Getting the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB, NHL, or NBA drafts — professional sports leagues that use a lottery to determine draft order — comes with a certain level of theatrics tied to the lottery ceremony itself.
The ping-pong balls. The envelopes with club logos. The team representatives ranging from current players to former legends to assistant general managers. It’s all part of the spectacle that is the draft lottery.
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And as the picks are revealed — whether by the NBA’s deputy commissioner or MLB Network personality Greg Amsinger from a ballroom stage at the Winter Meetings — fan bases everywhere hold their breath. They expect the worst, but hope for the best.
Having watched plenty of these reveals over the years, I can only imagine how nerve-racking that moment must be for owners and general managers.
For an owner, landing the right pick — and the right player — can mean hundreds of millions of dollars in future revenue. Those are serious stakes.
For a general manager, an infusion of elite young talent with a top pick can be the difference between job security and unemployment.
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In the case of the Chicago White Sox and the 2026 MLB Draft, it feels like a pick that truly has the power to change everything. This is shaping up to be one of those draft classes that will be remembered for a long time, and the White Sox have the pick of the litter — along with the most signing bonus money of any team in the sport.
Franchise-altering stuff, if used correctly.
And it was clear that GM Chris Getz understood the magnitude of it as he spoke with MLB Network and White Sox media members following the lottery drawing.
But only recently, on The White Sox ReKAP Podcast with Ryan McGuffey, did Getz reveal a little-known detail about that day — and about how the MLB draft lottery actually works.
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Before Amsinger and the club representatives ever took the stage, before MLB Network went live, and before a single envelope was opened, Getz already knew the White Sox were picking first overall.
“Say roughly 6 p.m. the show begins. What I had learned is that you get notified at some point if you get it,” Getz said.
“I want to say it was about 4:45, and I was like, ‘I haven’t heard anything yet. I don’t know what time they reach out, but I haven’t heard anything. That’s not good!’
“I would say the majority of people in the organization don’t know that part. They just think you’re going to find out while watching it. But of course, they have the GM or the representative go down there and do it. At this point, I hadn’t gone to the team suite. I’m two rooms down, pacing the room a little bit, trying to kill time — and I got a text.”
Getz said he immediately called White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf to pass along the news. That left just three people who knew of the team’s good fortune before it was revealed on MLB Network: Getz, Reinsdorf, and the individual who tipped Getz off.
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He was then escorted down to the area where the taping was taking place to prepare for his television interviews and reactions — all while trying to stay out of sight to avoid spoiling the reveal.
Here’s a fun fact you might not have known: MLB teams actually have one representative present when the official lottery drawing takes place behind closed doors. All of those representatives sign confidentiality agreements before the drawing begins.
Sometimes that representative is the GM. In most cases, it’s not. But the GM of the team with the No. 1 overall pick is informed before the television broadcast ever starts.
For everyone else, no news is bad news.
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The lottery is marketed as a reveal for everyone at the same time. We see GMs and team representatives on screen, reacting as if they’re learning the results in real time. In reality, the genuine reactions — and celebrations — happen hours before anything goes live.
For more behind-the-scenes details on how the White Sox landed the No. 1 overall pick, and more insight from Chris Getz on the state of the organization, tune in to The White Sox ReKAP Podcast.