Mike Elias’ Orioles play nearly every day for six months every year, but because they lose nearly two-thirds of the time — the highest rate of anyone in the major leagues since the start of 2019 — the focus has been largely put on the club’s growing and improving prospect base to generate any kind of warm feelings toward the organization.
That means, simply, that Sunday is as important as anything the Orioles will do all year, with the fifth pick in the MLB draft presenting what the executive vice president and general manager believes is a pretty binary opportunity despite the uncertainty that comes with the amateur draft.