The Orioles were granted the first pick in the draft for just the third time in team history. The club went with the consensus choice in 2019, but there was not a clear-cut favorite like Adley Rutschman this time around. Mike Elias indicated that the Birds had narrowed their list to five potential options shortly before the draft, but everyone was left guessing when Rob Manfred stepped to the podium.
The Orioles selected Jackson Holliday, a shortstop from Stillwater High School (Oklahoma) over Druw Jones, Termarr Johnson and others. Jackson, the son of former All-Star Matt Holliday, had been one of the five players the Orioles were linked to throughout the process.