Hall of Famers Al Kaline, Billy Williams, Dave Winfield and Tommy Lasorda as well as Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Vernon Wells are among the representatives who are scheduled to attend the 2008 First-Year Player Draft on behalf of their Major League Club, Major League Baseball announced today.

Major League Baseball's 2008 First-Year Player Draft will be carried live on ESPN2 from 2-6 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, June 5th. The Draft will be held at The Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Several of the top prospects will be invited to attend the Draft, which will be free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

The 30 Major League Clubs will be represented at the Draft by a decorated group that includes the two-time All-Star outfielder Wells, who is currently on the disabled list; the four Hall of Famers; former Major League All-Stars, veteran players and managers; current front office executives; and scouting personnel. Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig will announce the selections made in the first round.

"Major League Baseball and its Clubs have assembled an outstanding collection of figures from our game to join us as at the 2008 First-Year Player Draft," said Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLB's Executive Vice President for Baseball Operations. "Many of the representatives who will be on hand at our Draft have enjoyed lasting bonds with their Clubs over the decades. Their participation is becoming a unique tradition of the Draft, allowing us to recognize our game's history as we celebrate the future."

ESPN2 will air the choices made in both the first round, when there will be five minutes between picks, and the compensation round, when there will be one minute between selections. Following the pick-by-pick coverage through the compensation round, ESPN2's telecast will continue as the Draft is ongoing until 6 p.m. (EDT). After the completion of ESPN2's coverage, the first day of the Draft will proceed until approximately 9 p.m. (EDT). On Friday, June 6th, the Draft will resume at 11:30 a.m. (EDT) and then will continue through its conclusion.

As part of the festivities preceding the start of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball will hold a special Negro Leagues Player Draft. Major League Clubs will "draft" surviving former Negro League players, who will represent every player who did not have the opportunity to play Major League Baseball. The special Negro Leagues Player Draft will begin at 1 p.m. (EDT) and will be broadcast live on MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball.

MLB.com will offer comprehensive coverage of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, highlighted by two days of live multimedia coverage from Florida on BaseballChannel.TV and live interactive pick-by-pick results via the exclusive Draft Tracker.

Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort is the 220-acre multi-sport facility that includes Champion Stadium, home to Spring Training for the Atlanta Braves for the past 11 years and regular season action the past two years with the Tampa Bay Rays playing a three-game series in both 2007 and 2008. The complex also served as a host for first-round games during the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.