Baltimore Orioles reliving history with season surge and top pick in draft

Baltimore took Ben McDonald with the top pick in the 1989 draft. The previous year, the Orioles had been terrible, but by the time they made the selection, they were in first place in AL East. McDonald was drafted on June 5, 1989, on the same day Baltimore won their eighth game in a row.

The Orioles are on a winning streak. Elias is considering a trade at the deadline. The team has a good group of prospects. The first player taken in the draft will be a position player. Adley Rutschman, the top pick in 2019 draft, made his big league debut with Baltimore earlier this year. Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez are two of the game's top five prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. They are playing well at Triple-A. Baltimore has to make smart roster moves to build on the current success. It's not unheard of for a team to pick No. 1 in a draft and make the postseason in same year, as Minnesota did in 2017.