Analysts have used words like "astounding" and "amazing" while noting that the Orioles have had three straight players move to the No. 1 spot on the national top-100 prospects lists. Adley Rutschman went to No. 1, and then so did Gunnar Henderson. And during the 2023 season, Jackson Holliday ended the year at No. 1.

Rutschman, Henderson and Holliday, all going to No. 1. The first two are already productive major leaguers. The third could join them on Opening Day 2024.

Talk about building an elite talent pipeline. You can’t get more elite then No. 1.

During the Winter Meetings, I interviewed Jonathan Mayo, MLBPipeline.com prospects analyst. He talked about this remarkable run of No. 1 prospects by the Orioles.

“It is really astounding,” said Mayo. “Adley and Jackson being No. 1, that is sort of how it’s supposed to be when you have the No. 1 pick. But they have not missed on the No. 1 pick. At least not yet. Jackson Holliday has not played an inning of big league ball, so we don’t put the cart ahead of the horse. I think we all expect him to be a good big leaguer. They didn’t miss on those, and people miss on No. 1 picks often. Even if they end up being OK big leaguers, they don’t wind up becoming that No. 1 prospect.

When the Orioles made a host of minor league roster moves on Monday, one player that was staying put - and was expected to - is high Single-A Aberdeen infielder Gunnar Henderson. Rated as the club's No. 4 prospect by Baseball America and No. 84 in their top 100, he is No. 5 and No. 87 in the top 100 by MLBPipeline.com. He began this year at low Single-A Delmarva, where he tore it up as a 19-year-old posting a line of .312/.369/.574/.944. But since moving to Aberdeen, where he turned 20 on June...

In January, it was a nice moment and recognition for the Orioles player development operation when it achieved its highest ranking ever in Baseball America's organizational rankings. They came in at No. 7 among all 30 clubs. On Thursday, MLBPipeline.com released its latest top 10 and the Orioles came in at No. 5. Yep, they keep movin' on up. The goal, set by executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias in his first day on the job, was to build an elite talent pipeline. These...

He might be someone a bit overlooked among Orioles pitching prospects. But he probably should not be, despite the fact he has yet to advance beyond high Single-A ball and is not yet on the O's 40-man roster. He doesn't need to be there yet, but right-hander Kyle Bradish will get there when the time comes. He joined Isaac Mattson, Kyle Brnovich and Zach Peek when the four right-handers were acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for pitcher Dylan Bundy on Dec. 4, 2019. Bradish will not need to...

It is not a pressing question, but rather an intriguing one for the Orioles: Will catcher Adley Rutschman make his major league debut in 2021? That might seem quite unlikely for a player with just 130 professional at-bats and 12 games of full-season ball - and that at low Single-A - on his resume. But of all the prospects that were fortunate enough to play at alternate camps this year with no minor league season, he may have gained among the most. It's pretty clear that Rutschman got in...

The Orioles organization is "on the move." That was the conclusion of MLBPipeline.com when the outlet recently published an article about the state of the O's farm system. Jonathan Mayo wrote that article and joined me recently for a Zoom interview to talk about the Orioles minor leagues. The O's are now No. 8, up from No. 13, in the latest MLBPipeline.com organizational rankings. That bodes well as the Orioles look to turn their rebuilding efforts into more wins on the field. "There is a...

Welcome to the First-Year Player Draft. Tonight we will find out the Nationals' selection at No. 22. They also have selections in these next two days at No. 55 and No. 71 overall. Tonight will feature a pair of University of Georgia right-handers in Emerson Hancock and Cole Wilcox very likely going in the first round. Hancock is slated as the No. 4 prospect and Wilcox is judged No. 23 overall in the latest MLB.com top 200 prospect list. Georgia has had two players go in the first round twice...

Last year, the Nationals selected high school pitcher Mason Denaburg with the 27th overall selection in the First-Year Player Draft. The two-sport right-hander came into the draft recovering from biceps tendinitis, but hit the ground running in spring training. He was making very good progress and was healthy and strong in March. I sat down with him to talk about his experiences during first spring training experience. So would the Nationals go to a high school pitcher again with the 17th...

We covered a lot of topics and got the opinions and thoughts of a few national reporters and analysts over four days of the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas. Today, we'll take a look back at some of the most interesting and pertinent quotes of the week. ESPN's Keith Law provided a take on new GM Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal: "I think this is exactly what they needed. The fact that these guys have worked together for a while now and had so much success in Houston points to this being a great hire. I...

LAS VEGAS - It's probably no surprise that while Orioles fans seem excited with their new general manager Mike Elias, and national reporters echo some of their feelings. Two I talked with yesterday, ESPN's Keith Law and Jonathan Mayo of MLBPipeline.com, spoke highly of what Elias can do for the Orioles. "I think it's a great hire," said Mayo. "Obviously, you see the success the Astros have had in terms of what the Orioles now need to do in terms of rebuilding from within. That is in areas...

LAS VEGAS - It will obviously be a huge moment for new Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias. But we are going to have to wait a few months for it. In June, the Orioles have the No. 1 pick in the first round of the First-Year Player Draft. For just the second time in team history, they select 1/1, the first pick in the first round. The Orioles took Ben McDonald out of LSU with that selection in 1989. Right now, there are two players that are getting the most buzz for...

Dylan Bundy has been ranked as baseball's No. 2 prospect and Kevin Gausman was rated No. 37 by MLB.com. The top 100 was unveiled last night during a live telecast on MLB Network and Texas infielder Jurickson Profar was rated as baseball's top prospect. Bundy went 9-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 23 starts this past season at three minor league levels and then pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in two major league relief appearances in September with the Orioles. Jon Hart, an MLB Network analyst and a...