2020 MLB Draft Order Set

Image credit: (Photo by Mary DeCicco/Getty Images)

The Tigers are officially on the clock. After losing an MLB-worst 114 games, Detroit will have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft for the second time in three years, after selecting Auburn righthander Casey Mize with the first overall selection in the 2018 draft.

With the completion of the major league season on Sunday, the first round of the 2020 draft is set—though things could change if a team exceeds the luxury tax (which happened with the Red Sox in 2019).

The full first round draft order is below, with 2020 records for each team. The draft order is determined by inverse order of the regular season standings, with tie-breakers (in the case of the Nationals and Indians) being decided by records from the previous season.

To get a head start on the 2020 draft class, check out our Top 50 college and Top 50 high school lists.

To see past draft history, bonus information and scouting reports, click here to view Baseball America’s MLB Draft database.

1. Tigers (47-114)
2. Orioles (54-108)
3. Marlins (57-105)
4. Royals (59-103)
5. Blue Jays (67-95)
6. Mariners (68-94)
7. Pirates (69-93)
8. Padres (70-92)
9. Rockies (71-91)
10. Angels (72-90)
11. White Sox (72-89)
12. Reds (75-87)
13. Giants (77-85)
14. Rangers (78-84)
15. Phillies (81-81)
16. Cubs (84-78)
17. Red Sox (84-78)
18. D-backs (85-77)
19. Mets (86-76)
20. Brewers (89-73)
21. Cardinals (91-71)
22. Nationals (93-69)
23. Indians (93-69)
24. Rays (96-66)
25. Braves (97-65)
26. A’s (97-65)
27. Twins (101-61)
28. Yankees (103-59)
29. Dodgers (106-56)
30. Astros (107-55)

This marks the third time in organization history that the Tigers have had the first overall pick. In both previous occasions, Detroit opted for a college righthander, taking Rice righthander Matt Anderson in 1997 and Mize in 2018. That could happen again in 2020, as Georgia righthander Emerson Hancock is one of several college players who could be considered for the top pick at the moment, along with Arizona State slugger Spencer Torkelson and Vanderbilt’s Austin Martin.

After taking Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman with the first overall pick in the 2019 draft, the Orioles will have the second pick in 2020. While they have had the first pick in the draft twice (Rutschman in 2019 and Louisiana State righthander Ben McDonald in 1989) this marks the first year that Baltimore has ever had the No. 2 overall pick. Presumably all of the college names mentioned above will be in play for the Orioles with this selection.

The Marlins round out the top three after going 57-105, while the Royals get the fourth pick in the draft with a 59-103 season. While it’s not uncommon to see two teams with 100-loss seasons in any given year, it’s much more rare to have four teams with triple-digit losses. You have to go back to 2002 to get to the most recent year with four 100-loss teams, when the the Brewers (56-106), Devil Rays (55-106), Tigers (55-106) and Royals (62-100) each crossed that threshold.

So, not only did the Royals lose 100-plus games and not wind up with a top-three pick in the draft, but it’s the second time this century that it’s happened to the franchise. If it’s any consolation to Kansas City fans, the 2020 class is shaping up to be a deep group, particularly on the college side.