MLB sets 2021 draft order, Pirates will pick 1st overall
The 2021 Major League Baseball Draft order is set, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are officially on the clock.
Next year's draft order will be determined using the normal method of reverse order by winning percentage during the 2020 regular season, an MLB spokesperson confirmed to Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic.
As part of the March agreement following the league's COVID-19 suspension, commissioner Rob Manfred was given the power to change the 2021 draft order if circumstances required it. However, no such modification was required because MLB completed this year's pandemic-shortened regular season as scheduled.
The announcement means the Pirates - who finished 2020 with a league-worst .317 winning percentage - will draft first overall next year. This is the fifth time they've owned the top pick, and first since 2011 when they chose Gerrit Cole.
Following Pittsburgh in the top five will be the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles.
Here's a look at the full first-round draft order. (The Houston Astros' first-round pick, 16th overall, was stripped as punishment for their sign-stealing scandal):
| Pick | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pirates |
| 2 | Rangers |
| 3 | Tigers |
| 4 | Red Sox |
| 5 | Orioles |
| 6 | Diamondbacks |
| 7 | Royals |
| 8 | Rockies |
| 9 | Angels |
| 10 | Mets |
| 11 | Nationals |
| 12 | Mariners |
| 13 | Phillies |
| 14 | Giants |
| 15 | Brewers |
| 16 | Marlins |
| 17 | Reds |
| 18 | Cardinals |
| 19 | Blue Jays |
| 20 | Yankees |
| 21 | Cubs |
| 22 | White Sox |
| 23 | Indians |
| 24 | Braves |
| 25 | Athletics |
| 26 | Twins |
| 27 | Padres |
| 28 | Rays |
| 29 | Dodgers |
The 2021 MLB Draft will be moved from its usual early June date to July 11, as part of the All-Star Game festivities in Atlanta.
The 2020 draft was shortened from 40 rounds to five because of the pandemic. Next year, it's likely to include between 20 and 30 rounds, The Athletic's Keith Law reported last month.