ORLANDO, Fla. — The Chicago White Sox are on the clock.

The Sox received the No. 1 pick for the 2026 Major League Baseball draft after winning Tuesday’s draft lottery, held during the annual winter meetings.

“It’s a significant event for us,” Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “And it can’t be understated how important it is. We’ve been hard at work at bringing talent into the organization in different ways and obviously the amateur draft is an obvious avenue. And now to be able to get a chance at the top talent in the draft is really exciting and just gives us a greater boost.”

It’s the first time the team will pick first since 1977, when they selected Harold Baines. The Hall of Famer was in attendance at Tuesday’s lottery ceremony, representing the Sox.

“It’s exciting to be here,” Baines said. “I’m happy for the organization.”

The draft will be held July 11-12 in Philadelphia as part of MLB All-Star week festivities.

The Sox entered Tuesday with the best odds for the No. 1 pick (27.73%). They had the second-worst record in the majors in 2025, going 60-102. The Colorado Rockies went 43-119, but were not eligible for this year’s lottery after receiving lottery picks in the 2024 and 2025 drafts.

Top prospects for the 2026 draft, according to MLB.com, include UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky.

Cholowsky’s father, Dan Cholowsky, was a first-round draft pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1991. He played eight professional seasons as an infielder and catcher, including parts of two seasons in the Chicago Cubs organization, but never made the major leagues.

Baines became a six-time All-Star and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019. The Sox selected first baseman Danny Goodwin with their only other top pick in 1971, and he played in parts of seven major league seasons.

The Tampa Bay Rays will pick second, followed by Minnesota, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore, the Athletics, Atlanta and Colorado.

The Cubs, not eligible for the lottery after making the 2025 postseason, will select No. 23 in the draft.

MLB and the players’ association established the lottery in the March 2022 collective bargaining agreement. The union pushed for the innovation to encourage teams to compete for wins rather than trade off players at the deadline in an attempt to get a higher draft choice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.