Who will Orioles select in the draft? | MAILBAG

Question: Just curious on your thoughts on what the Orioles will focus on or have you heard prospects’ names linked to the O’s 2025 MLB draft?  I saw that the O’s have five selections in the Top 100 picks at 19, 30, 31, 69 and 93.  Hopefully, a college pitcher who could be MLB ready in a few years, but seems we don’t have a great track record with pitchers and injury setbacks. Latest successful drafted pitchers I can recall are Mike Mussina and Ben McDonald From: Phil Smith, Hanover, Pennsylvania

Answer: Phil, I haven’t yet been reading up on the mock drafts. With the 19^th pick, there’s so much that could happen. I usually start studying possible draft picks later in June.

I agree with you. I’d like to see the Orioles take a starting pitcher with one of those first three picks. I’m disappointed they haven’t in the recent past.

Pitchers everywhere are getting injured, and their careers are harder to forecast. That’s why it’s more likely they’d draft a college pitcher than a high school pitcher since there is more of a track record.

Yes, Mussina and McDonald were successes as drafted pitchers, but so were Gregg Olson, Zack Britton and Jim Johnson.

Question: When is Tyler O’Neill returning? From: Clem Polek

Answer: O’Neill, who’s out with neck inflammation, is already eligible to return from the injured list, and he’s been working out. On Friday, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said that he thought both O’Neill and Jordan Westburg, who has a hamstring injury, would be off the injured list soon. He said their return would be measured in days not weeks.

If O’Neill goes on a rehab assignment, it probably will be a short one—two or three games, I’d guess, but I’d think it’s possible he could return by the time the Orioles return to Baltimore a week from now, if not sooner.

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.