The MLB Draft is the most complicated of the professional sports leagues. For one, they have multiple rounds that come between the normal numbered rounds for compensation picks and competitive balance picks. Each team has a bonus pool with which they can sign players based on the value of their picks. Then there is the fact that teams are drafting from both college and high school and players routinely turn down their call and go to college and are free to be drafted again.

To add just a bit more complexity, they added a draft lottery for 2023. In fairness to the MLB, this brings them into the modern age with the rest of the leagues and attempts to address tanking, which is unquestionably a good thing and gives them another event for crazy baseball people to follow.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were the winners of the inaugural lottery. They were tied at the top with the A’s and Nationals for the top pick. Washington got the second pick, but while the A’s ownership’s planned incompetence and ineptitude might get them a fancy new stadium in Las Vegas, they were at least punished with the sixth pick (which honestly they might like because they hate spending money and letting the people of Oakland root for stars).

The other winners of the first lottery were the Detroit Tigers who moved up from sixth to third, the Texas Rangers who jumped from seventh to fourth, and the Minnesota Twins, who despite just a 1.7% chance leapfrogged all the way from 13th to fifth.

Here is the complete 2023 MLB Draft order:

Round 1

1. Pittsburgh Pirates
2. Washington Nationals
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Texas Rangers
5. Minnesota Twins
6. Oakland Athletics
7. Cincinnati Reds
8. Kansas City Royals
9. Colorado Rockies
10. Miami Marlins
11. Los Angeles Angels
12. Arizona Diamondbacks
13. Chicago Cubs
14. Boston Red Sox
15. Chicago White Sox
16. San Francisco Giants
17. Baltimore Orioles
18. Milwaukee Brewers
19. Tampa Bay Rays
20. Toronto Blue Jays
21. St. Louis Cardinals
22. Seattle Mariners
23. Cleveland Guardians
24. Atlanta Braves
25. San Diego Padres
26. New York Yankees
27. Philadelphia Phillies
28. Houston Astros

The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers both were penalized 10 spots for exceeding the competitive balance tax threshold by more than $40 Million, so they don’t technically have a first-round pick.

Prospect Promotion Incentive Picks

29. Seattle Mariners (Julio Rodriguez)

This was a brilliant idea by MLB. If a team promotes a Top 100 prospect to their opening day roster and they go on to win Rookie of the Year the team is awarded a draft pick. This is designed to stop teams from keeping their exciting prospects stashed in the minors to get an extra year of control.

Competitive Balance Round A

30. Seattle Mariners
31. Tampa Bay Rays
32. New York Mets
33. Milwaukee Brewers
34. Minnesota Twins
35. Miami Marlins
36. Los Angeles Dodgers
37. Detroit Tigers
38. Cincinnati Reds
39. Oakland Athletics

Round 2

40. Washington Nationals
41. Oakland Athletics
42. Pittsburgh Pirates
43. Cincinnati Reds
44. Kansas City Royals
45. Detroit Tigers
46. Colorado Rockies
47. Miami Marlins
48. Arizona Diamondbacks
49. Minnesota Twins
50. Boston Red Sox
51. Chicago White Sox
52. San Francisco Giants
53. Baltimore Orioles
54. Milwaukee Brewers
55. Tampa Bay Rays
56. New York Mets
57. Seattle Mariners
58. Cleveland Guardians
59. Atlanta Braves
60. Los Angeles Dodgers
61. Houston Astros

The Angels, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Cubs, Padres, Phillies, Rangers, and Yankees lost their second-round picks because they signed a compensatory-pick qualifying free agent.

Competitive Balance Round B

62. Cleveland Guardians
63. Baltimore Orioles
64. Arizona Diamondbacks
65. Colorado Rockies
66. Kansas City Royals
67. Pittsburgh Pirates

Compensation Picks

68. Chicago Cubs (Willson Contreras)
69. San Francisco Giants (Carlos Rodon)
70. Atlanta Braves (Dansby Swanson)

Round 3

71. Washington Nationals
72. Oakland Athletics
73. Pittsburgh Pirates
74. Cincinnati Reds
75. Kansas City Royals
76. Detroit Tigers
77. Colorado Rockies
78. Miami Marlins
79. Los Angeles Angels
80. Arizona Diamondbacks
81. Chicago Cubs
82. Minnesota Twins
83. Boston Red Sox
84. Chicago White Sox
85. San Francisco Giants
86. Baltimore Orioles
87. Milwaukee Brewers
88. Tampa Bay Rays
89. Toronto Blue Jays
90. St. Louis Cardinals
91. New York Mets
92. Seattle Mariners
93. Cleveland Guardians
94. Atlanta Braves
95. Los Angeles Dodgers
96. San Diego Padres
97. New York Yankees
98. Philadelphia Phillies
99. Houston Astros
100. Baltimore Orioles (Compensation for unsigned 2022 third-round pick Nolan McLean)
101. New York Mets (Compensation for unsigned 2022 third-round pick Brandon Sproat)

The Rangers lost their third-round pick for signing a qualified free agent.

Round 4

102. Washington Nationals
103. Oakland Athletics
104. Pittsburgh Pirates
105. Cincinnati Reds
106. Kansas City Royals
107. Detroit Tigers
108. Texas Rangers
109. Colorado Rockies
110. Miami Marlins
111. Los Angeles Angels
112. Arizona Diamondbacks
113. Chicago Cubs
114. Minnesota Twins
115. Boston Red Sox
116. Chicago White Sox
117. San Francisco Giants
118. Baltimore Orioles
119. Milwaukee Brewers
120. Tampa Bay Rays
121. Toronto Blue Jays
122. St. Louis Cardinals
123. New York Mets
124. Seattle Mariners
125. Cleveland Guardians
126. Atlanta Braves
127. Los Angeles Dodgers
128. San Diego Padres
129. New York Yankees
130. Philadelphia Phillies
131. Houston Astros

Compensation Picks

132. Boston Red Sox (Xander Bogaerts)
133. Boston Red Sox (Nathan Eovaldi)
134. New York Mets (Jacob de deGrom)
135. New York Mets (Chris Bassitt)
136. Los Angeles Dodgers (Tyler Anderson)
137. Los Angeles Dodgers (Trea Turner)

Round 5

138. Washington Nationals
139. Oakland Athletics
140. Pittsburgh Pirates
141. Cincinnati Reds
142. Kansas City Royals
143. Detroit Tigers
144. Texas Rangers
145. Colorado Rockies
146. Miami Marlins
147. Los Angeles Angels
148. Arizona Diamondbacks
149. Chicago Cubs
150. Minnesota Twins
151. Boston Red Sox
152. Chicago White Sox
153. San Francisco Giants
154. Baltimore Orioles
155. Milwaukee Brewers
156. Tampa Bay Rays
157. Toronto Blue Jays
158. St. Louis Cardinals
159. New York Mets
160. Seattle Mariners
161. Cleveland Guardians
162. Atlanta Braves
163. Los Angeles Dodgers
164. Houston Astros

The Phillies, Padres, and Yankees lost their fifth-round pick because of a signing.

Rounds 6-20

165. Washington Nationals
166. Oakland Athletics
167. Pittsburgh Pirates
168. Cincinnati Reds
169. Kansas City Royals
170. Detroit Tigers
171. Texas Rangers
172. Colorado Rockies
173. Miami Marlins
174. Los Angeles Angels
175. Arizona Diamondbacks
176. Chicago Cubs
177. Minnesota Twins
178. Boston Red Sox
179. Chicago White Sox
180. San Francisco Giants
181. Baltimore orioles
182. Milwaukee Brewers
183. Tampa Bay Rays
184. Toronto Blue Jays
185. St. Louis Cardinals
186. New York Mets
187. Seattle Mariners
188. Cleveland Guardians
189. Atlanta Braves
190. Los Angeles Dodgers
191. San Diego Padres
192. New York Yankees
193. Philadelphia Philles
194. Houston Astros