BALTIMORE — As Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said at a table in Camden Yards’ auxiliary clubhouse with a first overall pick beside him, he couldn’t help but reflect on the previous time he had done so.
Three years ago, the Orioles introduced Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman as effectively the face of their nascent rebuilding project. When they welcomed Oklahoma high school shortstop Jackson Holliday to Baltimore on Wednesday after officially signing him to an $8.19 million contract, a record for a high school draft pick, they added a player who they hope will add to their foundation, not begin it.
“It felt like we were just kind of starting something, and [Rutschman] was a big piece of a big project we were trying to build,” Elias said. “And I look now, and this has a totally different feeling to me adding Jackson’s talent right now. Our organization, I think, is in the healthiest spot it’s been in in a very long time. We’ve got a major league team, to their credit, that’s up here playing a really exciting brand of baseball, playing really well.
