No matter how sought-after you are, it is always smart to make a good first impression with your boss. New Baltimore Orioles prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr. seems to fully embody that mantra.

After being selected as the No. 17 pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the Vanderbilt center fielder wasted no time in calling general manager Mike Elias. “Hey he's calling me, that's a first,” Elias said in the war room Sunday, via the team's official Twitter account. “Hey, you beat me to the punch.”

Bradfield breaking tradition by calling the GM before being formally welcomed to the club should make the Orioles feel even better about their draft choice. The 21-year-old is a speed demon who stole more than 45 bases twice in his college career and swiped 37 last season. That attribute is much more valuable with the new baserunning rules the league has implemented this season.

Factor in a .311 batting average in three years at Vandy, and Baltimore may have found its lead-off hitter of the future. The franchise has made good use of its other draft picks, turning five years of bad baseball into an imposing arsenal of young talent. The results are manifesting on the field, as the Orioles boast a stunning 54-35 record. Young catcher Adley Rutschman will be in the 2023 All-Star Game, with outfielder Cedric Mullins and bullpen one-two punch Felix Bautista and Yennier Cano all joining him in Seattle.

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Mike Elias has only doubled down on his youth-centric philosophy. Both Jordan Westburg (.325 batting average) and Colton Cowser (.188) have recently been called up to the big leagues. A low-market club like the O's have little choice but to give their top prospects a full vote of confidence and hope they quickly exceed expectations.

They have weathered through the growing pains and are one of the best teams in baseball. There may be no better place for Enrique Bradfield to call home other than Camden Yards. His apparent exuberance on the phone shows he feels the same way.