Orioles fans won't be excited by who they're getting in ESPN's first mock draft

After the Baltimore Orioles went through their brutal tanking era, which featured four top-five picks in four years, fans were hopeful that they wouldn't have a top-10 pick in the draft for a long time. Alas, after just three years drafting in the teens and twenties, the Orioles are back at the top of the draft this year with the number seven pick.

The Orioles would like to believe that last year was a blip and that they'll go back to being nowhere near the top of the draft. So far, they haven't played quite well enough to make that feel like a certainty, but assuming that really is their goal, having this year's number seven pick is a rare opportunity to get their hands on an impactful young player at the top of the draft.

The Orioles need to hit on the number 7 pick in this year's MLB draft

With more top draft picks reaching the majors within a year of being drafted, it feels very possible the Orioles could attempt to draft a player who could immediately help the team as soon as 2027. With that being in the back of fans' minds, if the Orioles were to take the player they got in ESPN's Mock Draft 1.0, it would feel very disappointing.

The player that Kiley McDaniel mocked to the Orioles was Arkansas catcher Ryder Helfrick. Based on the Orioles' recent draft history, it's easy to see why Helfrick would be the pick there. He's an SEC college bat who plays a premium position and is coming off a monster senior season. He would be Mike Elias' fourth first-round catcher in eight drafts and the Orioles' third first-round pick out of Arkansas since 2020. It would be a very on-brand pick for the Orioles.

In general, the Orioles have been good drafters in the Mike Elias era. Once Enrique Bradfield Jr makes his debut later this season, that will make Elias six for six in having his first-round picks at least make the majors since he took over as General Manager. So the idea that Helfrick would be "on brand" for the Orioles is not an insult; if anything, it should make Orioles fans feel good about his chances of contributing at the big leagues.

Helfrick may very well be the best available player at seven, and good teams usually draft based on best available player rather than fit. However, the Orioles already have two really good catchers, so if Helfrick were to come up quickly and make an impact on the Orioles they would either have to deal with a more compoliucated catcher DH logjam than they already are or get rid of one of their current catchers, most likely Adley Rutschman which is not fun to think about while he has an OPS over .900 at the moment.

The Orioles have not drafted a pitcher in the first round since Elias took over, and with the starting rotation being the team's most glaring weakness, it would be much more interesting if the Orioles were to target a starting pitcher with this (hopefully) rare opportunity to pick at the top of the draft while being in a contention window.

The Orioles have actually been decent at drafting pitchers when they've dared to do so. They took Nolan McLean in the second round in 2022, and it looks like the pitchers they took in the second round of last year's draft are going to be pretty good. If the Orioles could identify a pitcher worthy of the seventh pick and draft him, that player would immediately be one of the most talented arms in the organization. Which is something they desperately need.

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