White Sox win lottery for No. 1 pick in 2026 MLB Draft
The Chicago White Sox won Tuesday's draft lottery to earn the right to pick first overall in the 2026 MLB Draft.
The White Sox also drafted first overall in 1971 (Danny Goodwin) and 1977 (Harold Baines).
Chicago lands the No. 1 pick after recording its third straight season of 100-plus losses in 2025. The club finally received some good fortune after it was ineligible, per CBA rules, to select inside the top 10 for this July's draft despite a modern-era record 121 losses during the 2024 season.
The Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants, and Kansas City Royals were also big lottery winners. The Rays jumped from seventh to second, the Giants from 12th to fourth, and the Royals went from 13th to sixth.
The Colorado Rockies will pick 10th following an MLB-worst 119 losses in 2025. The team was ineligible after being in the lottery in two consecutive seasons.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays each got a 10-pick penalty for going past the second threshold of the competitive balance tax.
The 2026 draft will take place July 11-12 in Philadelphia during the All-Star festivities.