Grading all of the Baltimore Orioles' first round picks from the last five years

The Baltimore Orioles built their current team through the draft. They purposely made their team as bad as possible for multiple years with the goal of getting high draft picks that they could turn into the core of a team that could sustain winning. In Mike Elias' first two years as the Orioles GM, he drafted a trio of All-Stars: Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, and Jordan Westburg. Since then, things haven't gone quite as well for the Orioles in the draft.

Here are the grades for all of the Orioles' first-round picks from the last five years, including first-round comp picks.

2021 - Pick #5 - Colton Cowser

Grade: B+

Cowser can be a frustrating player, as he's very streaky at the plate, and when he's in a cold streak, it feels like he may never make contact with a baseball ever again. However, he's made himself into an elite defender in the outfield, and that skill alone makes him a valuable player for an Orioles team that doesn't have many elite defenders.

All that considered, taking Cowser was a good use of the fifth pick in the 2021 draft, which had a first round full of land mines. You look at the next 20 picks after the Orioles took Cowser, and there's not a single name that you read and say, "If only the Orioles had taken that guy".

2022 - Pick #1 - Jackson Holliday

Grade: C+

This grade may seem a little high based on how Holliday has performed in his career so far compared to the expectations that existed when he debuted. However, if you look at the other players at the top of this draft that were considered potential number one picks, it's clear the Orioles drafted the right guy. If the Orioles had drafted any of the other top prospects in this draft besides Holliday, it would have been a bust of epic proportions.

It would be nice for both Holliday and the Orioles if he could put together a good second half of the season and make it so that he's viewed as a good player on his own and not just a good player compared to the busts drafted directly after him.

2022 - Pick #33 - Dylan Beavers

Grade: B

For a long time during Dylan Beavers' minor league career, it looked like he was destined to be, at best, a fourth-outfielder type, but he broke out during the 2025 season and flew up prospects rankings ahead of his MLB debut. He had a really nice cup of coffee for the Orioles to end the 2025 season, but his 2026 has been a little underwhelming, and a poorly timed hamstring injury certainly didn't help.

Similar to with Holliday, it's always a win to draft someone in the first round, have them come up to the big leagues, and at least be a positive WAR player. That said, the Orioles' core would look a lot better if one of Beavers or Holliday made a leap this season.

2023 - Pick #17 - Enrique Bradfield Jr.

Grade: C-

The Orioles made Enrique Bradfield Jr. their first-round pick in 2023 because of his elite speed and defensive ability in centerfield. The goal was to develop him enough as a hitter that he could be an impact major league player. That hasn't exactly worked out. The speed and defense have translated, but the bat never really came along. Bradfield Jr will likely debut at some point this year, but with how much he's struggled at the plate in the minors, it's hard to imagine him being anything more than a bench bat/ pinch runner in the big leagues.

That kind of skill set has value, and there are guys who carve out long careers like that, but with the #17 overall pick when several really good prospects go right after it's a little disappointing.

2024 - Pick #22 - Vance Honeycutt

Grade: F

Honeycutt is the worst first-round pick that Mike Elias has made as the GM of the Orioles. He was overslot, so he cost the Orioles the opportunity to draft better players in the later rounds, and he was immediately overwhelmed as soon as he started playing in the minor leagues. He's currently repeating High-A for the second year in a row and once again is hitting under .200. This is what a bust looks like.

2024 - Pick #32 - Griff O'Ferrall

Grade: F

O'Ferrall is an example of how drafting a well-rounded high-floor player is not always as safe as it sounds. There's really nothing to get excited about with O'Ferrall; he's a pretty good defensive infielder who doesn't hit for average or power. He could maybe grind his way through the minors and play in the majors one day, but the ceiling for what he could contribute is very low.

2025 - Pick #19 - Ike Irish

Grade: B+

So far, Irish has been exactly what the Orioles were hoping for when they drafted him. His ultimate defensive home is still not completely clear; he was drafted as a catcher, but it seems like the Orioles don't love him there. He's trying to stick in the outfield, but he could end up at first base. The Orioles didn't draft him for his defense; they drafted him becuase he was supposed to be one of the best hitters in the draft class, and that's proven to be true.

2025 - Pick #33 - Caden Bodine

Grade: B+

Bodine is no longer with the Orioles, as they flipped him as part of the Shane Baz trade in the offseason. However, the Orioles drafted Bodine becuase of his high floor as a defensive catcher and belief that there was more offense there to be unlocked, and that has come to fruition with the Rays. It was a good pick.

2025 - Pick #34 - Wehiwa Aloy

Grade: A

Some mocks leading up to the draft had the Orioles taking Aloy with the 19th pick, so to get the Golden Spikes Award winner with the 34th pick feels like a big win. Aloy has looked great at High-A so far, both on offense and defense, and looks primed for a promotion to the upper minors.

2025 - Pick #37 - Slater De Brun

Grade: N/A

Like Bodine, Slater De Brun was part of the Shane Baz trade package, but unlike Bodine, De Brun has yet to make his debut in the minor leagues. That makes him very difficult to evaluate. All you can really say is that his tools and play in high school at least made him appealing enough for the Orioles to be able to use him to get a controllable starting pitcher.

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