Nationals Claim Top Spot in 2025 MLB Draft Lottery, Angels Set for No. 2 Pick!

MLB Draft lottery 2025: The Washington Nationals have secured the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming amateur draft, triumphing in a lottery determined by a drawing of ping-pong balls during the winter meetings held on Tuesday.

In a twist from last year’s outcome, where the Nationals found themselves ineligible despite initially landing the top spot, they will have the opportunity to make the first selection in July at the All-Star Game venue in Atlanta.

Due to the collective bargaining agreement, Washington was barred from a top-six pick last year after contributing to the revenue-sharing plan. In 2023, they opted for outfielder Dylan Crews with the No. 2 selection.

Following the Nationals, the Los Angeles Angels will select second. The top six picks are rounded out by the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

For the third consecutive year, a weighted lottery determined the draft order among the 18 teams that missed the playoffs this season.

Entering the lottery, the Nationals had a 10.2% chance of securing the No. 1 pick, which was the fourth-best probability. The Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins, both teams with 100 losses, boasted the highest odds at 22.45%, with the Angels following at 17.96%.

In a surprising turn, the Miami Marlins ended up with the seventh pick.

The Seattle Mariners, despite entering with a mere 0.53% chance of landing the top pick, managed to secure the No. 3 overall selection, marking a notable achievement given their odds.

The Chicago White Sox, who suffered a staggering 121 losses this season—the most of any major league team since 1900—were not eligible for the lottery due to their previous top-six pick (No. 5) and their status as a revenue-sharing team.

The collective bargaining agreement also restricts revenue-sharing teams from having lottery picks for three consecutive years. This rule rendered the Oakland Athletics (69-93) ineligible for the lottery after they selected fourth last year, following their No. 6 pick in 2023.

As a result, the White Sox received the 10th pick, just ahead of the Athletics, marking the highest possible positions for both teams due to their recent lottery selections.