Ben McDonald, 1990 Score #680

Earlier this evening, former Orioles #1 overall draft pick Ben McDonald represented the team as they chose high school pitcher Matt Hobgood fifth overall in the 2009 amateur draft. While many think of the lanky Cajun as a draft bust (after all, he went 78-70 with a 3.91 ERA in his career, hardly commensurate with the hype that surrounded him), he was one of the more successful #1 picks in O's history. A quick swing by Baseball Reference's draft database tells us that including supplemental picks, 27 of the club's 55 first-round picks have made it to the big leagues. That's a 49% success rate, though Brian Matusz (and perhaps Brandon Snyder) should push the club over the halfway point in the next year or two. Let's take a closer look at some of those picks, shall we?

-With Nick Markakis still in just his fourth major league season and Matt Wieters still learning on the fly, at this point I would declare Mike Mussina to be the best first-rounder selected thus far by Baltimore. The O's actually drafted Moose twice; in 1987, they'd tabbed him in the 11th round coming out of high school, but he didn't sign. Good things come to those who wait!

-A good runner-up is Bobby Grich, who the Birds selected in 1967 and coaxed away from UCLA, where he was slated to compete for the starting quarterback job. Grich was a six-time All-Star and the winner of four Gold Gloves at second base, and he's woefully underrated these days. Twenty picks later, the club selected Don Baylor with their second-round choice. Pats on the back all around!

-Brian Roberts was one of the supplemental picks, as he was taken with the 50th overall pick in 1999. That selection was awarded to the O's as compensation for losing Rafael Palmeiro to free agency. Thanks to the departures of Palmeiro, Roberto Alomar, and Eric Davis after the 1998 season, the team had 7 of the first 50 picks. In a perfect exhibition of both the uncertain nature of the draft and the shaky judgment of that particular front office, Roberts was the only one of those seven to have anything approaching a solid career. The others: Mike Paradis, Richard Stahl, Larry Bigbie, Keith Reed, Joshua Cenate, and Scott Rice. Eugh. For what it's worth, Erik Bedard was the team's sixth-round choice that year.

-Pitcher Pete Harnisch was also a supplemental pick, chosen 27th overall in 1987 as compensation for the loss of Rick Dempsey. He won 111 games in his career, though 95 of them came after the dag-blasted Glenn Davis trade.

-None of the team's 29 picks in 1983 made it to the major leagues. The #1 choice was high school pitcher Wayne Wilson. Whoops.

-Some notable players who were drafted in later rounds by the Orioles but did not sign: Bill Fahey, 1968 (Brandon's dad, made a career as a backup catcher); Dick Ruthven, 1969 (17-10, 3.55 for the 1980 World Champ Phillies); Rick Honeycutt, 1972 (LHRP lasted 21 years in the majors, mostly with the A's and Dodgers); Bob Melvin, 1979 (a decade later, finally joined the O's); Cecil Fielder, 1981 (future Tigers slugger turned down what must have been awesome bonus money as a 31st round pick); Walt Weiss, 1982 (1988 Rookie of the Year with A's); Dell Curry, 1985 (future NBA three-point specialist was also a RHP at Virginia Tech); Joey Hamilton, 1988 (won 74 games in 10 seasons); Mike Lansing, 1989 (.271 hitter with the Expos, Rockies, and Red Sox); Michael Young, 1994 (five-time All-Star SS for the Rangers); Mike MacDougal, 1996 and 1998 (O's attempted drafting the one-time Royals All-Star closer twice); Cliff Lee, 1998 (last year's AL Cy Young - what could have been!).