The Orioles have once again won a draft pick in the competitive balance lottery. This is the third straight year they've gotten such a pick. Their pick this time is slotted fifth in Competitive Balance Round B, meaning they will get a pick between the second and third rounds of the 2015 draft. The same pick in this June's draft was #73 overall and carried a slot value of $772,000.
There are six picks in Round A (between the first and second rounds of the draft) and six picks in Round B. These are apportioned by lottery to teams who are either in one of the ten smallest markets in MLB or have one of the ten smallest revenue pools. Additionally, any team that receives revenue sharing is eligible to get a pick in Round B.
That means there are 12 picks to go around to more than 12 teams. This time around, according to MLB.com, the eligible teams for Round A were: Oakland, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Arizona, Cleveland, Miami, Baltimore, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Cincinnati, Colorado, and Kansas City. Round B added Seattle and Minnesota. Teams who win a pick in Round A are not eligible to win another in Round B.
These picks are noteworthy in that they are the only MLB draft picks that can be traded between teams. The Orioles made use of this last season, trading their Round A pick, #37 overall, in this year's draft, in order to acquire Bud Norris from Houston. The Astros used the pick to select Derek Fisher, a University of Virginia outfielder, and actually signed him.
The O's also had the #37 overall pick in the 2013 draft thanks to winning a spot in Round A. That was the first year the lottery had ever taken place. They kept the pick that time, selecting outfielder Josh Hart.
The complete list of teams winning picks, according to MLB Pipeline:
Round A: Marlins, Rockies, Cardinals, Brewers, Padres, Indians
Round B: Reds, Athletics, Mariners, Twins, Orioles, Diamondbacks
It seems to me that a formula giving the Cardinals a draft pick in the name of competitive balance may be somewhat flawed, but hey, who's counting. Anyway, the O's have an extra pick unless they trade it away.