.jpg)
1 hour ago
1
After making some noise over the offseason, the 2026 season has not played out as the Baltimore Orioles envisioned. It's been hard for them to get much of anything going.
Going into Friday's games, they sit in last place in the American League East with a 43-51 record, 12.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
But there's still time to turn this thing around, and while the team focuses on closing the gap, the front office is getting ready for the upcoming draft in which they will be selecting with the seventh overall pick.
MORE: Will Orioles trade Ryan Mountcastle on the cheap?
Orioles urged to draft this arm if available with the No. 7 pick
Over the years, the Orioles have felt more comfortable drafting college bats with their first-round selection. The last time they took an arm in the first was back in 2018 when they drafted Grayson Rodriguez, and we all know how that played out.
However, that should not scare the team from grabbing pitchers early. That is exactly what Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer suggests doing, especially if Jackson Flora is still available.
"The Orioles could be in a position to draft a college bat with their top pick, and that would be on-brand for Mike Elias. Since 2023, he's used six of his seven first-round picks on hitters out of four-year universities. Yet even if teams don't normally draft according to major league needs, it's hard to ignore how much the big club in Baltimore needs impact arms. So if UC Santa Barbara ace Jackson Flora is here for the O's at No. 7, Elias might have to deviate from the script."
Flora is likely to be the first pitcher taken in the draft, and there's a chance he may not be available when Baltimore hits the clock. But if he is, he could be someone who could move quite fast in the O's system, which would certainly help a team that doesn't have many high-profile arms in the farm system.
English (US)