ORLANDO, FL – December 10, 2025 – The Houston Astros will select 17th overall in the 2026 MLB Draft after participating in the league’s Draft Lottery for the first time in franchise history, General Manager Dana Brown announced Tuesday at the Winter Meetings.
The Astros entered the lottery with just a 0.34% chance of securing the No. 1 overall pick, the lowest odds among the 15 eligible teams. After the top six picks were determined by lottery, Houston remained in its projected slot based on having the highest winning percentage among non-playoff teams in 2025.
The Chicago White Sox secured the first overall selection, followed by Tampa Bay, Minnesota, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City in the lottery portion of the draft.
Houston will have the No. 17 overall pick, marking the franchise’s earliest first-round selection since 2017, when the team chose pitcher J.B. Bukauskas 15th overall. The Astros’ first-round picks have fallen 28th or later in each draft from 2018 through 2024.
The team also holds the No. 28 overall pick through the league’s Prospect Promotion Incentive program after pitcher Hunter Brown finished in the top three of American League Cy Young Award voting this season. This marks the first time Houston has possessed multiple first-round picks since 2015, when the franchise selected Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, and Daz Cameron.
Brown acknowledged the value of retaining both first-round selections during Monday’s media availability at the Winter Meetings.
“We really don’t like losing draft picks – we think that’s the bloodline of the organization and that’s the future,” Brown said. “So if we can avoid that, we’ll try. At the end of the day, we’ll try to do what we can do to make the team better.”
The Astros could forfeit the No. 28 pick as a luxury tax payor if they sign a free agent who rejected a qualifying offer this winter.
The 2026 MLB Draft is scheduled for July 11-12 in Philadelphia.