Orioles Have Two MLB Draft Picks That Could Make Impact Quickly

The Baltimore Orioles finished up the first half of the season in what has been a significant disappointment for the franchise.

After two years of success, the Orioles were expected to once again be a contender in the American League in 2025. Unfortunately, the team got off to a very slow start with both injuries and poor production coming at the same time.

The slow start resulted in their manager getting fired, and while they have played better of late, they are still in last place in the AL East. With the trade deadline quickly approaching, Baltimore is likely going to be a seller.

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With a few notable players on the last year of their contracts, they should be looking to flip those players for assets.

Recently, the Orioles started to look toward the future in the 2025 MLB draft, and made a lot of good selections on paper.

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN recently wrote about a couple of players who could end up making it to the Majors the quickest.

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“There are a few strong candidates here. Ike Irish (No. 19 overall) and Caden Bodine (No. 30 overall) are both polished hitters, while Joseph Dzierwa (No. 58 overall) may have the best command in the draft," he wrote.

With a few selections in the first round of the MLB draft, Baltimore was able to start to restock its farm system.

Over the past few years, the team has done an excellent job drafting and developing players, especially hitters. That was a major reason for their success before this campaign, in which they won the most games in the AL in 2023.

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Even though the 2025 campaign has been a disappointment, there is reason to believe that the Orioles can bounce back quickly in 2026. This is a team that still features some excellent young talent led by Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday.

As shown by the improvements of late, Baltimore is likely a better team than their overall record indicates. However, the slow start has crippled any chances at this point of making a run in the AL East, especially after the Boston Red Sox also just got red hot.

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With an eye on competing quickly, it will be interesting to see how quickly some of these new draft picks can make the Majors. Depending on what the team does at the trade deadline and in the offseason, some opportunities for playing time might be there for the taking.

Both Irish and Bodine are solid hitters already and if spots open up, good performances could result in a quick call up. The Orioles are no strangers to young players coming up quick in their lineup and making an impact early on. As of now, Irish and Bodine will be the two players to watch.

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