The Pittsburgh Pirates emerged with the No. 1 overall pick for the 2023 draft as Major League Baseball held its first-ever draft lottery at the winter meetings in San Diego on Tuesday night.
As with other draft lotteries across professional sports, the teams with the worst records from last season had a better chance of securing a higher pick. However, the top six spots of MLB’s draft lottery were determined by the lottery, unlike the NBA, which has four spots set by a lottery, or NHL, which has just two.
The Washington Nationals earned the second overall pick, while the Detroit Tigers claimed the No. 3 pick. The Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins followed with the fourth and fifth picks, respectively.
Pittsburgh, Washington and the Oakland Athletics had the best odds to claim the top pick at 16.5 percent apiece. While the Pirates and Nationals wound up with picks in the top five, the A’s ended up with the sixth overall selection.
The full results of the draft lottery:
1. Pittsburgh Pirates
2. Washington Nationals
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Texas Rangers
5. Minnesota Twins
6. Oakland A’s
7. Cincinnati Reds
8. Kansas City Royals
9. Colorado Rockies
10. Miami Marlins
11. Los Angeles Angels
12. Arizona Diamondbacks
13. Chicago Cubs
14. Boston Red Sox
15. Chicago White Sox
16. San Francisco Giants
17. Baltimore Orioles
18. Milwaukee Brewers
–Field Level Media