​The Sporting News originally reported that the Orioles urged to draft this arm if available with the No. 7 pick. The request also notes to add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. After making some noise over the offseason, the 2026 season has not unfolded as Baltimore Orioles fans might have hoped. It’s been a struggle for them to generate any real momentum on the field. As of Friday’s games, they sit in last place in the American League East with a 43-51 record, trailing the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays by 12.5 games.
Yet there remains ample time to turn things around, and while the team concentrates on climbing back into contention, the front office is already preparing for the upcoming draft, in which they will select seventh overall.
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Over the years, the Orioles have shown a preference for taking college bats with their first-round selections. The last time they took a pitcher in the first round was in 2018, when they drafted Grayson Rodriguez, and the results have been a mixed bag. That experience shouldn’t deter the club from prioritizing pitching early, though. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer argues precisely that in the current climate, especially if UC Santa Barbara ace Jackson Flora remains on the board when Baltimore picks at No. 7.
“The Orioles could be in a position to draft a college bat with their top pick, and that would be on-brand for Mike Elias. Since 2023, he’s used six of his seven first-rounders on hitters from four-year universities. Yet even if teams don’t always draft strictly to major-league needs, it’s hard to ignore how much the big club in Baltimore could use an impact arm. So if Flora is available for the Orioles at No. 7, Elias might have to deviate from the script,” Rymer writes.
Flora is expected to be the first pitcher taken in this draft, but there’s a real chance he won’t be available by the time Baltimore is on the clock. If he is, he could move quickly through the Orioles’ system, which would be a significant boon for a team that does not currently boast a parade of high-profile arms in its farm system.
The surrounding draft chatter continues to emphasize the tension between securing immediate organizational needs and sticking to the preferred development path. With the Orioles sitting toward the bottom of the AL East as the 2026 season wears on, the question remains: will Mike Elias and his scouting staff pull the trigger on a top-tier college pitcher at No. 7 if Flora is still on the board? Or will they stubbornly lean into their recent preference for college hitters and risk passing on a potential game-changing arm?
In any case, the draft looms large for Baltimore, and the decision could set the tone for the organization’s pitching depth for years to come. Other teams are also navigating their own draft dilemmas. The Cubs face mounting pressure to capitalize on the 23rd overall pick, the Tigers are urged to address a pitching shortage with their first selection, the White Sox must avoid derailing their strategy by addressing positional surplus with their top pick, and the Rays face the challenge of avoiding overcomplicating things with their No. 2 pick in the pursuit of better SEO visibility.