MLB Draft 2021: Pirates Get No. 1 Overall Pick; Full Selection Order Revealed

No team was worse than the 19-41 Pittsburgh Pirates during the 2020 Major League Baseball season, and their reward is the No. 1 overall draft pick.

As Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic explained, the league and the Major League Baseball Players Association gave commissioner Rob Manfred the right to modify the 2021 draft order as part of their March agreement as to how to handle the season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, an MLB spokesperson confirmed to Nesbitt that the order for the July 11 draft will be determined by record in traditional fashion.

Here is a look at the complete order of the first round that only has 29 teams because the Houston Astros lost their pick as part of the league's punishment it levied against them for their sign-stealing scandal:

1. Pittsburgh Pirates

2. Texas Rangers

3. Detroit Tigers

4. Boston Red Sox

5. Baltimore Orioles

6. Arizona Diamondbacks

7. Kansas City Royals

8. Colorado Rockies

9. Los Angeles Angels

10. New York Mets

11. Washington Nationals

12. Seattle Mariners

13. Philadelphia Phillies

14. San Francisco Giants

15. Milwaukee Brewers

16. Miami Marlins

17. Cincinnati Reds

18. St. Louis Cardinals

19. Toronto Blue Jays

20. New York Yankees

21. Chicago Cubs

22. Chicago White Sox

23. Cleveland Indians

24. Atlanta Braves

25. Oakland Athletics 

26. Minnesota Twins

27. San Diego Padres

28. Tampa Bay Rays

29. Los Angeles Dodgers

This is the fifth time the Pirates will pick No. 1, and they landed ace Gerrit Cole the last time they did so in 2011.

The right-hander helped lead them to the playoffs three straight times from 2013 through 2015, although they never made it past the National League Division Series. Pittsburgh traded Cole to the Houston Astros in 2018, and he now pitches for the New York Yankees.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Pittsburgh target a pitcher with the No. 1 overall pick again in 2021. Baseball America projects Vanderbilt right-hander Kumar Rocker to go No. 1.

Rocker had a 1.80 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 15 innings during a brilliant start to the 2020 campaign with the Commodores before the college baseball season was canceled because of the pandemic. He is potentially someone who can anchor Pittsburgh's rotation for years to come.