Orioles will pick 7th in July’s draft

ORLANDO—The Orioles had the seventh-worst record in baseball this past season, and the fourth-best chance of winning the draft lottery. They ended up with the seventh pick in next July’s draft.

The Chicago White Sox, who had the best odds of winning Tuesday’s lottery with a 27.73 percent chance, get the number one pick. Tampa Bay, which had the seventh-best chance of winning the top selection, will pick second.

The Orioles had a 9.24 percent chance of winning.

“It was so out of our control. Obviously higher is better,” said Will Robertson, vice president of domestic scouting. “Would have liked to have seen a better number. We control what we can control.”

The seventh pick is the highest the Orioles have had since picking first overall in 2022. They chose shortstop Jackson Holliday.

“It definitely crossed my mind,” Robertson said of winning the lottery. “I’ve been so focused on what we can control that it hasn’t been fantasizing or dreaming. Of course, it’s crossed my mind. At this point, we’re still going to evaluate all the players, and there’s a lot to happen between now and July. We’ll see which players end up at our pick and surely there’ll be somebody we’re excited to take.”

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