When the calendar turns to June, half of the fans in Major League Baseball are looking ahead to the playoffs; hoping their team can battle through the dog days of summer to either keep their playoff positions or creep into contention. The other half of the league, along with their fans, are not looking forward to the playoffs nor the dog days but are more excited for the MLB Draft - the least hyped or entertaining of four other major sports drafts.

I fall into the latter half of the spectrum with the Baltimore Orioles being honored with my devotion. It has been that way for years as the O's have not had a winning since 1997 and have been out of the race by this time on many occasions.

The draft has been a time of high hopes and aspirations for Baltimore, the organization, and their fans in recent seasons. Players like pitcher Brian Matusz and Matt Wieters have been drafted within the last three seasons and have already reached the majors as well has been projected Rookies of the Year. Others like Nick Markakis have been drafted in seasons further past and have put up All-Star numbers. Then, outside the first round, players that have been recently drafted with the likes of David Hernandez, Brad Bergesen, Jason Berken, and others have graced the MLB uniform already with more charging up the ranks in the minors to get to that level within the next few seasons or even months.

CONTINUE!!!