Will the Orioles draft pitching this year? | MAILBAG

Question: When will the Orioles realize they blew their chance for success when the concept of drafting position players to trade for pitching didn’t work? From: Ron Foreman

Answer: Ron, it will be interesting to see if the Orioles use one of their three high draft choices on a pitcher this July. In Mike Elias’ six drafts, the Orioles haven’t taken a pitcher with a high draft choice. If they choose a pitcher with one of their first three picks (19^th, 30^th, 31^st), that would indicate a fundamental change in their thinking.

Question: How much longer will this dumpster fire go on before heads roll? This isn’t just about 2025, this goes back to the second half of 2024. Is this truly who the Orioles are?? I know you won’t answer this question, but in case you do, how much longer will either Brandon Hyde or Mike Elias be around to run this organization into the ground? We’re almost there now. We’ll be lucky to have a .500 season at this rate. From: David Gilbert

Answer: David, I am answering this question. The Orioles have played 15 games. I’d like to see them play at least a month worth of games, 30, before I draw any conclusions.

Hopefully, they’ll get starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez back in the next several weeks, and a second starter, 37-year-old Kyle Gibson, should be joining the rotation in a few weeks. Relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge has started throwing, and I think those three could help the pitching staff.

I can’t imagine that the Orioles would make any major changes this season, and I think they’ll start playing better soon.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.