In the second ever MLB Draft Lottery, the Cleveland Guardians were rewarded the first over pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Cleveland entered the night with the ninth best odds (2 percent chance) at getting the first overall pick, while the Athletics, Rockies, and Royals had the best odds with a 18.3 percent shot.
This marks the first time in history that Cleveland will get the first overall pick. The team has picked second overall five times, with the most recent being Paul Shuey in 1992. It also marks the first time since 2013 that the organization will pick within the top 10 slots.
“It’s an extraordinary opportunity for us, an opportunity we haven’t had in our franchise history.”@CleGuardians President of Baseball Ops Chris Antonetti speaks after learning his team won the 2024 MLB Draft Lottery and will make the first selection next summer. pic.twitter.com/YiKzFAzHEL
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 5, 2023
The Cincinnati Reds represent the other big winners of the night. The team had a 0.9 percent chance at the top pick, good for the 13th best odds. They will now end up with the second overall pick in next year’s draft. This will be a boon to an already strong farm system. With the Reds in position to trade some prospects for established stars this winter, perhaps the results of the draft leads them to be more aggressive.
2023 MLB Draft Lottery Losers
Due to the nature of the MLB Draft Lottery, the Royals and Athletics fell out of the to 3 slots. Kansas City will pick sixth overall (the team finished with the second worst record) while Oakland will pick fourth (despite finishing with the worst record). This is the second straight year Oakland fell out of the top three.
The 2024 MLB Draft order is set! pic.twitter.com/xSFjKpk09K
— Barstool Baseball (@StoolBaseball) December 5, 2023
Other notable losers of the 2023 MLB Draft Lottery include the Mets, Yankees, and Padres. As punishment for exceeding the second threshold of the competitive balance tax, each team had their first pick dropped 10 spots. However, this penalty could have been pushed to their second round pick if they earned a pick in the top six via the lottery. The Mets will now pick 19th, the Padres will pick 24th, and the Yankees will pick 25th.
Background of the MLB Draft Lottery
MLB instituted the draft lottery in 2022 as part of the labor agreement between the league and the Player’s Association. The lottery intends to discourage teams from tanking the regular season in hopes of getting higher draft picks. This system determines the MLB Draft’s first six selections. 2023 winning record and revenue sharing status determine picks 7-18.
All 18 non-playoff teams earn a spot in the draft and have a chance at the top pick, albeit with some caveats. For example, the Nationals were ineligible for a lottery pick this year because they paid into the revenue sharing system and won a lottery pick last year.
Last year, the Nationals would have received the first overall pick in the 2023 draft based on record. However, the team slipped to second overall in the draft, while the Pirates won the first overall pick.
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