Diamondbacks Face Stiff Odds to Climb Up in MLB Draft

The first ever draft lottery for the MLB Draft will take place tonight at 8:30 pm Eastern Time. The lottery covers the first six picks of the draft, with the next 12 based on reverse order standings of teams remaining.

Diamondbacks face tough odds to move up in the MLB Draft. Tankathon gives Arizona a 12.5% chance of landing a Top-6 pick. The slot bonus value for the sixth overall selection is over $6 million. Arizona is more likely to pick 11th or later than move to the top six picks. The lottery was instituted in recent Collective Bargaining Agreement to deter teams from undergoing a three to four year process of putting up a noncompetitive roster for most of the season to improve their draft position.

The first lottery took place last night. Mike Hazen thinks the lottery is good for the game. He thinks it's good because it increases the excitement around the sport. The percentage of teams with prospects is lower than it was before.