The Orioles believed after last year's draft that they had selected impact players who could change the face of their farm system. In the year since, those key players are doing just that.
The club assigned three of its top four picks — pitchers Cody Sedlock and Keegan Akin, plus outfielder Austin Hays — to High-A Frederick, skipping them a level at the beginning of the season and showing both the players and the baseball world what the Orioles think of their latest draft prizes.
"That absolutely says something different, because this is a really tough league, especially in the first half," director of player development Brian Graham said Monday.