and looked at the summer and fall. That hasn’t changed a whole lot.” -- Meador, on evaluating players without the benefit of 2020 games

Who might they take? In mock drafts by Mayo, the Reds have been linked to right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli from the University of Oklahoma. There’s also a chance that a high school player could be taken, like Mount Carmel (Ill.) shortstop Ed Howard or West Allegheny (Pa.) outfielder Austin Hendrick.

Money matters: Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team gets an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of 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 will apply toward the bonus-pool total.

Normally, any bonus greater than $125,000 for a player taken after the 10th round is also applied toward the total. This year, 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.

“That’s going to be different for sure,” Meador said. “We’ll try to stick to our process and stay the same. I think we’ll be trying to sign the next players on the board. We’re going to put up more players than are picked through five rounds so it’s no different than if we were in the sixth, seventh, eighth round of the Draft. That’s where we’ll start.”

This year, the Reds have a pool of $8,552,100 to spend, including $4,366,400 to spend on their first selection.

Shopping list: Even in a shorter Draft, Meador plans to maintain the Reds’ policy of selecting the best available player and not target specific needs. Once they pursue unselected players, the club could address organizational weaknesses. Meador hasn’t set his board yet, but once it is done early next week, he will meet with the player-development side to form a plan of attack. Obviously, pitching will be a major need, as it is every year.

Trend watch: College players have dominated Reds selections for the past several years and 2019 was no different, as 28 of the 40 selections came from college teams.

The recent top picks:
2019: Nick Lodolo
2018: Jonathan India
2017: Hunter Greene
2016: Nick Senzel
2015: Tyler Stephenson