After high school shortstop phenom Jackson Holliday was the first overall draft pick of the Baltimore Orioles in July 2022, I wrote a blog piece about the team having drafted 12 amateur shortstops and signed two international shortstops between 2015 and 2023. I questioned then what the heck the O’s were going to do with all these infielders. After all, there is only one shortstop position in the lineup.

I’m sure the Orioles front office’s rationale in selecting these players was to acquire the best infield athletes. There is a long-standing belief that a player adept at playing shortstop has the athleticism and skills to play practically anywhere on the diamond. This goes back to the days of Mickey Mantle, Tom Tresh, and Bobby Murcer, New York Yankees outfielders who started their pro careers as shortstops. Years later, Hall of Famer Robin Yount reinforced this belief when he transitioned from shortstop to centerfield for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Plus, the Orioles’ brass figured they had the option to use some of their excess prospects in trades to acquire other needed positions.

So, what has happened to all the “horses” the Orioles had in their stable? Where are they now?

Except for Holliday, Ryan Mountcastle (1st round draft pick on 2015), Gunnar Henderson (2nd round draft pick in 2019), Jordan Westburg (1st round draft pick in 2020), Coby Mayo (4th round draft pick in 2020), and Jorge Mateo (acquired from San Diego in 2021), the rest of the Orioles’ shortstop corps is no longer in their plans. They are still floundering in the minors, were traded, or have quit the game altogether.

Holliday made his major-league debut last year as a 20-year-old, after being named Minor League Player of the Year in 2023. He didn’t live up to his billing as a budding superstar in his 60 games with the Orioles. The most significant discovery of Holliday’s play was that he wouldn’t displace Gunnar Henderson from the shortstop position. That’s because Henderson was the AL Rookie of the Year and a Silver Slugger Award winner in 2023 and finished fourth in the MVP voting in 2024. Holliday has been the primary second baseman in 2025, and his production is starting to match his potential.

Henderson had supplanted Mateo as the starting shortstop in 2023. Mateo has remained with the Orioles in a super-utility role. He has played in five different infield and outfield positions this season, as well as appearances as a pinch-hitter and designated hitter.

Westburg made his major-league debut in 2023. He, too, was unable to unseat Henderson at shortstop and instead has been primarily used as a third baseman and second baseman. He solidified his Orioles’ roster spot with an All-Star selection last season.

Mayo has split his playing time between the big-league Orioles and the minors in 2024 and 2025. He is being used primarily as a third baseman and first baseman.

Mountcastle, the elder player among the bunch of shortstop prospects, became the Orioles’ starting first baseman in 2021 and only recently has shared playing time with Mayo.

Cesar Prieto, an international signee in 2022, is now in the St. Louis Cardinals minor-league organization. In 2024, the Orioles traded Connor Norby (2nd round draft pick in 2021) to the Miami Marlins and Joey Ortiz (4th round draft pick in 2019) to the Milwaukee Brewers. Ortiz was involved in the deal that brought pitching ace Corbin Burnes to the Orioles, but the other trades didn’t yield permanent roster players for the Orioles.

Cadyn Grenier (1st round draft pick in 2018) reached Triple-A with the Orioles and Collin Burns (6th round draft pick in 2021) played at the Double-A level, but both were unable to progress further and are out of baseball.

Shortstop Anthony Servideo (3rd round pick in 2020) and Jalen Vasquez (18th round pick in 2023) are currently playing at the Double-A level in the Orioles organization. Neither player has a sure future with the Orioles. Kollin Ritchie (19th round pick out of high school in 2023) chose to play in college instead of signing up as a professional.

The Orioles’ shortstop draft selections produced the team’s entire current infield. In that regard, they were successful. But the remainder of their picks didn’t provide the value the team hoped for.

In retrospect, it appears the Orioles should have used some of those higher-round draft picks to acquire much-needed pitching. Baltimore is currently mired in fifth place in the AL East, 11½ games behind the Yankees. Measured by Runs Allowed Per Game and ERA+, the Orioles have the second-worst pitching staff in the American League.