Baltimore Orioles Land Pitcher With Star Potential in MLB Pipeline's Mock Draft

The Baltimore Orioles will need more pitching in the future and might have found another potential star with this selection in the first round of MLB Pipeline's mock draft.

It's no secret that the Baltimore Orioles would love to upgrade their starting pitching rotation if they had the payroll to spend like the major market teams across the MLB.

If that was the case, then they might have landed someone like Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray and Eduardo Rodriguez who have signed already, or Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Yoshinobu Yamamoto who are still on the market.

Yet, that's not the reality, and the small market Orioles are hesitant to give up their prospects for a short-term option.

That's why the new mock draft from MLB Pipeline could provide a great option for their future as they have Baltimore drafting potential star Drew Beam from the University of Tennessee.

"The Orioles are on the prowl for pitching and would be fortunate to land Beam, whose polish stands out more than his steadily improving stuff," Jim Callis writes.

In Beam's two-year career at Tennessee, he has a record of 17-5 across 33 appearances and 32 starts with an ERA of 3.20. He hasn't proven to be a high-strikeout pitcher at the college ranks, only fanning 150 batters in 160 1/3 innings pitched.

Still, his scouting report suggests that he has serious upside.

"He won Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year accolades in 2022 and was the best starter on the Volunteers' College World Series team last spring ... For all the talk about how Beam's floor is more notable than his ceiling, he actually shows flashes of three plus pitches. His best offering is a mid-80s changeup with fade and sink that hitters can't lay off. His fastball operates at 93-95 mph and climbs to 98 with carry, and he gets good depth on a low-80s curveball."

Those pitches would be a good starting point for the 20-year-old if he does decide to turn pro and begin his career.

The Orioles have shown they can develop pitchers and Beam might reach his ceiling much quicker with this franchise than another one.