Notable draft picks throughout Orioles history

With only a few days until the Orioles are on the clock with the second overall pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, we look back at notable draft picks throughout Orioles history.

Eddie Murray

“Steady Eddie” was the Orioles’ third-round selection in the 1973 MLB June Amateur Draft from Locke High School in Los Angeles, Calif. On April 7, 1977, at the age of 21, Murray made his Major League debut with the Orioles. He went on to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1977, after batting .283/.333/.470 with 27 home runs, 81 runs scored, and 88 RBI in 160 games. The first 12 years of his MLB career were spent in Baltimore, and the remaining nine years were spent with the Dodgers, Indians, Mets, and Angels, before a brief return to the Orioles in 1996. In his 13-year playing career with the Orioles, Murray batted .294/.370/.498 with 2,080 hits, 343 home runs, and 1,224 RBI. A prolific, switch-hitting slugger, he became the 15th player to reach the 500-home run plateau, and to this day, he is one of only six players in Major League history to record 500 homers and 3,000 hits. The first baseman was an eight-time All-Star who won three Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger Awards, and was a member of the 1983 World Series champion Orioles team. In 2003, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and became a member of the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1999.

Cal Ripken, Jr.

Selected by the Orioles in the second round of the 1978 MLB Draft, baseball’s all-time Iron Man, Cal Ripken, Jr., was a product of Aberdeen High School. He made his debut on August 10, 1981, which kicked off his 21-year playing career with the Orioles. In 1982, Ripken earned American League Rookie of the Year honors after hitting 28 home runs with 90 runs and 93 RBI. He also won the AL MVP Award in dominant 1983 and 1991 campaigns. The Maryland native was elected to 19 All-Star Games, and he won eight Silver Slugger Awards and two Gold Gloves. Ripken currently holds the record for consecutive games played at 2,632; a streak which many deem unbreakable. He wrapped up his 21 seasons with 3,184 career hits, 431 home runs, and 1,695 RBI. Ripken was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2003.

Ben McDonald

McDonald became the first No. 1 overall pick in Orioles history when he was the top selection in 1989 out of Louisiana State University. He spent the first seven of his nine MLB seasons with the Orioles after making his debut on September 6, 1989, at age 21. McDonald joined the Orioles rotation in 1990 and in his first career start on July 21, he threw a complete game shutout against the Chicago White Sox. He also became the first No. 1 overall draft pick to win the first three starts of his major league career. The right-hander pitched to a 2.43 ERA in 118.2 innings in 1990 and finished eighth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. He spent his final two seasons (1996-97) with the Brewers and ended his career with an ERA of 3.91 and 894 strikeouts. McDonald currently serves as an analyst across MASN and Orioles Radio Network broadcasts and programming, as well as calling college baseball games for SEC Network and ESPN.

Mike Mussina

Mussina has the unique distinction of being drafted by the Orioles twice: in the 11th round of the 1987 MLB Draft and the first round (No. 20 overall) of the 1990 MLB Draft after choosing to attend Stanford University. The right-hander made his major league debut on August 4, 1991 against the White Sox and tossed 7.2 innings, allowing just one run on four hits. Mussina’s 18-year career was split between the Orioles (10 years) and Yankees (8 years). As a five-time All-Star, he finished in the top 5 of the American League Cy Young Award voting six times and earned seven Gold Gloves. He finished his career with a 270-153 record, a 3.68 ERA, 57 complete games, and 2,813 strikeouts. In 2019, “Moose” was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Brian Roberts

Roberts was the Orioles first round draft pick in 1999 out of the University of South Carolina. He made his MLB debut on June 14, 2001 and spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Orioles before playing for the Yankees in his final season in 2014. In both 2004 and 2009, Roberts led the league in doubles, with 50 and 56 doubles, respectively. Known for his speed, Roberts also led the league with 50 stolen bases in 2007, and retired having stolen a total of 285 bases. In 2018, the two-time All-Star was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame. Roberts, who resides in Sarasota, Fla. near the team’s Spring Training complex, currently serves as a Community Ambassador for the club, as well as calling games as an analyst for MASN and the Orioles Radio Network.

Nick Markakis

Markakis was selected by the Orioles with the No. 7 overall pick in the first round of the 2003 MLB Draft from Young Harris College (GA). While he was widely seen as a pitching prospect who could hit 96 mph with his fastball, the Orioles preferred to develop Markakis as a hitter. The right fielder made his major league debut on April 3, 2006 at the age of 22 and finished sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting after posting a .291 batting average with 16 home runs and 62 RBI. Markakis had a nine-year stint with the Orioles before signing as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves in 2014, where he currently plays. Throughout his first 14 seasons, Markakis has made one All-Star Game, and won three Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger Award. He was a .290 hitter through his nine seasons with the Orioles and hit a total of 141 home runs while driving in 658 runs for Baltimore.

Hunter Harvey

Harvey was drafted by the Orioles with the No. 22 pick in the first round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Bandys High School in North Carolina. Prior to the 2014 season, Harvey was ranked as the No. 58 prospect in baseball by Baseball Prospectus. He spent six seasons in the Orioles minor league system before making his highly anticipated Major League debut last year on August 17 at Boston. The right-hander tossed one inning with no hits and two strikeouts. He appeared in seven games at the end of the 2019 season and threw 6.1 innings while tallying 11 strikeouts. His father, Bryan, spent nine years in the majors as a pitcher for the California Angels (1987-92) and Florida Marlins (1993-95).

DL Hall

Hall was the Orioles’ first-round selection in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft as the No. 21 overall pick out of Valdosta High School (GA). The lefty spent the 2019 season with the Class A-Advanced Frederick Keys, pitching to a 3.46 ERA with 116 strikeouts through 80.2 innings. Hall was named to the 2019 MLB All-Star Futures Game roster and pitched a scoreless third inning for the American League, throwing 12 pitches, with eight of them for strikes. According to _MLB.com_, Hall is currently the No. 3 ranked prospect in the Orioles organization and No. 69 among all MLB prospects.

Adley Rutschman

Baltimore selected Rutschman out of Oregon State University with the first overall pick in the 2019 First-Year Player Draft, the second time in Orioles history that the club held that draft position. In his junior season at Oregon State, he led the Beavers to their 20th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, and claimed every major amateur and collegiate baseball award, including the Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy, and the Buster Posey Award. He led all of Division I in on-base percentage (.575) and walks (76), while slugging 17 home runs. As a sophomore in 2018, Rutschman helped lead Oregon State to their third NCAA Championship, and was named the College World Series Most Valuable Player after setting a CWS record with 17 hits. In his first minor league season, Rutschman spent time in the Gulf Coast League, as well as with Short-Season A Aberdeen and Class-A Delmarva. At the three levels, Rustchman appeared in 37 games and hit four home runs with 26 RBI. He is currently the No. 1 ranked prospect in the Orioles organization, and No. 4 among all MLB prospects, according to MLB.com.