A’s awarded 6th overall pick in MLB Draft
First draft lottery ever in baseball doesn’t go Oakland’s way
The Oakland A’s were awarded the 6th overall pick in the upcoming 2023 MLB Draft on Tuesday night, a massive disappointment considering they had a decent shot at the first overall selection and instead dropped out of the top 5 altogether.
Oakland finished with the second-worst record in the entire league this past season, but that didn’t mean the A’s were automatically ticketed for the 2nd pick. That’s thanks to MLB implementing a draft lottery for the very first time in an effort to discourage tanking. They were guaranteed no lower than the 8th overall pick, but it didn’t end up much better than that tonight.
Of course, the team finally finishes in the bottom three of the league and it’s just their luck that it’s also the first year of the lottery and they aren’t rewarded with a premium selection. They really could have used a cant-miss prospect to bolster their 17th-ranked farm system. On the bright side, the lottery only applies to the first round; every other round is determined by the previous season’s standings, so they’ll still have the second pick in the second round and every other round.
The organization only had a 16.5 chance at landing the first overall pick, the same as the two other worst teams in the league, the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates. Those two ended up with the top two picks in the draft. On top of losing out on a top-5 pick, the division rival Texas Rangers hopped up the board and over the A’s and ended up with the 4th overall selection, adding insult to injury.
There will be plenty of time to look at prospects in the upcoming class, but for now, the organization has to be feeling frustrated, after such a tough season to only get the sixth overall pick. Oakland will still be getting a boost to their farm system when they make their selection come July, but it could have been even better than what it may or may not turn out to be. Time will tell.