Pirates Again Have Chance at No. 1 Pick Through Draft Lottery

One year after being awarded the No. 1 pick in the first-ever MLB Draft lottery, the Pittsburgh Pirates are a lot less likely to land at the top spot of the draft in 2024.

The Pirates have a 3.0% chance of seeing their name attached to the first pick in next year’s draft, which represents the eighth-best odds. The Pirates finished tied for the ninth-worst record in baseball but have a tiebreaker over the Cleveland Guardians, who also went 76-86. The Washington Nationals are ineligible for the draft lottery this year, bumping the Pirates up a spot.

Last season, Pittsburgh finished tied for the third-worst record in baseball, but won the draft lottery. They selected right-handed pitching prospect Paul Skeens from LSU with the pick.

The draft lottery will take place on Dec. 5 during the annual Winter Meetings, which take place in Nashville, Tennessee this year.

The full lottery odds are as follows:

1. Oakland Athletics: 18.3%
2. Kansas City Royals: 18.3%
3. Colorado Rockies: 18.3%
4. Chicago White Sox: 14.7%
5. St. Louis Cardinals: 8.3%
6. Los Angeles Angels: 6.1%
7. New York Mets: 4.3%
8. Pittsburgh Pirates: 3.0%
9. Cleveland Guardians: 2.0%
10. Detroit Tigers: 1.6%
11. Boston Red Sox: 1.2%
12. San Francisco Giants: 1.0%
13. Cincinnati Reds: 0.9%
14. San Diego Padres: 0.7%
15. New York Yankees: 0.6%
16. Chicago Cubs: 0.4%
17. Seattle Mariners: 0.2%