Over the last 10 seasons, the Orioles have gone from contender to rebuilder to contender. And to say that Baltimore rebuilt their team from the ground up would be an understatement, as the O’s endured three 100+ loss seasons between 2018-21 before becoming a top team in the American League. Baltimore’s rise can be attributed to numerous successes in the MLB Draft. Here’s a look at the Orioles’ best and worst MLB Draft picks over the last decade.
Best Orioles Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons
| Name | Position | Year Drafted | Round | Career bWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanner Scott | P | 2014 | 6 | 6.2 |
| John Means | P | 2014 | 11 | 10.3 |
| Ryan Mountcastle | 1B | 2015 | 1 | 7.1 |
| Cedric Mullins | OF | 2015 | 13 | 12.7 |
| Austin Hays | OF | 2016 | 3 | 9.1 |
| Grayson Rodriguez | P | 2018 | 1 | 2.0 |
| Adley Rutschman | C | 2019 | 1 | 12.1 |
| Gunnar Henderson | 3B/SS | 2019 | 2 | 12.1 |
| Joey Ortiz | 2B/SS/3B | 2019 | 4 | 2.0 |
| Jordan Westburg | 2B/SS/3B | 2010 | 1 | 3.8 |
The Orioles’ rise from rebuilder to World Series contender didn’t start overnight. The beginning of Baltimore’s current core can be traced back to 2014 when the O’s selected John Means in the eleventh round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of West Virginia University.
Means was the O’s ace during their rebuild and managed to provide some contributions in 2023 and 2024 before requiring a second Tommy John surgery.
A year later, Baltimore struck gold with Ryan Mountcastle, who was selected as a shortstop, and Campbell outfielder Cedric Mullins. Mountcastle hit 33 home runs as a rookie in 2021, while Mullins posted a 30-30 campaign that season. Two years later, the duo would play a role on Baltimore’s first division-winning team since 2014.
However, the 2019 MLB Draft proved to be a turning point for the Orioles franchise. Baltimore selected Adley Rutschman with the first overall pick, then 2023 AL Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson with the first pick in the second round. No players from that MLB Draft have higher bWAR figures than Rutschman or Henderson.
And in the coming years, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Connor Norby, Coby Mayo, and Jackson Holliday on this list.
Now, a look at the Orioles’ worst draft picks over the last decade.
Worst Orioles Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons
| Name | Position | Year Drafted | Round | Career bWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Gonzalez | P | 2014 | 3 | Never played in MLB |
| Gray Fenter | P | 2015 | 7 | Never played in MLB |
| Cody Sedlock | P | 2016 | 1 | -0.1 |
| Matthias Dietz | P | 2016 | 3 | Never played in MLB |
| Adam Hall | SS | 2017 | 2 | Never played in MLB |
| Cadyn Grenier | SS | 2018 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Blaine Knight | P | 2018 | 3 | Never played in MLB |
The Orioles haven’t had many misses over the last 10 years. However, Baltimore didn’t strike gold with several of their top picks.
Baltimore didn’t have a first or second-round pick in 2014 and took Florida prep pitcher Brian Gonzalez with their third-round pick. Gonzalez made it to Triple-A in the Rockies organization but never made the Majors. The O’s also didn’t get much from Pat Connaughton, their 2014 fourth-round pick who opted for an NBA career after briefly pitching in Baltimore’s farm system.
Aside from Gonzalez, the remaining players in this section were all seven-figure bonus babies. Gray Fenter made it to as high as Double-A, while Baltimore couldn’t hit paydirt with two key players from the 2018 NCAA Postseason, Cadyn Grenier and Blaine Knight.
And, only Cody Sedlock, a dominant college pitcher at Illinois before joining the Orioles in 2016, played in the Majors.
These lists do not include players selected but did not sign. bWAR figures as of June 2024.