Pirates Slide to No. 5 in 2026 MLB Draft Lottery Shake-Up

The Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t get the lottery luck they were hoping for. Even with a solid 16.8% shot at landing the No. 1 pick, they slid down to No. 5 in the 2026 MLB Draft order.

What makes the drop sting a bit?

• It would’ve been their third No. 1 pick in just six years.

• And even with the fifth-worst record (71–91), they still held the third-best odds because three teams were ruled ineligible.

Meanwhile, the top of the board shook out like this:

• Chicago White Sox snagged the first pick with their 27.7% odds.

• Followed by the Rays, Twins, and Giants—yes, the Giants only had a 1% chance but still jumped all the way up.

The Pirates still managed another top-10 pick — their seventh straight — and it’ll be their first time drafting inside the top five since selecting Paul Skenes No. 1 overall in 2023. That pick paid off big: Skenes grabbed NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 and the NL Cy Young the very next season.

A few more notable nuggets:

• Teams like the Rockies, Angels, and Nationals were automatically pushed out of lottery eligibility due to revenue-sharing rules. They landed picks 10 through 12.

• Pittsburgh’s recent draft résumé includes Henry Davis (2021 No. 1), Konnor Griffin (No. 9 in 2024, now baseball’s top prospect), and Seth Hernandez (No. 6 last July).