Welcome to the inaugural MLB draft lottery.
The Detroit Tigers have the sixth-best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft during the league’s first-ever draft lottery Tuesday night, which will determine the order for the first six spots.
The Tigers were a large disappointment in 2022, finishing 66-96, for their sixth consecutive losing season. They can drop as far as the 12th pick or move all the way up to No. 1. All eighteen teams to miss the postseason are participating in the lottery, though only seven have a greater than 5% chance to win the top selection.
More:This is Scott Harris’ Detroit Tigers pitch to free agent targets at MLB winter meetings
LSU outfielder Dylan Crews, Tennessee pitcher Chase Dollander and Mississippi shortstop Jacob Gonzalez are generally viewed as the top three college players ahead of the spring season. Outfielder Max Clark, from Franklin, Indiana, and outfielder Walker Jenkins, from North Carolina, are considered as the top draft-eligible high school players.
The Tigers last picked No. 1 overall in 2020, selecting infielder Spencer Torkelson. Now, they have a new president of baseball operations in Scott Harris, and will be looking to add young talent to the pipeline.
Here’s more information on baseball’s new lottery system, which is far more strict against tanking than that of NBA and NHL, with live updates below the FAQ. And be sure to follow our beat writer, Evan Petzold, for news and unique analysis on the Tigers all year long.
When is the MLB draft lottery?
The lottery is Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET live from the winter meetings in San Diego.
How to watch the MLB draft Lottery
The lottery will be televised on MLB Network, with a live simulcast streaming on MLB.com and the MLB app.
What teams have the best odds at the No. 1 pick?
Here are the seven teams with at least a 5% chance at winning the lottery:
- Washington Nationals, 16.5%
- Oakland A’s, 16.5%
- Pittsburgh Pirates, 16.5%
- Cincinnati Reds, 13.25%
- Kansas City Royals, 10%
- Detroit Tigers, 7.5%
- Texas Rangers, 5.5%
The three-worst teams have the same odds, just like in the NBA draft lottery, in hopes of removing an incentive to lose. Find the entire list of all 18 teams here.
How does the MLB draft lottery work?
The first six selections will be done by a lottery, a system put in place to combat tanking. Picks 7-18 will be reverse order of standings. The lottery includes every team that failed to make the playoffs. The lowest the worst team in the league, Washington, can draft is seventh overall.
The lottery only applies to the first round and the other 19 rounds will be based on record.
The Milwaukee Brewers have the worst odds to win the lottery at 0.2% (a fifth of a percent).
What other mechanisms are in place?
So MLB has instituted more rules to try to curve tanking over time.
Large-market teams (defined as teams which do not receive revenue sharing) are prohibited to select in the top 9 in consecutive years.
Small-market teams (revenue sharing recipients) are ineligible to select in the top 9 in three consecutive years.
When is the 2023 MLB draft?
Exact dates have yet to be revealed, but the draft will take place in Seattle. Bleacher Report reported in September it is likely to be from July 9-11 during All-Star Weekend.
Live updates
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