Draft day arrives for the Orioles
They will make seven picks tonight in the first three rounds
BALTIMORE – A big day and night has arrived for the Orioles. And it has nothing to do with their game at home versus Miami.
But tonight, the club will make seven picks in the first three rounds of the 20-round, two-day, MLB Draft. It is a chance to restock the farm system with players to both help the Orioles and players that could be traded to get other players to help the Orioles.
They are no longer the No. 1 farm system in the sport. But if they nail these seven picks, or even most of them, they could make a major move heading back in that direction.
The Orioles have picks 19, 30, 31, 37, 58, 69 and 93. Since Mike Elias took over as general manager before the 2019 season, they have never had three of the top 31 picks or seven of the top 100. They only had five of the top 100 once in six previous Elias-led drafts.
Several analysts have said this is a good year to have multiple picks in the range where the Orioles have four of them, between 19 and 37. Along those lines here is what Matt Blood, the club’s vice president, player development and domestic scouting said Friday at Oriole Park.
“There is a large group of players sort of between pick 10 and 35 that I think all the organizations see in a lot of different ways but also similar. There is a lot of depth in that range and that is a benefit to us.”