Diamondbacks Secure Disappointing Spot in 2026 MLB Draft

The Arizona Diamondbacks fell a bit in the draft lottery.

Apr 4, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; A detailed view of an Arizona Diamondbacks hat at the game between the Washington Nationals and the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The 2026 MLB Draft Lottery took place on Tuesday evening, and the Arizona Diamondbacks now know where they'll be selecting in the first round.

The Diamondbacks were awarded the No. 15 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft — dead center among 30 clubs. Arizona will pick one spot above the Texas Rangers at No. 16, and one spot below the Miami Marlins at No. 14.

Though Arizona entered the lottery in line to select at No. 10, they slipped five spots down in the Lottery process. It's another tough blow for a club that endured quite a bit of adversity in 2025.

"The Draft Lottery determines the first six spots of the first round -- the most of any major sport -- and the remaining picks will go to the unselected teams with the worst records from the 2025 season," MLB.com's Joe Trezza writes.

"Each team's odds of winning are weighted so that teams at the bottom of the standings have the highest probability of securing a high pick. That also means that the team with the best odds of winning the top pick could select as late as seventh."

The D-backs' 80-82 record in 2025 was one game worse than Texas (81-81) and one game better than the Marlins (79-83). The Chicago White Sox won the first overall pick, while the 43-119 Colorado Rockies were relegated to No. 10.

At the ceremony, the D-backs were represented by former infielder Jake Lamb — who just recently took on a new role inside the D-backs' organization, working in a player development role following his recent retirement news.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Picking No. 15 in MLB Draft

The Diamondbacks have had some success with their Draft picks, with notable examples like Corbin Carroll and Ryne Nelson coming to mind. The MLB Draft can offer plenty of opportunity for clubs to add both short-term impact players and organizational depth.

In the 2025 Draft, Arizona selected high school shortstop Kayson Cunningham with their first-round pick, but leaned into a heavy dose of pitching with many of their following selections.

One part of the D-backs' 2026 Draft proceedings has yet to be defined, however.

Since Arizona did extend former ace right-hander Zac Gallen a Qualifying Offer (and he, expectedly, declined that offer), the D-backs will be awarded a Draft pick between round one and Competitive Balance Round A — a pick that would likely land somewhere in the low-to-mid-30s.

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Whether or not the D-backs are able to get potentially future-changing players with their Draft picks is never quite a guarantee, but there will be ample opportunity to pull from a large pool of exceptional young talent.