BALTIMORE — For the second time in four years, the Orioles have the first choice in the MLB draft. Their most recent No. 1 overall pick came in 2019, when Baltimore decided to shape its rebuild around catcher Adley Rutschman, who has helped spark the Orioles’ recent turnaround with his solid two-way play.
Recent history says whoever Baltimore takes with the No. 1 pick will turn into a top prospect, at the least, and potentially an All-Star or even a Most Valuable Player.
From a potential Hall of Fame slugger (Bryce Harper) to a World Series MVP (Stephen Strasburg) to a player who never reached the big leagues (Brady Aiken), here’s a look at the past 15 players to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick and how they have fared. In this exercise, we rank the players in three categories: top tier, too soon to tell and mistakes. (2022 stats through Monday.)
