Baltimore Orioles Mock Draft 2.0: The No.1 pick is solidified, right?

In our latest edition of the Baltimore Orioles mock draft, we cover once more who should be picked where and why. Surely, Mike Elias has his pick, right?

You can check out Birds Watcher’s Mock Draft 1.0 here, as we tracked down who the Baltimore Orioles should look at for their No.1 pick. This time, however, we will break down what Mike Elias has done in the past, who we think will go No.5 thought No.2, and finally, who we think the O’s should take as the No.1 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft next month.

The word confusion comes to mind when relating how Baltimore Orioles fans feel about Mike Elias’ draft picks since becoming the GM in Charm City. Besides Adley Rutschman, Elias’ choices in 2020 and 2021 have been fascinating, to say the least.

In 2020, the Orioles GM selected Heston Kjerstad, OF, from the University of Arkansas at No.2 overall. The Baltimore Orioles shocked the world by hanging a $5.2 million deal with Kjerstad. All of Birdland will someday go into a frenzy if Kjerstad actually makes it to The Show. With lingering symptoms of myocarditis, Kjerstad is still climbing the proverbial ladder to the bigs.

Baltimore Orioles Mock Draft 2.0: The No.1 pick is solidified, right?

Last year in 2021, Mike Elias took Colton Cowser, OF, Sam Houston State University at No.5. According to MLB Pipeline that year, Cowser was the No.10 prospect, still making him an exciting choice getting picked in the 5th slot.

Both Cowser and Kjerstad at contending in the packed outfield in the Baltimore Orioles Farm System as they both look to raise the ranks to The Show. In 2019, Mike Elias took Adley at No.1, and now three years later, he gets to select the No.1 overall pick again.

While with the Houston Astros, in his grooming stages, Elias contributed to helping draft Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and J.B. Bukauskas. The Baltimore Orioles GM is no rookie when selecting No.1 overall picks, as he has done in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2019. Now, can he do it again and well enough to help the O’s bounce out of this rebuild? That is yet to be seen.