The day has arrived when the Orioles can make bold strokes in painting a rosier future for the organization.
The draft begins at 6 p.m. and the Orioles hold the 19th selection, followed by the 30th, 31st, 37th, 58th, 69th and 93rd through three rounds. The rest of it plays out Monday.
The Orioles obtained the 37th pick in the Competitive Balance A round after trading reliever Bryan Baker to the Rays. The move didn’t increase their workload or alter the strategy beyond having the extra selection.
“It’s exciting for our group because this is what we work towards all year is to get ready for the draft, and it just gives us another shot, another pick, some more money, which in terms of strategy gives you a little more flexibility to maybe do some more things,” said Matt Blood, the vice president of player development and domestic scouting. “But it’s really just another opportunity to get another really good player.”
The hope, of course, is that the Orioles land a bunch of them.
Scoring big in the draft is an ideal way to win without substantial increases in payroll. That’s also logic. And the farm system has taken the expected fall from atop baseball’s perch with player promotions and trades.
“My whole world is around now acquiring talent as well as developing talent, and when we have this many picks this high, it gives us an opportunity to acquire more talent than other teams have an opportunity to acquire,” Blood said. “And then it’s a challenge for our coaches to get them to be better than they came in and hopefully get up here and play, so yes, it’s very important.”
“Look, I think they're all really important,” said executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias. “By and large, we've drafted well the last six years or whatever, and a lot of that is the great players that you see out on the field. So all the drafts are important. But when you have this amount of picks, it is more important. There's no question about it.
“We’ve just got a much bigger opportunity ahead of us and the draft is a lifeblood for a franchise like ours.”
The usual questions hang in the air.
* Are the Orioles attracted to specific characteristics in this class?
“It’s no different than normal,” Blood said. “I think we’re always looking for good baseball players, whether they’re pitchers or hitters, and the things that play at the major league level. That’s what we’re looking for, and that doesn’t really change.”
* Is there more pressure to take a pitcher with so many picks on Day One?
The highest drafted pitcher under Elias was Florida State right-hander Jackson Baumeister at 63rd overall in 2023. Oklahoma State’s Nolan McLean didn’t sign after he was chosen 81st in 2022.
“I personally don’t,” Blood said of feeling the pressure. “I think that my job is to pick the best player that we can possibly pick. And we have pitchers on the board, we have position players on the board, and ultimately we’re gonna be graded on the major league value that we draft. And so our job is to do the best we can at drafting major league value, and if that happens to be a position player, then it is. And if it happens to be a pitcher, then it is. I personally feel pressure to get major league value.”
Elias described it as “very possible," so he’s saying there’s a chance.
“I hope that we do,” he added. “If you have a lot of picks like this, it’s nice to have a diverse set of picks. But I also, I’ve talked to people, I’ve seen drafts over the years where scouting directors will say they regret trying to diversify a group of picks for its own sake. We’re going to line up the board with how we think the talent is and we’ll take in that regard. But we definitely want to get some pitching in this draft.”
* But what about all those Day One picks?
“We have more picks, so more chances, so yes, if you’re doing the math that way,” Blood said. “I think that we’re gonna continue to follow our strategy of finding the best bet we can, and when you have four picks, that’s four chances versus one, so yeah.”
* Will the Orioles go college or high school at No. 19?
They aren’t saying because they don’t know. Draft life was much easier in the top five.
Blood didn’t agree that high school depth is more pronounced this year, but he added, “There’s definitely a nice group of players that we’re interested in and I think the industry is, as well, and we’re always very excited about young, athletic players, so that’ll be cool.”
* Can the Orioles repeat their recent success when selecting in the 30s and 40s?
That’s overall picks, not rounds, which don’t exist anymore.
Henderson was taken 42nd overall in 2019, Elias’ first draft class. Jordan Westburg was 30th in 2020. Dylan Beavers was 33rd in 2022.
“We absolutely want to,” Blood said. “There’s gonna be some good options there and we’re gonna be excited about the players that we get there. It’s better than picking in the 50s and the 60s and the 70s, so I’ll take it. Three picks there is very exciting for our entire group and I think it’s a great opportunity for the organization.”
* How about that draft money?
The Orioles are packing an unprecedented $19,144,500 in bonus pool funds. They can go overslot, for example, on a high school kid who falls to them.
“We’ll see,” Blood said. “I think that what it allows us to do is be dynamic. I think that we’re gonna be able to make some decisions that other teams aren’t gonna have the opportunity to make, and I think that based on how the draft comes to us – we are picking a little bit later at 19 and then down below that – we’ll have to see what happens. But we’re gonna have the ability to make some decisions that other teams aren’t, and that’s exciting.”
“That gives us a big opportunity to flex our muscle and hopefully, if there are players that cost a little extra money because they've got college commitments, we'll be able to use it,” Elias said. “And I think that the fact that we had picks at 30 and 31 already, it makes us able to acquire a 37th pick because you've kind of already scouted players in that neighborhood of the draft. So we should be pretty well prepared for the picks at 37.”
* Can we trust a mock?
You’ll be ridiculed if you do.
The pundits fight the urge to punt on the Orioles, who reveal little to nothing. Heston Kjerstad, for example, seemed to catch just about everyone by surprise after going second overall in 2020.
The only common thread in 2025 is the likelihood of a position player at No. 19, which isn’t much of a reach.
MLB Pipeline has the Orioles selecting California prep third baseman Gavin Fien. ESPN says University of Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy. CBS Sports tabs Washington prep third baseman Xavier Neyens, who ESPN predicts will go to the Orioles at No. 30. Baseball America’s 6.0 mock predicts that the Orioles will select Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette.
So yes, it’s an exact science.