Weekend Bird Droppings: The MLB Draft date has been announced

Good morning, Birdland!

I can only speak for myself, but I am almost as excited for this year’s MLB draft as I was a year ago. There is no Adley Rutschman available, and the Orioles do not pick first overall. So, their chance of landing a future Hall of Fame talent is slightly lower than it was in 2019. However, this year’s draft class is nothing to sniff at, and experts seem to agree that the O’s are in a good position to land a worthwhile youngster.

MLB announced on Friday that the draft would start on June 10 at 7 p.m., covering the first 37 picks (first round + Competitive Balance round A), and it would continue on June 11 at 5 p.m. for the remainder of the five rounds.

As a reminder, the Orioles have the biggest signing bonus pool ($13,894,300) of any team. They will select 2nd, 30th, 39th, 74th, 104th and 134th overall. That gives them a pretty great chance to land a solid class despite the truncated nature of it.

Personally, I’m hoping the team adds a hitter with that second pick. While you can never have enough pitching, the O’s system seems to lack that additional impact bat to pair with Rutschman as they climb the minor league ladder together. That said, imagining a future rotation that includes Grayson Rodriguez, DL Hall and Asa Lacy is also pretty fun.

Links

Don’t run on these AL East throwing arms - MLB.com
Who has the strongest arm on the Orioles? A few years ago this conversation would have been a toss-up between Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop while Adam Jones would have likely thrown his hat in the ring as well. Now, I’m not even sure who has a reputation for a strong arm on the roster. This blog goes with Pedro Severino, which seems fair.

MLB announces 2020 Draft schedule - MLB.com
Put it on the calendar, folks! This year’s draft starts at 7 p.m. on June 10. Who will the Orioles select? Spencer Torkelson? Austin Martin? Asa Lacy? Colton Brampton? Sure, I made the last guy up, but they could select someone with an equally SoCal name.

Former Cubs pitcher Dan Straily, now in KBO, details games without fans - NBC Sports
Dan Straily had a tough season with the Orioles, but he has been impressive so far in the KBO. He is also quite open about his experiences abroad, and even has a podcast covering it.

Because You Asked - I Want to Believe - School of Roch
Roch answers all of your burning questions, covering the draft, roster updates and predictions on if and when there will be a season. For the most part, Roch is in the same position as the rest of us. There just isn’t a whole of news to talk about!

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

Jairo Asencio turns 37 today. The right-handed pitcher appeared in four games for the 2013 Orioles, putting a cap on his brief big league career.

It is the 52nd birthday of Mike Oquist, a right-handed pitcher, who got into 47 games for the O’s across three seasons from 1993 through 1995. He would later make appearances for the Padres and Athletics as well.

Finally, happy 79th birthday to Baltimore’s own John Miller. The right-handed pitcher is a Edmondson High School grad, and he went on play in five seasons for his hometown Orioles from 1962-1967. For the World Series-winning 1966 team, Miller went 4-8 with a 4.74 ERA over 100.2 innings pitched.

1982 - Cal Ripken Jr. starts at third base and bats eighth against the Blue Jays. This would be the first game of a record 2,632 consecutive games that Ripken would appear in for the Orioles.

2012 - Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel accuses the Blue Jays of stealing signs following a performance in which he allowed four solo home runs.