MLB’s inaugural Draft Lottery is being broadcast live from the Winter Meetings in San Diego by MLB Network at 8:30 p.m. ET, with a live simulcast also streaming on MLB.com and in the MLB App. As in the weighted lottery systems used in professional basketball and hockey, the teams with the worst records from the previous season have the strongest probability of securing high picks.
The first six spots of the first round will be determined. That’s the most of any major sport. The NBA lottery covers four spots, while the NHL covers two. The NFL does not hold a Draft lottery, so the team with the worst record always picks first.
In other words, the team with the worst record in MLB could wind up picking as late as seventh in the first round of the next year’s Draft.
The odds range from 16.5% for the teams with the three worst records to 0.2% for the team with the best record among non-playoff clubs. For 2022, it lays out as follows:
Follow along below for the full results of the lottery.