With the No. 7 draft pick, will O's take a pitcher? It doesn't seem likely
O's have 3 top 100 selections in the upcoming MLB Draft
In seven drafts with the Orioles under the Mike Elias front office, the club has not selected a pitcher with their top MLB Draft pick.
It is not expected to happen this year either.
The Orioles hold the No. 7 pick in round one of the draft set for July 11-12. Just one pitcher, UC-Santa Barabara right-hander Jackson Flora, is projected to go that highly and several mock drafts have him going at No. 5.
So, on the one hand, there is likely not a pitcher with proper value for the No. 7 pick if Flora is gone. On the other hand, the O’s have been, per their history, pitcher-risk averse with top picks under Elias.
His top picks have been in order – starting in 2019 – Adley Rutschman, Heston Kjerstad, Colton Cowser, Jackson Holliday, Enrique Bradfield Jr., Vance Honeycutt and last year Ike Irish of Auburn.
On our Birdland Territory You Tube show this week, our guest was Jim Callis, Sr. writer for MLB.com and MLBPipeline.com.
Jim is one of the top analysts of the draft and you will see him on live television coverage of the draft again this year.
We asked him about a pitcher at No. 7 to the Orioles?
“I don’t think there is really a pitcher that fits into the mix. And even if there were, I just don’t think this Orioles regime – I would be shocked if they ever take a pitcher in the first round,” said Callis.
