Draft

In 1978, the Orioles used their second-round draft pick on an infielder that most teams had projected as a pitcher. They weren't going to let the son of Cal Ripken Sr. elude their grasp. Thirty four years later, the Orioles dipped back into that gene pool, drafting Ryan Ripken - son of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. - with the 612th overall selection in the 20th round of baseball's amateur draft. The 6-foot-6, left-handed first baseman - once best known for squirming around his father during some of the most memorable moments in Orioles history - batted .377 with 25 RBIs in his senior season at Gilman.

Manager Matt Merullo referred to his Aberdeen IronBirds roster as “floating” at Thursday's media day, as many recently drafter players were still coming to terms with the Orioles. Not unlike any farm team, the Orioles' short-season Single-A affiliate welcomes an array of change heading into its season opener Monday night at Ripken Stadium against Hudson Valley. “The biggest thing was starting out by evaluating players and trying to get as many guys out on the field as possible and see what they can do, then start designating the right people in the right areas that they need to work on,” said Merullo, the first-year manager under a new front office , who oversaw the team's extended spring period in Florida.

Follow along for updates throughout Friday and Saturday on the Orioles' selections in the 2013 MLB draft. The Orioles selected 41 players in the 2013 MLB draft. A quick breakdown is as follows: (UPDATED: Saturday, 7:38 p.m.) College players : 23 Junior college players : 4 High school players : 14 Left-handed pitchers : 11 Right-handed pitchers : 12 Catchers : 4 Corner infielders : 4 Shortstops : 5 Outfielders : 5 Baseball America 's Top 500 prospects : 16 Average rank : 223 (UPDATED: Saturday, 7:27 p.m.)

The Orioles have agreed to a $525,500 signing bonus with their 2013 third-round draft pick Stephen Tarpley, a left-handed pitcher from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College. Tarpley is the highest pick that has agreed so far with the team, and he did so at the suggested slot bonus for the 98 th overall selection. The club has not exchanged figures yet with its top pick, North Carolina high school right hander Hunter Harvey (22 nd overall), presumably waiting for some of the lower drafted players to sign first.

Live Ravens draft chat with Matt Vensel and Chris Korman

From now through Monday, we'll profile six players the Orioles might target with the No. 4 overall pick in Monday night's amateur draft . Today: Byron Buxton Name: Byron Buxton Position: Outfielder Age: 18 Height/Weight: 6-feet-2, 175 pounds Bats/Throws: R/R Hometown: Baxley, Georgia School/Class: Appling County HS/senior Skinny: Arguably the...

I was surprised to read the op-ed "Reconsider the draft" (May 24). I expected Paul Marx to trot out the tired arguments about making sure all classes and sectors of our society equally bear the burden of military service. And, of course, the author mentions some of the prominent draft dodgers. But I hold nothing against Dick Cheney for evading that illegal war in Vietnam. I do condemn, however, his malicious responsibility for sending others, under false pretences, to participate in the immoral invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Ravens took perhaps their biggest gamble ever in the first round, selecting talented yet flawed cornerback Jimmy Smith with the 27th pick in the NFL draft Thursday. The Ravens entered the draft with the 26th pick, but they slid to No. 27 when they failed to submit their selection in time and the Kansas City Chiefs jumped ahead of them. Smith brings much-needed size, speed and shutdown cornerback ability to the 21st-ranked pass defense. He also brings more red flags than career interceptions, the major reason why a top-15 talent slid to the bottom of the first round.

Pimlico Race Course Russell takes jockey title; Vazquez wins trainer crown The Pimlico Race Course spring meeting ended Saturday with jockey Sheldon Russell and trainer Juan Vazquez winning individual titles. The 36-day stand began April 4. Russell topped the jockey standings for the second time in three years with 28 first-place finishes, two more than Xavier Perez and apprentice Victor Carrasco . The 25-year-old had six multiple-win days during the meet, including three wins May 4. "I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to ride for who I ride for," Russell said.

Follow along for updates throughout Friday and Saturday on the Orioles' selections in the 2013 MLB draft. The Orioles selected 41 players in the 2013 MLB draft. A quick breakdown is as follows: (UPDATED: Saturday, 7:38 p.m.) College players : 23 Junior college players : 4 High school players : 14 Left-handed pitchers : 11 Right-handed pitchers : 12 Catchers : 4 Corner infielders : 4 Shortstops : 5 Outfielders : 5 Baseball America 's Top 500 prospects : 16 Average rank : 223 (UPDATED: Saturday, 7:27 p.m.)

Beat reporter Eduardo A. Encina checks in from Tampa for his latest video report on the Orioles and discusses their first three picks in the amateur draft.

Growing up near Mount Airy, Alex Murphy frequented Harry Grove Stadium to watch Frederick Keys games. A lifelong Orioles fan, Murphy would make the trek to Camden Yards to see the big league team play as well. Now, after being drafted by the Orioles in the sixth round with the No. 189 pick of baseball's first-year player draft Friday, the Calvert Hall catcher has a chance to join the players in the same ballparks he visited in his childhood. “It took the breath out of me,” Murphy said in a telephone interview after he was chosen.

With the baseball's first-year player draft starting tonight in Secaucus, N.J., The Baltimore Sun spoke with analyst Jonathan Mayo , who will be part of MLB Network's coverage. Mayo offers his take on the Orioles' strategy and some players to keep an eye on. What is the Orioles' No. 1 need in the draft? I think the first thing I always say that's universal, not just the Orioles, most teams aren't known to draft for [need], especially early on. Later on, if you want to look at their system and they want to get certain areas, they might do that.

Just had a chance to talk briefly on the phone with Hunter Harvey, the Orioles top pick in the 2013 draft (22nd overall) . He's a 6-foot-3, 175 pounder out of Bandys High School in Catawba, North Carolina. He has a low 90s fastball that can scoot up to 97. His dad, Bryan Harvey, spent nine seasons in the big leagues. He was a two-time all star closer for the California Angels and Florida Marlins, leading the majors in games finished and saves in 1991 and finishing fifth in American League Cy Young voting that year.

With the 2013 first-year player draft beginning tonight in Secaucus, N.J., it's worth taking a peek back at where some of the Orioles' notable picks from last season ended up - from the majors to the minors and some who opted to attend college.   Kevin Gausman, RHP, LSU Drafted: Round 1, No. 4 overall Then: Gausman wrapped up a sophomore season in which he won 12 games with a 2.77 ERA for the Tigers. A 2012 first-team All-American, Gausman was regarded as one of the top college arms in the draft, and he struck out 135 batters in 123 2/3 innings in his final year at LSU. Now: The right-hander is already a contributor to the big league club.

Matt McPhearson is the outlier of his family, the ugly duckling of sorts. With a family of football players, the gridiron seemed like the obvious choice. Instead, McPhearson chose baseball, and Thursday night the speedy center fielder could become the first high school or college player from the state to be drafted in the first or second round of baseball's amateur draft since 2007. "It's a blessing," said McPhearson, who lives in Columbia and just finished his senior year at Riverdale Baptist School in Prince George's County.