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Day Two of the MLB Draft kicks off on Tuesday afternoon at 1pm. With the way the Orioles are playing lately, the draft will provide a nice chance for O’s to look towards a hopefully-brighter future thanks to the players the team takes. That has already gotten underway with the three picks they made on Monday night.
Odds are that some future All-Stars will be out there waiting to be taken, even beginning with the Orioles third round pick here this afternoon. The Orioles just have to find and develop the right players.
The Orioles have done this recently and perhaps will be able to do so again. It’s easy to dismiss the value of, say, an eighth round pick because most eighth round picks are not ever going to get anywhere close to the big leagues. Most of the players drafted anywhere outside of the first couple of rounds get drafted because somebody has to catch for Delmarva next year and somebody else has to play second base in Frederick in two years, and so on.
However, sometimes either by luck or by skill you can find a diamond in the rough. Look no farther than Trey Mancini, an eighth round pick in 2013, who was an afterthought in the system until he suddenly started hitting so well that it was impossible to ignore him. He earned his way to the big leagues. Maybe somebody taken this afternoon by the O’s can do the same thing.
A few of the current top Orioles prospects were taken in the third round and beyond. Last year’s third round pick, outfielder Austin Hays, has been red hot for Frederick this year. The Orioles hope that 2014 sixth round pick Tanner Scott will be able to harness his 100mph fastball in a big league bullpen eventually. And let’s not forget spring training sensation Cedric Mullins, a 13th round pick from 2015, raking in Double-A.
The second day of the draft will stream live on MLB.com. The broadcast will probably consist of three guys in a studio listening to and commenting on a conference call. If you’re not that bored, it’s OK.
Orioles picks from day 1
- First round, #21 overall - D.L. Hall - LHP - Valdosta (Ga.) HS (more info)
- Second round, #60 overall - Adam Hall - SS - A.B. Lucas Secondary School (ON) (more info)
- Competitive balance round B, #74 overall - Zac Lowther - LHP - Xavier
Scouting reports and other resources
Draft pick order and bonus pools (Baseball America) - The Orioles will have shy of $7 million in bonus money to allot to their draft picks.
The Baseball America 500 - A very thorough list of their top 500 draft choices. You have to be a subscriber to read the scouting reports, but the list is free and it’s still interesting if, for instance, the O’s take a guy ranked in the 200s at pick #60.
MLB Pipeline’s Top 200 with scouting reports - Most of these players are still left to be drafted as the second day begins. Perhaps the Orioles will get a chance to pick a few of them and see what kind of prospects they can become.
ESPN’s Keith Law’s Draft Big Board - Insider required. Includes quick thumbnail sketches of the top 100 names in the draft according to Law.
Minor League Ball Top 70 with scouting reports - Our friends at fellow SB Nation blog Minor League Ball have worked hard through the spring to go a bit deeper on some of the bigger names of the draft, including a few the Orioles could take tonight.
Local Maryland products in the draft (Baltimore Baseball) - Dean Jones has a thorough list of players from Maryland colleges and high schools who might get drafted over the next few days.
Talk to us
Do you have a player you want to see the O’s take, or one you want to see them avoid? Are you going to be watching the draft? Join us in the comments throughout the afternoon and evening.