MLB Draft Lottery results deal Rangers even worse fate than odds predicted

Well, the Texas Rangers misfortunes continue to make themselves known this winter after the MLB Draft Lottery on Tuesday handed them an even less favorable draft position for next years' June Amatuer Draft.

Entering the lottery with a 1.34% chance to be drawn for the first overall pick in the 2026 MLD Draft, it was the 11th best odds among the 15 lottery eligible teams. Instead, Texas saw their fate dive a bit worse than even 11th, all the way to the 16th overall pick.

Mediocre 2025 season continues to hurt Rangers in 2025 MLB Draft Lottery

Since the lottery's implementation for the 2023 MLB Draft, the odds are determined by each team's previous season record. That means the Rangers 81-81 record, while sitting at perfectly average among the 30 MLB teams, becomes bottom-tier in a lottery system.

All in all, a lottery system is a great way to pick for a draft but how it differs in MLB puts teams like the Rangers are low odds to securing the first overall pick. The non-playoff lottery eligible teams (this season there were 15 of them) enter into a lottery for the top six choices, with the worst teams having the best odds.

It's why the Chicago White Sox entered the lottery with an over 27 percent chance of securing the No. 1 overall pick and did indeed secure it after going 60-102 during the 2025 season. And it's exaclty why the .500 record for Texas knocked him down as low as it did.

An expected but unfortunate blow for Texas. After two straight seasons of missing the playoffs following the 2023 World Series title, the Rangers needed at least a bit of good news and the MLB Draft order is not one of them.

Previewing the Rangers early options for the 2026 MLB Draft next June

It's still super early to make any definitive draft predictions but that doesn't stop a lot of people from trying.

In fact, earlier this month MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo did just that ranking his Top 100 MLB Draft Prospects. Sitting atop that list is UCLA's 20-year-old shortstop Roch Chowlosky. The six-foot-two righty has potential to be a five-tool superstar that will defintley take him off the draft board among the top handful of picks next summer.

For Texas's eyes, they want to turn to College Station, Texas where the Aggies have a 21-year-old shortstop of their own in Chris Hacopian. Right now, he's listed as the 16th best prospect on Mayo's list, the righty compiled a .347 batting average, .465 OBP, 29 home runs and 103 RBIs during his two seasons in Maryland.