Cleveland Guardians win 2024 MLB draft lottery despite 2% chance: See the full draft order.
Cleveland Guardians, you are on the clock.
The 2024 MLB draft lottery was held at the annual winter meetings in Nashville on Tuesday, and even with one of the slimmest odds of all eligible teams, Cleveland was selected to have the No. 1 pick in next summer's draft.
Like the NBA draft, MLB decides the top half of its draft order through a lottery system, rather than basing it on the previous season's records. The three worst teams are given an 18.3% chance of getting the top pick, with the odds decreasing as the order goes up. The lottery is used to determine the first six picks, after which the regular season records determines the rest.
The Guardians entered Tuesday with a 2% chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick — the ninth best odds to get the top selection — and will have it for the first time in franchise history. Other surprises in the lottery include the Cincinnati Reds landing in second despite having a winning record, and the Oakland A's falling out of the top three despite having the worst record in baseball.
2024 MLB draft order
Cleveland Guardians
Cincinnati Reds
Colorado Rockies
Oakland A’s
Chicago White Sox
Kansas City Royals
St. Louis Cardinals
Los Angeles Angels
Pittsburgh Pirates
Washington Nationals
Detroit Tigers
Boston Red Sox
San Francisco Giants
Chicago Cubs
Seattle Mariners
Miami Marlins
Milwaukee Brewers
Tampa Bay Rays
New York Mets
Toronto Blue Jays
Minnesota Twins
Baltimore Orioles
Los Angeles Dodgers
Atlanta Braves
San Diego Padres
New York Yankees
Philadelphia Phillies
Houston Astros
Arizona Diamondbacks
Texas Rangers
2024 MLB draft top prospects
Cleveland will have several options to choose from when its makes its selection in July. Here are the top five college and high school baseball stars who could hear their name be called first next summer, according to MLB.com:
PJ Morlando, outfielder, Summerville, S.C.
Konnor Griffin, outfielder/pitcher, Florence, Mississippi
Cam Caminiti, pitcher/outfielder, Scottsdale, Arizona
Noah Franco, outfielder/pitcher, Bradenton, Florida
Bryce Rainer, third base/pitcher, Simi Valley, California
Nick Kurtz, first base, Wake Forest
JJ Wetherholt, shortstop, West Virginia
Travis Bazzana, second base, Oregon State
Jac Caglianone, first base/pitcher, Florida
Chase Burns, pitcher, Wake Forest
MLB draft No. 1 pick history
Here is every No. 1 pick in the MLB draft since 2000:
2023: Paul Skenes, Pirates
2022: Jackson Holliday, Orioles
2021: Henry Davis, Pirates
2020: Spencer Torkelson, Tigers
2019: Adley Rutschman, Orioles
2018: Casey Mize, Tigers
2017: Royce Lewis, Twins
2016: Mickey Moniak, Phillies
2015: Dansby Swanson, Diamondbacks
2014: Brady Aiken, Astros
2013: Mark Appel, Astros
2012: Carlos Correa, Astros
2011: Gerrit Cole, Pirates
2010: Bryce Harper, Nationals
2009: Stephen Strasburg, Nationals
2008: Tim Beckham, Rays
2007: David Price, Rays
2006: Luke Hochevar, Royals
2005: Justin Upton, Diamondbacks
2004: Matt Bush, Padres
2003: Delmon Young, Rays
2002: Bryan Bullington, Pirates
2001: Joe Mauer, Twins
2000: Adrián González, Marlins
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cleveland Guardians win 2024 MLB draft lottery: See full draft order