Today at 4:30 PM ET, MLB will unveil the results of the Amateur Draft Lottery. The Cardinals currently have the 8th best odds of landing the number 1 overall pick at 2.35%. The Chicago White Sox (27.73%), Minnesota Twins (22.18%), and Pittsburgh Pirates (16.81%) round out the top 3. The Orioles, A’s, Braves, and Rays all have slightly better chances to move up than the Cardinals.
Due to the Cardinals’ payroll falling below a specific threshold, they are eligible to pick in the top 6 for a 2nd consecutive year. They will also be the recipients of revenue sharing for the first time in the Bill Dewitt ownership era. The Colorado Rockies are ineligible to pick in the top 10 after being a lottery team in consecutive seasons. The Nationals and Angels are also ineligible, having been lottery winners last season. However, as revenue-payout teams, they are not eligible to pick in back-to-back seasons.
This year’s draft class is shaping up to be one of the better ones in recent seasons at the top, led by UCLA Shortstop Roch Cholowsky, who is said to be as pro-ready a SS as Troy Tulowitzki when he came into the league 20 years ago. Other top prospects to know at the beginning of this cycle are: College Shortstop Justin Lebron, Amateur Shortstop’s Grady Emerson, Jacob Lombard, and Tyler Spangler, College Outfielders Drew Burress, Derek Curiel, and Sawyer Strosnider. Perhaps you want more young pitching? Prep lefties Carson Bolemon and Gio Rojas, along with a trio of college righties Cameron Flukey, Liam Peterson, and Jackson Flora.
This year is shaping up to be a fun draft season, and I look forward to writing about it, having featured guests on the podcast to keep our community informed, and covering the event next summer when the Cardinals take their next consequential step back towards contention.
-Thanks for reading
