It's one of those silly baseball facts that sportswriters like.
When Adam Loewen, the Orioles' top draft pick in 2002, made his big league debut May 23, he and outfielder Nick Markakis (first round, 2003) became the first Orioles' top picks to play together in a game since Mike Mussina and Jeffrey Hammonds did it in 1998.
Silly, but also telling.
The Orioles have become rather adept at whiffing on their initial pick in the first-year player draft. Before Markakis, Hammonds (1992 draft) was the Orioles' last top selection to play for the big league team.
This year's draft begins Tuesday, and for the fifth time in six years the Orioles have a top 10 pick - No. 9. Behind second-year scouting director Joe Jordan, the Orioles believe they are better prepared in the high-stakes craps game. History isn't on their side.
Here's a look at the Orioles' best and worst top picks of all time. Good conscience wouldn't allow it to be split equally between best and worst.
Best
1. Mike Mussina, No. 20, 1990: Sure, he left Baltimore for the Evil Empire after the 2000 season, but "Moose" will always be one of the most effective pitchers in Orioles history. It's hard to believe that 19 teams passed on the brainy, scrawny right-hander from Stanford.
Ouch factor: Seven pitchers were taken before Mussina, including flame-out phenom Todd Van Poppel. There aren't any still in the majors.
2. Bobby Grich No 19, 1967: The draft was only 20 teams deep at the time, and with the penultimate pick of the first round the defending champion Orioles took some surfer boy out of Long Beach, Calif. Grich had a 17-season career and was a six-time All-Star, including three times with the Orioles. It was the club's best 1-2 combo ever, considering that they snagged Texas high school outfielder Don Baylor in the second round.
Ouch factor: Seven players taken ahead of Grich never made the majors.
3. Rich Dauer, No. 24, 1974: With the final pick of the first round, the Orioles took Dauer, a spunky middle infielder out of the University of Southern California, in what was a pretty solid first round (Dale Murphy, Willie Wilson, Rick Sutcliffe). A team leader, he played 10 big league seasons, all with the Orioles.
Ouch factor: The Boston Red Sox took another college middle infielder, Eddie Ford, four picks ahead of Dauer. He never made the majors.
