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MLB draft lottery to be held December 6, Pirates tied for best odds at No. 1

The Pirates, Nationals, and A’s have the best odds at 16.5%

By Austin Bechtold@AustinRBechtold Nov 7, 2022, 5:30pm EST

The Pittsburgh Pirates finished the 2022 regular season with the third-worst record in all of baseball. Due to Major League Baseball’s recent efforts in the newly agreed upon CBA to counteract tanking for a high draft pick, the Pirates will have a 16.5% chance at the No. 1 overall pick for the second time in three years.

Pittsburgh selected Louisville catcher Henry Davis with the top pick in 2021.

MLB instituted a draft lottery system to be implemented beginning with the 2023 First-Year Player Draft. The Pirates (62-100), Oakland Athletics (60-102), and Washington Nationals (55-107) have the best odds at the top selection.

The @MLBDraft lottery will be held on Tuesday, December 6th from the Winter Meetings in San Diego. Three Clubs -- the @Nationals, the @Athletics, and the @Pirates -- share the best chance at receiving the top overall selection in the 2023 Draft. pic.twitter.com/u1bkqY6LGF
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) November 7, 2022

The draft lottery will be held on Dec. 6 at the MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego, California MLB Network will broadcast the lottery in a half-hour special beginning at 8:30 p.m. eastern.

The first six picks will be awarded to clubs based on the lottery and determine the first 18 selections. Those eligible for the lottery include clubs who missed out on the 2022 Postseason and have not forfeited their pick “by operation of the Basic Agreement, Major League Rules, or Major League Constitution,” MLB said in a press release.

The Cincinnati Reds have the next-best odds behind the Pirates at 13.2%. Also inside the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs (1.1%) and Milwaukee Brewers (0.2%) hold long-shot odds of their ping-pong ball bouncing the right way to earn the top pick.

Here is the full list of eligible teams (Percentage chance of receiving No. 1 overall pick):

T1. Washington Nationals (16.5%)

T1. Oakland Athletics (16.5%)

T1. Pittsburgh Pirates (16.5%)

4. Cincinnati Reds (13.2%)

5. Kansas City Royals (10.0%)

6. Detroit Tigers (7.5%)

7. Texas Rangers (5.5%)

8. Colorado Rockies (3.9%)

9. Miami Marlins (2.7%)

10. Los Angeles Angels (1.8%)

11. Arizona Diamondbacks (1.4%)