Should Orioles draft a pitcher in 1st round? | MAILBAG

Question: What are the pros and cons of drafting a highly rated high school pitcher like left-hander Gio Rojas? How have high school and college pitchers drafted in the first round fared as of late? From: Joe Knepley

Answer: Joe, going back to the drafts from 2019-2023, there have been only a handful of pitchers drafted in the first round who have been difference-makers, and each was a college pitcher — George Kirby (2019), Garrett Crochet (2020), Gavin Williams (2021) and Paul Skenes (2023).

The Orioles have never drafted a pitcher in the first round under Mike Elias, and I expect that trend to continue on Saturday. They did draft DL Hall and Grayson Rodriguez under Dan Duquette in 2017 and 2018.

When the Orioles draft pitchers, they almost always select college pitchers.

The pro of drafting college pitchers is that they have more of a track record facing experienced hitters. The con would be that they’ve put more stress on their arms than high school pitchers.

For high school pitchers, the pro is that they haven’t put as much stress on their arms, but they haven’t faced as much top-level competition as the college players.

Question: In retrospect, did the Orioles make a mistake trading Ryan O’Hearn instead of trying to sign him? From: Timothy Fowler

Answer: Tim, I am a huge Ryan O’Hearn fan, personally and professionally. I think the Orioles could have both traded him and attempted to re-sign him.

Besides playing first base, which Pete Alonso does, he could be the designated hitter and occasionally play outfield.

I didn’t expect the Orioles to re-sign O’Hearn after they traded him, and I think he made a good move signing with Pittsburgh, where, on Tuesday night, he hit three home runs that produced 10 RBIs, the most by a Pirate in a single game.

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.