No strangers to streaks, O's make Rule 5 Draft pick for 16th straight time

This story was excerpted from Jake Rill's Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

An Orioles fan tweeted at me earlier this week and referred to something as the “most consistent streak” in team history since Cal Ripken Jr. played 2,632 games from 1982-98. This one’s a bit shorter, but still quite lengthy in its own right -- Baltimore’s Rule 5 Draft run.

Every year from 2006-20, the Orioles selected at least one player during the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft. The event wasn’t held in ‘21. But it returned Wednesday at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego for the ‘22 edition, and Baltimore picked right back up by extending its Rule 5 Draft streak to 16.

With the No. 17 overall pick, the O’s selected Andrew Politi, a right-hander from the Red Sox’s organization. Politi must stay on Baltimore’s 26-man roster for the entirety of the 2023 season or else he’ll be offered back to Boston.

There’s a good chance Politi may make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster. Director of pro scouting Mike Snyder views the 26-year-old as a potentially solid addition to the bullpen who could cover multiple innings because of his starting experience earlier in his career.

“We like the pitch mix, we like the upper-level performance,” Snyder said. “He blew through Double-A and then dominated Triple-A. So we have a big league-ready arm.”

Politi struggled while working mostly as a starter in 2021, when he had a 6.36 ERA in 21 games (15 starts) for Double-A Portland. But he thrived as a primary reliever in ‘22, recording a 2.34 ERA in 50 games (two starts) between Triple-A Worcester and Portland.

“We have, we think, a power slider, a fastball with some hair on it that’s tough for hitters to square up. And a curveball that will be very difficult as well,” Snyder said. “He’s got deception. He’s improved his strike-throwing ability.”

Because the O’s were picking much later in the Rule 5 Draft than they had in the previous years of general manager Mike Elias’ tenure (since 2018), there was a greater chance their streak could have ended. The front office had a list featuring a handful of players it was interested in, and it was possible all of them could have been taken before Baltimore was on the clock. But Politi was among that group and was still available.

Another positive to come out of the Rule 5 Draft for the Orioles was that they didn’t lose any players during the Major League portion. None of the prospects on MLB Pipeline’s O’s Top 30 list were eligible to be taken.