Pirates Just Miss Out on Top 5 in MLB Draft Lottery

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Dec 10, 2024
Ben Cherington, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington introduces Pittsburgh Pirates first-round draft selection, Termarr Johnson the media after signing him to a contract with the team before a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies in Pittsburgh, Friday, July 29, 2022.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

For the third-straight year since its inception, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a chance at the first pick thanks to the MLB Draft lottery.

But instead of winning the draft lottery as they did two years ago, a result that netted them Paul Skenes, the Pirates will have the sixth pick in the 2025 draft.

The Pirates entered Tuesday’s lottery with the sixth-best chance in the league to land the top pick at 5.31%, so they end up where they expected.

The top five is as follows:

  • 1. Washington Nationals
  • 2. Los Angeles Angels
  • 3. Seattle Mariners
  • 4. Colorado Rockies
  • 5. St. Louis Cardinals

The top of the 2025 draft class is highlighted by prep infielder Ethan Holliday, the brother of the Baltimore Orioles’ No. 1 pick Jackson Holliday in 2022. Outfielder Jace Laviolette (Texas A&M) and college pitchers Jamie Arnold (Florida State) and Tyler Bremner (UC Santa Barbara) are some other early top prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. 

Last year, the Pirates had the eighth-best odds to land the first pick but ended up with the ninth selection. They used it to take high school infielder/outfielder Konnor Griffin, who is considered our second-best prospect in the system. 

Former catcher Jason Kendall was the Pirates’ representative at the draft lottery. Former Pirates manager Clint Hurdle represented the Rockies.

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