Baltimore Orioles vs New York Yankees: 3 takeaways

This week’s MLB Draft will be huge for the Orioles’ future

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With a 9-19 month of May and a seven-game losing streak to boot, the Orioles don’t look like they’ll be contending for the World Series any time soon. The team is underachieving across the board, and several of those who are succeeding, including Manny Machado and Adam Jones, are set to hit free agency this offseason.

That’s why this week’s MLB Draft is so important to the franchise’s future. If the Birds are going to continue to perform as poorly as they did against the Yankees, they need to use these lean years to develop the next generation of All-Star Orioles.

Armed the 11th overall pick, the Orioles will have a big decision to make on Monday, and all signs point to them taking an experienced pitcher. Per Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com:

"MLB.com’s latest mock Draft has the O’s selecting right-hander Cole Winn out of Lutheran High School in California. Others they’ve been linked to include prep righties Grayson Rodriguez and Carter Stewart, and lefty Ryan Weathers. If they go the college route, Callis predicts, it could be Stetson righty Logan Gilbert. … Pitching, particularly guys who are polished and can move quickly through the system, would be huge for an Orioles club that has always struggled to draft, develop and keep quality arms."

As the article states, developing a quality starter would be a huge win for the Birds. Current rotation mainstays Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy were developed in house, but beyond that, the pitching coaches have had no recent successes to speak of. Even worse, Gausman will become a free agent after the 2020 season, giving him only a slim chance of contributing to the Orioles’ next contending team.

MLB has become a league of haves and have-nots, and the weekend games against the Yankees provided a harsh picture of what that looks like. If the Orioles are going to survive in a rapidly changing landscape, the rebuild must begin now.

Next: The top 5 strikeout pitchers in Orioles history

What was your biggest takeaway from the Yankees series? Let us know on social media, and keep it here at Birds Watcher for more updates on the Baltimore Orioles.