Best draft picks in Baltimore Orioles history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Baltimore Orioles history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Gregg Zaun
- Draft: 427th overall pick in 1989
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,232
- Career stats: 88 home runs, .252 batting average, .732 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 13.7

#24. Zack Britton
- Draft: 85th overall pick in 2006
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 442
- Career stats: 35 wins, 3.13 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 14.0

#23. Christian Walker
- Draft: 132nd overall pick in 2012
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 763
- Career stats: 133 home runs, .251 batting average, .794 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 14.3

#22. Rich Dauer
- Draft: 24th overall pick in 1974
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,140
- Career stats: 43 home runs, .257 batting average, .653 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 14.4

#21. Arthur Rhodes
- Draft: 34th overall pick in 1988
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 900
- Career stats: 87 wins, 4.08 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 15.2

#20. Storm Davis
- Draft: 175th overall pick in 1979
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 442
- Career stats: 113 wins, 4.02 earned run average, 1.39 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.2

#19. Érik Bédard
- Draft: 187th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 241
- Career stats: 71 wins, 3.99 earned run average, 1.36 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.4

#18. Pete Harnisch
- Draft: 27th overall pick in 1987
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 321
- Career stats: 111 wins, 3.89 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 17.9

#17. Matt Wieters
- Draft: 5th overall pick in 2007
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,167
- Career stats: 146 home runs, .249 batting average, .722 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.3

#16. Ben McDonald
- Draft: 1st overall pick in 1989
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 211
- Career stats: 78 wins, 3.91 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.8

#15. Kevin Gausman
- Draft: 4th overall pick in 2012
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 310
- Career stats: 92 wins, 3.87 earned run average, 1.27 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.5

#14. Jake Arrieta
- Draft: 159th overall pick in 2007
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 285
- Career stats: 115 wins, 3.98 earned run average, 1.25 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 22.8

#13. Al Bumbry
- Draft: 238th overall pick in 1968
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,496
- Career stats: 54 home runs, .281 batting average, .721 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 24.5

#12. Mike Flanagan
- Draft: 159th overall pick in 1973
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 526
- Career stats: 167 wins, 3.9 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 25.5

#11. Don Baylor
- Draft: 39th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,292
- Career stats: 338 home runs, .260 batting average, .777 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 28.5

#10. Jayson Werth
- Draft: 22nd overall pick in 1997
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,583
- Career stats: 229 home runs, .267 batting average, .816 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 29.2

#9. Brian Roberts
- Draft: 50th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,418
- Career stats: 97 home runs, .276 batting average, .756 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 29.5

#8. Mike Boddicker
- Draft: 152nd overall pick in 1978
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 342
- Career stats: 134 wins, 3.8 earned run average, 1.32 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 31.3

#7. Nick Markakis
- Draft: 7th overall pick in 2003
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,154
- Career stats: 189 home runs, .288 batting average, .781 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 33.6

#6. Steve Finley
- Draft: 325th overall pick in 1987
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,583
- Career stats: 304 home runs, .271 batting average, .775 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 44.2

#5. Manny Machado
- Draft: 3rd overall pick in 2010
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,642
- Career stats: 319 home runs, .278 batting average, .824 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 55.2

#4. Eddie Murray
- Draft: 63rd overall pick in 1973
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 3,026
- Career stats: 504 home runs, .287 batting average, .836 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 68.7

#3. Bobby Grich
- Draft: 19th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 2,008
- Career stats: 224 home runs, .266 batting average, .794 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 71.1

#2. Mike Mussina
- Draft: 20th overall pick in 1990
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 537
- Career stats: 270 wins, 3.68 earned run average, 1.19 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 82.8

#1. Cal Ripken Jr.
- Draft: 48th overall pick in 1978
- Position: Third baseman
- Games played: 3,001
- Career stats: 431 home runs, .276 batting average, .788 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 95.9

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.