Major League Baseball (MLB) consists of thirty different baseball teams across the American League (AL) and National League (NL). These teams try to land the #1st overall picks at the MLB Drafts every year. With the introduction of the lottery system, the first six teams to pick their players in the MLB Drafts are chosen. These are among teams that have not appeared in the post-season the previous year.
The first baseball player to be officially drafted into the MLB happened in 1965. Since then, almost all teams have been successful in reaching the first overall pick in the draft. Notably, most of these first-overall picks have come from Louisiana State University, Arizona State University and Vanderbilt University. Talking about the teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been the most successful by drafting six first-overall picks in their career so far. They are trailed in the second spot by the Houston Astros, the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres, each of whom have drafted five overall first picks in their career. The Seattle Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays landed the third sport with four overall first-draft picks so far.
Teams to Not Sign a #1 Overall Pick in the MLB Draft
Several teams in the MLB have not drafted an overall #1 pick in the MLB Drafts yet. They are the Toronto Blue Jays, the Colorado Rockies, the Boston Red Sox, the Cincinnati Reds, the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
However, there are also exceptions to this as some teams have rebranded themselves with different names over the years. Notably, the Oakland Athletics have not yet drafted a #1 overall pick in their history. However, in their previous incarnation as the Kansas City Athletics, they made the very first #1 overall pick by selecting Rick Monday in the inaugural 1965 MLB Draft. Similarly, while the Montreal Expos were one of the teams to not have any #1 overall picks in their career, their successors, the Washington Nationals have achieved the #1 overall draft pick twice in their career with Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper in 2010.
Which Team is getting the #1 Overall Pick in the 2024 MLB Draft?
The Cleveland Guardians will be getting the #1st overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Notably, this is the first time they are getting the No. 1 pick in the first round of the draft. The other teams following them are presented below -
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Oakland Athletics
5. Chicago White Sox
6. Kansas City Royals
7. St. Louis Cardinals
8. Los Angeles Angels
9. Pittsburgh Pirates
10. Washington Nationals
11. Detroit Tigers
12. Boston Red Sox
13. San Francisco Giants
14. Chicago Cubs
15. Seattle Mariners
16. Miami Marlins
18. Tampa Bay Rays
19. New York Mets
20. Toronto Blue Jays
21. Minnesota Twins
22. Baltimore Orioles
23. Los Angeles Dodgers
24. Atlanta Braves
25. San Diego Padres
26. New York Yankees
27. Philadelphia Phillies
28. Houston Astros
30. Texas Rangers
FAQ's On #1 Overall Pick in the MLB Draft
A. Paul Skenes went #1 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.
A. Danny Goodwin was the only man to be drafted #1 overall twice in 1971 and 1975.
A. The Cleveland Guardians have the 1st pick in the MLB Draft 2024.
A. Four #1 overall picks have become Hall of Famers in MLB. They are Ken Griffey Jr. (2016), Chipper Jones (2018), Harold Baines (2019) and Joe Mauer, who will be inducted in 2024.
A. The Cleveland Guardians won the MLB draft lottery in 2023.
