The Orioles spent the early part of the draft leaning into upside, then made a move that says a lot about how they view their pitching machine.
After San Francisco took Jackson Flora with the fourth pick, Baltimore pivoted away from the idea of landing a first-round arm and used the seventh pick on Eric Booth Jr. The Orioles didn’t come back to pitching until the third round, when they took Dominic Voegele at No. 82 - a choice that stood out both because of how rarely they target pitchers in the first three rounds and because Voegele wasn’t expected to go anywhere near that early.
On paper, it was a reach. In practice, it looks like the kind of draft move Baltimore likes to make.
Voegele is almost certainly an under-slot pick, which gives the Orioles more money to spread around later and try to lure high school players away from college commitments. That approach could matter quickly, especially with their next selection, high school outfielder Kevin Roberts Jr., a raw but toolsy Florida commit.
The bonus numbers aren’t known yet, but Roberts Jr. is exactly the type of player who could be nudged into signing if Baltimore has extra money to work with. If not him, then someone else later in the draft.
The Orioles have used that play before, and it helped them land top prospect Nate George in the 16th round of the 2024 draft.
There’s also a reason Baltimore was willing to bet on Voegele beyond the bonus savings. If the Orioles had simply wanted a cheap arm, they had plenty of options. They chose him because they see something worth developing.
The raw numbers show both the promise and the problem. Voegele broke out as a freshman with a 3.89 ERA, 80 strikeouts and just 29 Ks.
The last two seasons were rougher, with his ERA jumping to 5.70 in 2025 and staying high at 5.85 in 2026. The biggest issue is contact: he doesn’t hand out many walks, and he still piled up strikeouts as a junior, but hitters found plenty of ways to put the ball in play.
This season he allowed 101 hits in 97 innings.
What keeps him interesting is the stuff that can’t be ignored. Voegele has a strong breaking ball and solid command, and if Baltimore can help him sharpen his ability to spin the ball and build out more breaking pitches, he could develop into a Trey Gibson-type pitcher with the breaking stuff driving the profile and the fastball playing a lesser role. If that route doesn’t click, the bullpen is waiting, where only 1.5 good pitches are enough to matter.
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The Shane Baz trade finally has its last missing piece, and it comes from the Orioles side of the draft board. Tampa Bay used Baltimores 33rd overall pick on high school shortstop Taj Marchand, closing the loop on a deal that sent multiple prospects and that selection to the Rays in exchange for the right-hander.
For Baltimore, the trade has been a mixed bag on both ends. Baz has been uneven since arriving, with bouts of poor command, but he has usually worked deep enough to give the Orioles a chance to win. The prospects headed to Tampa Bay have followed different paths, from Caden Bodines rise into top-100 territory to Michael Forrets struggles after a Triple-A promotion, while Austin Overn has had a nice season and Slater De Brun has yet to debut. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Look Smarter As Basallo Deal Ages Better By The Week
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The timing matters here as much as the talent. Baltimore got Basallo done before he had built up much major league leverage, and before his negotiating position could really harden, which is part of why the agreement landed where it did. It also stood out in an organization where so many of the young names have been tied to Scott Boras, a group that usually does not rush into these kinds of commitments, making Basallos willingness to talk all the more notable as the Orioles continue to watch the rest of the market reset around them. [Read more 🡒]
Colton Cowser Shared The Awkward Draft Night Orioles Fans Never Knew
Colton Cowsers draft night story has a little more awkwardness to it than most Orioles fans ever heard about. The outfielder, now part of Baltimores core, recently revisited the 2021 MLB draft and how the night unfolded after a round of pre-draft workouts, conversations with several teams and a celebration planned with family and friends. By the time the Orioles were on the clock, Cowser was already deep into the nerve-racking part of the process that comes with waiting to hear your name called.
Cowser said the Orioles interest was real enough to keep him on edge, and the night only got more memorable from there as the news reached him in a roundabout way. He also talked through the range where he was expected to land and how quickly the draft can turn from suspenseful to surreal when a team makes a move that changes the script. For Baltimore, it is another reminder that the player who eventually became the fifth overall pick did not experience the moment in quite the clean, polished way fans might have imagined. [Read more 🡒]