The Chicago White Sox may have struggled in 2025, but help is on the way. After going 60-102 last year, the Chicago won the MLB Draft lottery Tuesday, earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
The White Sox entered the event with a 27.73% chance to earn the top pick in the draft, the best odds of any team. It will be the first time the White Sox pick first overall since Hall of Famer Harold Baines in 1977.
Baines happened to be Chicago’s representative for this year’s lottery.
Whom will they take with the pick? UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is currently the consensus top talent in 2026, but you really never know how the 2026 season will go or what deals might be cut in the MLB Draft.
After the White Sox, the Minnesota Twins (22.18 percent), Pittsburgh Pirates (16.81 percent), Baltimore Orioles (9.24 percent) and Athletics (6.55 percent) were the only other teams listed at over five percent to win the draft lottery.
Those odds are, generally, determined based on a team’s record the previous season. With a 60-102 record, the White Sox had the best odds at securing the No. 1 overall pick. However, tthe White Sox didn’t have the worst record in baseball. That “honor” went to the Colorado Rockies, which finished 43-119. But the Rockies were not eligible for a lottery pick this season, as a rule prevents a team from picking in the lottery for more than two consecutive years.
The Rockies picked fourth in the 2025 MLB Draft and third in the 2024 MLB Draft, rendering them ineligible to be a lottery team in 2026. Because of that, the earliest the Rockies could pick in the 2026 MLB Draft was 10th.
The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels were also ineligible for a lottery team because, as teams who give revenue-sharing dollars rather than receive, they cannot receive a lottery pick in consecutive years. The Nationals picked first overall in 2025, selecting high school shortstop Eli Willits, while the Angels picked second, taking UC Santa Barbara pitcher Tyler Bremner.
Like the Rockies, the earliest the two teams could pick was 10th.
2026 MLB Draft order
1. Chicago White Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Minnesota Twins
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Baltimore Orioles
8. Athletics
9. Atlanta Braves
10. Colorado Rockies
11. Washington Nationals
12. Los Angeles Angels
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Miami Marlins
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Texas Rangers
17. Houston Astros
18. Cincinnati Reds
19. Cleveland Guardians
20. Boston Red Sox
21. San Diego Padres
22. Detroit Tigers
23. Chicago Cubs
24. Seattle Mariners
25. Milwaukee Brewers
26. Atlanta Braves
27. New York Mets
The Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees all moved out of the first round after exceeding the second competitive-balance tax threshold, which moves their first pick back 10 spots. The Braves also got a second first-round pick due to catcher Drake Baldwin winning Rookie of the Year in 2025.
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