The Baltimore Orioles spent many years being one of the worst teams in baseball.
But they are finally starting to see the dividends from all those top draft picks.
This season the Orioles find themselves in second place in the AL East and owning a record of 50-35.
Some of the best players on their team are players they drafted a while back.
All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman was the first overall pick back in 2019.
Also, they are getting contributions from Gunnar Henderson, who was their second-round pick in 2019.
Baltimore has done a great job of drafting and developing players and they still have a loaded farm system.
One of their top prospects who is dominating the minor leagues is outfielder Heston Kjerstad.
He is hitting .322 with an OPS of 1.021 in Triple-A this year.
The Heston Kjerstad demolition derby keeps chugging along.
The fourth-ranked @Orioles prospect raises his @NorfolkTides average to .322 and OPS to 1.021 with this mammoth wallop: pic.twitter.com/rEyv9GxAiF
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 6, 2023
Kjerstad was the Orioles’ second overall pick back in 2020.
He has played 24 games in Triple-A this season and has hit five home runs with 12 RBI.
The Orioles have just called up two big prospects from Triple-A within the past two weeks.
Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser have made their debuts and are already having success in the big leagues.
It may not be long until the Orioles decide to give Kjerstad a chance as well.
The Orioles have done a fantastic job of drafting and developing their players.
Not only are they good this season but they will be good for many years to come.
After all the years of suffering, Orioles fans should be excited about their future.
NEXT: List Proves The Orioles Have Been Dominating The MLB Draft For Years
