Ben McDonald

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the draft in which McDonald, a Golden Spikes Award winner at LSU and an Olympic gold medalist, was selected first overall by the Baltimore Orioles. McDonald battled shoulder problems throughout his professional career, undergoing three rotator cuff surgeries, but still posted a respectable 78-70 career record with a 3.91 ERA after a stellar amateur career in which he recorded nearly 400 career strikeouts at LSU.

“Baseball was great to me,” McDonald said from his home in Denham Springs, LA. “The sport allowed me to travel the world, compete at the highest level possible and make a very good living. I have no regrets. I won a high school state championship and an Olympic gold medal, pitched in a college world series and played in the big leagues for nine years. Some people say that I ran into a lot of bad luck, but I feel extremely lucky to have accomplished what I did.”

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of his being the No. 1 pick, McDonald will be traveling to MLB Network’s studios in Secaucus, NJ, next week to represent the Orioles at this year’s amateur draft. He will join longtime Orioles and baseball executive Fred Uhlman, Sr., at the Orioles’ table. Following his appearance at the draft McDonald will head to Baltimore, where he will appear at the Orioles’ June 10 game against Seattle. - Read More >