Washington Nationals Win 2025 MLB Draft Lottery, Claim No. 1 Pick
DALLAS — The Washington Nationals are back in the spotlight after securing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. This marks the third time in franchise history that the Nationals have landed the top selection, and it all went down during Tuesday’s draft lottery at baseball’s winter meetings. For a team looking to rebuild and return to its former glory, this is a major win.
Heading into the lottery, the Nationals had the fourth-best odds at 10.8% to snag the top pick. The Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins, both tied with the best odds at 22.5%, were the favorites to win. However, the pingpong balls had other plans. The Marlins tumbled all the way to the seventh pick, while the Rockies will select fourth. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Angels, who had the third-best odds, will pick second overall.
One of the more surprising twists of the night involved the Chicago White Sox. Despite enduring a brutal season with a modern-day record of 121 losses, the White Sox were not eligible for a lottery pick. Why? The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) has a rule: teams that pay into the revenue-sharing plan cannot hold a lottery pick in consecutive drafts. The White Sox had already picked fifth in the 2024 draft, so they were out of the running this time around.
Lottery Rules Shake Things Up
The draft lottery, introduced as part of MLB’s new collective bargaining agreement in 2023, has added a layer of unpredictability to the draft process. Here’s a quick breakdown of how it works:
- The 18 teams that miss the postseason are eligible for the lottery.
- The first six picks are determined by the lottery, with odds based on reverse winning percentage.
- Picks 7 through 18 are slotted by reverse winning percentage, followed by postseason results.
However, there are some key restrictions. Teams that pay into the revenue-sharing plan, like the White Sox, cannot receive lottery picks in back-to-back years. On the flip side, teams that receive revenue-sharing funds, like the Oakland Athletics, are also limited. They cannot have a lottery pick three years in a row, which ruled the Athletics out of contention this year.
Nationals Look to Replicate Past Success
For the Nationals, this isn’t their first rodeo with the No. 1 pick. In fact, their history with top selections is nothing short of legendary. Back in 2009, they drafted right-hander Stephen Strasburg, a pitcher who was immediately hailed as a generational talent. Just a year later, they struck gold again by selecting outfielder Bryce Harper, another once-in-a-lifetime player. Both Strasburg and Harper quickly rose through the minors and became the cornerstones of a Nationals team that dominated the NL East throughout the 2010s.
Fast forward to 2024, and the Nationals are a team in transition. They haven’t made the postseason since their magical 2019 World Series run, and they finished third in the NL East this past season with a 71-91 record. But with the No. 1 pick in hand, the Nationals have a chance to add another franchise-altering player to their roster. Could this be the start of another era of dominance in D.C.?
Angels Land No. 2 Pick, Rockies and Marlins Slide
While the Nationals celebrated their lottery win, other teams weren’t as lucky. The Angels, who had the third-best odds, will pick second overall. This is a big opportunity for a franchise that has struggled to build a consistent contender despite having generational talents like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani on their roster in recent years.
Meanwhile, the Rockies and Marlins, who entered the lottery with the best odds, saw their fortunes take a hit. The Rockies will pick fourth, and the Marlins fell all the way to seventh. It’s a tough break for both teams, but that’s the nature of the lottery—it’s unpredictable, and sometimes the odds just don’t go your way.
What’s Next?
With the draft lottery in the books, all eyes now turn to the 2025 MLB Draft. The Nationals will have the first crack at selecting the next big thing in baseball, and history suggests they know how to make the most of it. Whether it’s a power-hitting outfielder, a flame-throwing pitcher, or a versatile infielder, the Nationals have a golden opportunity to reshape their future.
For fans of the Angels, Rockies, Marlins, and other teams in the lottery, the draft is still a chance to add impact talent. But for now, the Nationals are the big winners, and the pressure is on to make this pick count. After all, the last time they had the No. 1 pick, they ended up with a World Series trophy just a few years later. Could history repeat itself? Only time will tell.
Originally Written by: Jeff Passan
