Baltimore Orioles MLB Draft History And Projections
As we approach the 2018 MLB Draft on June 4, we’ll break down each major league team’s recent draft history, picking out tendencies where applicable, highlighting the team’s 2018 draft pool and also touching on the organization’s most successful recent draft picks.
Additionally, each team is listed with potential draft targets. These players either fit the typical modus operandi of the organization or are players who have been specifically linked or rumored as fits with a team throughout the spring. Baseball America will continue to add and subtract players from the potential draft target section as we continue to gather information in the final weeks leading up to the draft. Players are listed with a line of skinny to get a quick idea of who they are, but our full scouting reports will give a more complete picture of a player.
It’s also worth pointing out that while in some cases a team might appear to have a clear tendency with certain demographics (i.e. high school pitchers or college hitters), the sample we are looking at is small enough that teams could simply be following a best player available strategy and the results are showing something that’s not an overarching scouting philosophy. It’s more likely that tendencies can be discovered at the extremes, rather than slight apparent preferences in the last five years.
Here is a breakdown of the recent MLB Draft history of the Baltimore Orioles:
General Manager: Dan Duquette (Since 2012)
Scouting Director: Gary Rajsich (Since 2012)
2018 Bonus Pool (Rank): $8,754,400 (13th)
2018 MLB Draft Order:
1st Round: 11th
Supplemental 1st Round: 37th
2nd Round: None (Forfeited pick for signing Alex Cobb)
3rd Round: 87th
4th-40: 11th in each round.
First Round Picks Since 2013:
2017: D.L. Hall (21st)
2016: Cody Sedlock (27th)
2015: D.J. Stewart (25th), Ryan Mountcastle (36th)
2013: Hunter Harvey (22nd)
Best Recent Pick (2010-2017 Drafts):
SS Manny Machado (No. 3 overall, 2010) has been one of the most dynamic young players in baseball since his debut season in 2012. He has given the Orioles a three-time all-star to build around in the middle of the lineup while playing gold glove caliber defense at the hot corner before moving back to his preferred shortstop position this season.
Recent Tendencies (Last Five Years/Top Five Rounds):
The Orioles have been the team most likely to draft out of the high school ranks over the last five years in the top five rounds, selecting prep players 59.3 percent of the time compared to four-year university selections just 33.3 percent of the time—the lowest of all teams.
Additionally, Baltimore has leaned toward pitchers, taking arms 59.3 percent of the time in this span, which is the eight-highest mark among major league teams.
When looking at strictly the first round, however, scouting director Gary Rajsich (one of the longest-tenured scouting directors in baseball) has gone a few different directions with his five first round selections since 2013, including a prep righthander, shortstop and lefthander as well as a college outfielder and righthander.
Potential Draft Targets:
1B/3B Triston Casas — Casas has plus-plus raw power and an advanced, patient approach at the plate with surprising athleticism in the infield
RHP Mason Denaburg — An uber-athletic catcher-turned-pitcher, Denaburg has great arm speed and feel to spin a breaking ball
3B Nolan Gorman — Gorman is a slugging third baseman with near top-of-the-scale raw power and a strong arm, but he has some questions about his feel to hit
OF Jarred Kelenic — Solid in every area, Kelenic is one of the best pure hitters in the prep class and scouts are expecting more power to come
C/3B Noah Naylor — The younger brother of Josh Naylor, Noah is more hit over power with exceptional barrel awareness and a track record against professional arms
RHP Kumar Rocker — Big, physical and imposing, Rocker has loud pure stuff, including a fastball up to 98 mph and a breaking ball that falls off the table
RHP Grayson Rodriguez — The Texas pop-up overhauled his body in the offseason and has been up to 97-98 mph with ease out of a big, 6-foot-4 frame.
OF/LHP Connor Scott — A plus runner with good feel for the barrel, Scott is developing power and has a plus arm with good chance to stick in center field—aka toolsy
RHP Carter Stewart — Stewart has the best breaking ball in the 2018 class in a powerful, downer curveball—oh, and he’s touched 98 mph this spring
SS Brice Turang — An athletic, lefthanded-hitting shortstop with plus speed and great feel for the barrel, Turang is more polished than most preps
LHP Ryan Weathers — The son of David Weathers, Ryan is a polished lefty with solid control of a heavy fastball and an improving curveball
RHP Cole Winn — One of the most consistent prep arms this spring, there are no real holes to speak of in Winn’s game
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