Major League Baseball held its inaugural Draft Lottery on Tuesday during the Winter Meetings in San Diego. The lottery determines the placement of the top-18 picks in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Picks 14 through 18 went as expected, but the Minnesota Twins got some lottery luck and jumped from No. 13 to No. 8. The Texas Rangers jumped from No. 7 to No. 4, and the Detroit Tigers jumped from No. 6 to No. 3.
As for the worst-luck teams, the Kansas City Royals fell from No. 5 to No. 8, the Cincinnati Reds fell from No. 4 to No . 7, and the Oakland A’s made the biggest fall, going from the No. 2 slot to No. 6.
The No. 2 pick went to the Washington Nationals, who had MLB’s worst record at 55-107.
And the Pittsburgh Pirates received the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft after finishing with the third-worst record.
It’s the sixth time the Pirates have picked No. 1 overall, the most in MLB history.
LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, Ole Miss shortstop Jacob Gonzalez, Tennessee right-handed pitcher Chase Dollander, and high school outfielder Max Clark figure to be in consideration for the Pirates at the top pick in the draft.
Here’s a look at how the baseball world has reacted to the first-ever MLB draft and the Pirates getting the top pick:
As for the 2023 MLB Draft itself, that won’t take place until July 2023 in Seattle.
[Photo Credit: MLB Network]
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.