Good morning, Camden Chatters.
If you’re one of the many fans who have found the Orioles exhausting to watch for most of the season, at least we’re getting ample breaks from the team this month. The O’s weekend series with the Reds is bookended with off days yesterday and Monday — because traveling to Cincinnati is particularly arduous, apparently? — and after a six-game homestand, the Birds will take four days off for the All-Star break.
We’re just over a week until the unofficial end to the first
half, and not a moment too soon. The Orioles, unless they go a perfect 9-0 in their next three series, are guaranteed to have a losing record entering the break. It’s not the kind of season that any of us hoped we’d be seeing, so close on the heels of an equally disappointing 2025 campaign. This year was supposed to be different. It hasn’t been, and that stinks. We’ve written plenty about that already and will have to do so for a while longer if the Orioles’ freefall continues.
But for now let’s focus on the future — specifically, the MLB Draft, which begins next Saturday, July 11. The Orioles hold the seventh pick, and MLB.com’s latest mock draft projects them to select outfielder Drew Burress from Georgia Tech. Wait, you’re telling me the Orioles might select a college outfielder? Imagine that! Other possible candidates for that spot, according to MLB’s Jonathan Mayo, are Justin Lebron, Tyler Bell, Ryder Helfrick, Chris Hacopian, and Derek Curiel. I’m not convinced that all of those are real names.
As for Burress, he’s a 5-foot-9 center fielder who’s ranked as the #6 draft prospect by The Athletic’s Keith Law. Burress “swings hard, with excellent bat speed,” according to Law, who notes that his average exit velocity was in the 90th percentile of college hitters. Burress has “easy plus power” that belies his small frame, and Law projects him as a 20+ homer a year player who could stick in center field but might have to move to a corner spot. Yep, sounds like the Orioles’ type.
Of course, it’s much too early to write down Burress in pen as the Orioles’ pick. There’s just over a week until the draft and six teams picking ahead of them, so there’s plenty of different directions the O’s could go with their selection. I just wish the draft weren’t the only thing that qualifies as excitement in Birdland these days.
Links
With the No. 7 draft pick, will O’s take a pitcher? It doesn’t seem likely – Steve Melewski
Yup, that also tracks.
Superstar? First let’s see him at least return to league-average numbers, and go from there.
Beltway rivals O’s, Nats complete trade for 1st time ever – MLB.com
History in the making. I, for one, will never forget what I was doing when the Kyle Nicolas-for-Randal Diaz went down. I don’t know which player was the one the O’s traded and which one they acquired, but still.
Checking with Robertson on upcoming draft, and tossing out a few names – School of Roch
Shortstop Roch Cholowsky is so highly regarded that he won’t drop to the #7 pick, ruining the possibility of having two Rochs on the Orioles circuit. Alas.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day: right-hander Tommy Hunter (40), lefty Jeff Rineer (71), and the late outfielder Al Pilarcik (b. 1930, d. 2010).
July 3 used to be a pretty good day for the Orioles. At one point the O’s won 15 consecutive games on this date from 1961 to 1974, including three doubleheader sweeps. Through 1974, they had a 19-3 record all-time on July 3. But since then they’re 18-30 on this date, and have lost five of their last seven.
Random Orioles game of the day
On July 3, 1992, the Orioles beat the Twins, 6-1, at the Metrodome. Hall of Famer Mike Mussina, then in his second season, came within two outs of a complete game, somehow holding the Twins to just one run despite giving up 12 (!) hits. He made big pitches when he needed to, I suppose. The Orioles broke a scoreless tie in the fifth on back-to-back sacrifice flies, then removed all doubt with a four-run seventh inning that included RBI singles by Glenn Davis, Randy Milligan, and Joe Orsulak, and a run-scoring double from Mark McLemore.
After that game, the O’s and Twins had identical 46-32 records, with the Twins sitting in first place and the Orioles one game out, but neither would end up making the playoffs.
