MLB 2026 Draft Lottery: AL Central Club Awarded No. 1 Pick

All 18 teams that failed to make the 2025 postseason were given draft assignments on Tuesday.

The MLB Draft lottery selected the Chicago White Sox for the first pick in 2026. | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

The MLB Draft lottery results are in after the drawing occurred on Tuesday.

The 18 teams that didn’t make the postseason were thrown into the lottery with the chance of earning top picks for the 2026 draft. The White Sox entered Tuesday with the best odds to land the No. 1 pick, and wound up winning the lottery. It’s the first time since 1977, and just the third in franchise history, that the White Sox have secured the top draft pick.

The team entering the lottery with the worst record was of course the Rockies, who went 43–119 this past season. However, since they selected in the top six in each of the past two years, they were not allowed to do so for a third year in a row, per MLB rules. Colorado ended up in the 10th draft spot.

Here’s the full draft order from Tuesday’s lottery.

Draft Position	Team
1	White Sox
2	Rays
3	Twins
4	Giants
5	Pirates
6	Royals
7	Orioles
8	Athletics
9	Braves
10	Rockies
11	Nationals
12	Angels
13	Cardinals
14	Marlins
15	Diamondbacks
16	Rangers
17	Astros
18	Reds

The 2026 MLB Draft will take place in Philadelphia on July 11–12.

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