The Washington Nationals have received the coveted first pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, with their original odds of getting awarded the pick at 10.2 precent. The last time the Nationals had the first overall draft selection was in 2010, when they selected Bryce Harper. They also had the first overall selection in 2009, when they selected Stephen Strasburg.
In 2022, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Player Association signed a new collective bargain agreement that changed how subsequent Rule 4 Drafts were conducted. As part of the agreement, all non-playoff teams are entered into a lottery to determine the first six selections; prior to that, the first picks for all 30 teams were based on reverse order of the prior year’s standings.