Jaiman WhiteWed, December 3, 2025 at 10:20 AM UTC·1 min readThe Pittsburgh Pirates finished the 2025 season with a 71-81 record placing them at the bottom of the NL Central division and outside of the postseason. Since the team finished with a less than stellar standing, they will be entered into the 2026 MLB Draft Lottery with a shot at selecting first overall.
This year 15 of the 18 non playoff teams are eligible to have a shot at the lottery. Among eligible teams, the Pirates had the third lowest winning percentage (.438) and thus have the third highest chance of being selected in the lottery. The Pirates have a 16.81% chance at earning the top pick with only the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins having higher odds.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe last three draft lottery winners were the Nationals in 2025, the Guardians in 2024, and the Pirates in 2023. Washington won last year’s draft lottery with mere 10.2% odds.
When the Pirates won the first ever draft lottery in 2023 they selected pitcher Paul Skenes first overall out of LSU. Since being selected Skenes has quickly become one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. In just two seasons Skenes won NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, and was awarded the NL Cy Young Award in 2025.
Outside of the lottery the Pirates have still picked within the top ten over the past couple of seasons. Pittsburgh selected Konnor Griffin ninth overall in 2024, and Seth Hernandez sixth overall in 2025.
The MLB Draft Lottery takes place during winter meetings on Dec. 9.
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