The Baltimore Orioles secured the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball’s 2022 draft on Sunday, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in blowout fashion. This will be the third No. 1 pick in Orioles franchise history, and the second in the last couple years.
Technically, the Orioles finished tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the worst record in the majors, at 52-110. (The Diamondbacks defeated the Colorado Rockies in come-from-behind, walk-off fashion on Sunday.) The draft’s tiebreaker rules are straightforward, as they resort to the previous years’ record. (Note: we’re assuming these remain the rules as part of the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.)
The Orioles and Diamondbacks finished with identical 2020 marks (both went 25-35), however, necessitating a further tiebreaker: going back to the 2019 records. Whereas the 2019 Orioles won just 54 games, the 2019 Diamondbacks 85 games. As such, the Orioles get the higher pick.
The Orioles have chosen in the top five of the draft in each of the last three drafts. In 2019, they picked catcher Adley Rutschman No. 1 overall; in 2020, they took outfielder Heston Kjerstad with the No. 2 pick; and earlier this summer they chose outfielder Colton Cowser with the No. 5 pick.
It’s far too early to know for certain who the Orioles will select next summer, but the current favorite is Florida prep outfielder Elijah Green. Some other names worth knowing include Cal Pony shortstop Brooks Lee, Georgia prep infielder Termarr Johnson, and Georgia prep outfielder Druw Jones, the son of longtime Atlanta Braves outfielder Andruw Jones.
Here’s how the rest of the first round would play out if the draft were to happen tomorrow.
- Orioles
- Diamondbacks
- Rangers
- Pirates
- Nationals
- Marlins
- Cubs
- Twins
- Royals
- Rockies
- Mets (compensatory for failure to sign Kumar Rocker)
- Tigers
- Angels
- Mets
- Padres
- Guardians
- Phillies
- Reds
- Athletics
- Braves
- Mariners
- Cardinals
- Blue Jays
- Red Sox
- Yankees
- White Sox
- Brewers
- Astros
- Rays
- Dodgers
- Giants
Remember, the final order will change throughout free agency:
