The 2023 MLB Player Draft will start Sunday at 7:00 pm ET and will be broadcast on ESPN (1st round only) and The MLB Network. Rounds 3-10 can be seen on MLB.com starting at 2:00 pm ET Monday and rounds 11-20 can be seen on MLB.com at the same time on Tuesday.
The Baltimore Orioles have the 17th selection going into the draft based on their success in 2022. This is a big change from previous years when the team had the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 1st in the subsequent years since drafting Grayson Rodriguez with the 11th pick in 2018. Having a pick this low presents a challenge because the team wants to get the selection right, both for the future of the organization and for the fan base. The challenge is that your selection hinges on what the 16 teams ahead of you do, not only are you researching your potential picks as a front office, but you are trying to project what the teams ahead of you will do. The bottom line to all of this is that it is harder to say who will be chosen at number 17 than it is to say who may go with a top-five pick.
Full Disclosure: I do not have the scouting or player evaluation talent and experience possessed by our Publisher, Tony Pente, nor will I pretend to. For that matter there are quite a few members of the Orioles Hangout Community who have an eye for player evaluation. My purpose with this piece is to bring some familiarity of the names who may be called on Sunday to the fans.
There are many mock drafts compiled by many experts and web sites claiming to “know” who each team will select; they are mainly guesses based on the perceived needs of the teams as determined by the expert. In the end, only EVP and General Manager Mike Elias, his scouting department and the analytics team know who is on the list. We will find out once Elias makes the call to the selection.
My research has turned up two names that are frequently tied to the Orioles, RHP Hurston Waldrep out of the 2023 College World Series Runner-Up Florida and SS Collin Houck out of Parkview HS in Georgia.
Waldrep, 6′ 2″ and 210 lbs., compiled a 10-3 record over 19 starts for the Gators in 2023 with a 4.16 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP over 101.2 IP. He struck out 156 of the 449 batters he faced. Prior to transferring to Florida, Waldrep played at Southern Miss. (2021-2022) where he had a career record of 7-2 over 28 appearances (17 starts). In addition he pitched 2 complete games with 1 shutout in 2022 and had 3 saves in 2021. Waldrep finished with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 106.1 IP as a Golden Eagle. Waldrep hits 95-99 on the radar gun and throws a three-pitch mix of a fastball, split-change and slider. The grades of those pitches on the 20-80 scale are 65, 65 and 55 respectively. He pitches around the strike zone but struggles at times with the command and control of his fast ball.
Houck, 6′ 2″ and 190 lbs. has an overall 55 grade with his arm graded the best at 60. As a prep player Houck slashed .421/ .517/ .780/ 1.297 with 136 RBI and 20 homeruns over a 130 game four year career. He has a commitment to Mississippi State should he choose not to sign.
Other players who might be selected are:
SS Arjun Nimmala from Strawberry Crest HS in Florida and who is committed to Florida State. At 6′ 1″ and 170 lbs., Nimmala slashed .382/ .479/ .641/ 1.121 with 77 RBI and 9 HR in 77 games over 4 years. He has an overall scouting grade of 55.
3B Aidan Miller, an Arkansas commit out of Mitchell HS in Florida. At 6′ 2″ and 205 lbs. Miller slashed .385/ .508/ .668/ 1.176 with 47 RBI and 8 HR over a three-year career (62 games). He has an overal scouting grade of 55.
1B/OF Nolan Schanuel of Florida Atlantic. A .385/ .516/ .698/ 1.214 hitter over three collegiate seasons, Schanuel had 176 RBI and 46 HR over 172 games. At 6′ 4″ and 220 lbs., his overall scouting grade is 50.
Additional players to consider are RHP Noble Meyer of Jesuit HS in Oregon, C Blake Mitchell of Sinton HS in Texas, SS Matt Shaw out of Maryland, SS Tommy Troy out of Stanford, OF Chase Davis out of Arizona and 1B/RHP Bryce Eldridge of Madison HS in Virginia.
