We have heard rumors that MLB planned to determine the 2021 draft order based on team records like normal, but until Monday, that wasn’t official. Since the Pittsburgh Pirates finished with the worst record in baseball this year at 19-41, they will have the first overall pick. Alex Speier from the Boston Globe had the news first.
For weeks, there’s been an expectation in MLB that 2021 draft order would be determined in typical fashion – by reverse order of 2020 standings. That decision is now official. Red Sox will pick at No 4, after Pirates, Rangers, and Tigers.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) October 12, 2020
As part of the shutdown back in March and restart in July, one of the stipulations for this season was that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred had the final say with the MLB draft order for next year. It’s been determined by final record in the past, with the worst team picking first, second worst second, and so on. There was speculation weeks ago that it would remain the same, so today’s announcement wasn’t a total surprise, more of a relief for Pirates fans that it is now official.
Baseball America had a mock draft two weeks ago, right after the season ended, using the standard draft order. They had the Pirates picking right-handed pitcher Kumar Rocker from Vanderbilt.
