The MLB Draft Lottery has injected fresh excitement into the draft process. On Tuesday, MLB held the 2025 draft lottery to determine the top picks. The Nationals secured the No. 1 overall selection, followed by the Angels and Mariners, completing the top three.
All non-playoff teams are eligible for the lottery, determining the first six picks. This year, 16 of the 18 non-playoff teams participated. The Rockies and Marlins entered the lottery with the highest odds of landing the top pick. However, the White Sox and A’s were ineligible for a lottery pick due to MLB rules limiting consecutive high-draft selections.
The White Sox, who pay into revenue sharing, secured a lottery pick in the 2024 draft, disqualifying them from earning back-to-back lottery picks. Meanwhile, the A’s received revenue-sharing funds and had lottery picks in the 2023 and 2024 drafts, making them ineligible for three consecutive top-six selections. As a result, the White Sox and A’s will pick no earlier than 10th and 11th, respectively, in the 2025 draft.
The 2025 MLB draft features plenty of talent, despite not having a clear-cut No. 1 overall pick. Here is a look at the 2025 MLB draft order:
- Nationals
- Angels
- Mariners
- Rockies
- Cardinals
- Pirates
- Marlins
- Blue Jays
- Reds
- White Sox
- Athletics
- Rangers
- Giants
- Rays
- Red Sox
- Twins
- Cubs
- Diamondbacks
- Orioles
- Brewers
- Astros
- Braves
- Royals
- Tigers
- Padres
- Phillies
- Guardians
- Mets
- Yankees
- Dodgers
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for 10 years. He has interviewed 580 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
