
The Baltimore Orioles’ farm system is no longer held in as high a regard as it was just a couple of years ago.
But there’s a good reason for that — many of those prospects that boosted the farm system’s reputation are now in the Major Leagues.
All that means is that general manager Mike Elias and his staff must use the upcoming MLB draft to restock the system. The good news?
The Orioles have three selections.
Baltimore has the No. 19 overall pick, the result of how they finished last season, which ended with a loss in the AL Wild Card series against the Kansas City Royals. The Orioles also have the No. 30 and 31 picks as compensation for losing pitcher Corbin Burnes and outfielder Anthony Santander in free agency.
Baltimore tendered both a qualifying offer and, because they signed elsewhere, the Orioles get those selections, which are sandwiched between the first and second rounds.
So, the Orioles can load up. Recently, Baseball America projected the Top 40 picks in the draft, which includes compensatory picks.
At No. 19, the publication had the Orioles selecting Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette. Considered one of the best hitters in college baseball, as he slashed .258/.427/.576 with 18 home runs and 61 RBI before his season ended with an injury in May. He finished his three-year career with the Aggies with 68 home runs and 202 RBI.
With the first compensatory pick at No. 30, the Orioles selected Wake Forest outfielder Ethan Conrad. He played just eight games for the Demon Deacons in 2025 before shoulder surgery ended his season. In those eight games he hit two home runs and six RBI.
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Right after, at No. 31, the Orioles picked Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) two-way player Josh Hammond. The right-handed pitcher is also a shortstop.
The 2025 MLB draft will be held Sunday and Monday, July 13-14, during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.
The Orioles’ last five first-round picks are North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt (2024), Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. (2023), Sillwater (Okla) infielder Jackson Holliday (2022), Sam Houston outfielder Colton Cowser (2021) and Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad (2020).
Honeycutt is in his full pro season at High-A Aberdeen. Bradfield is at Double-A Chesapeake. Holliday made his big-league debut last season and is the starting second baseman. Cowser is an Orioles starting outfielder and finished in the Top 3 in AL rookie of the year voting last season. Kjerstad has played in the Majors, but his progress has stalled, and he is back at Triple-A Norfolk.