In its second year of existence, the MLB Draft Lottery did to the Kansas City Royals what it did in its first year of existence: shafting the beleaguered franchise with a much worst draft pick than they expected. This year, the Royals matched a team record for losses with 106 and finished with the second-worst squad in baseball. Despite that ignominy, Kansas City will pick sixth in the 2024 MLB draft, behind four teams who performed better (in some cases much better) and the Oakland Athletics (whose hideous 114-loss campaign only earned them the fourth pick in the draft).
The Royals needed a better draft spot than they got, and that’s the problem
