First 5 rounds: DL Hall (1-21), Adam Hall (2-60), Zac Lowther (CBB-74), Mike Baumann (3-98), Jack Conlon (4-128), Lamar Sparks (5-158).
Also notable: Logan Allen (16-488), Greg Jones (17-518)
I think the Orioles could have done better here, but it's not a bad class and D.L. Hall is certainly an exciting top pick. They went upside with their pair of Hall's and looked for more safety with Lowther and Baumann. Lower down in the draft, you see some college performers like 7th rounder Ben Breazeale out of Wake Forest, 9th rounder T.J. Nichting out of UNC-Charlotte, and 11th rounder Trevor Craport out of Georgia Tech. With Logan Allen and Greg Jones in the 16th and 17th rounds, respectively, they may be hoping to save money on Lowther and/or Baumann to be able to go overslot. Allen could have cracked the top five rounds had he had a lower price tag, and Jones the top three. So far, it's not too exciting of a class, but if just one of the Halls reaches their potential, I don't think anybody will complain.
1-21: LHP DL Hall (my rank: 17)
Most mock drafts predicted Hall to go somewhere in the teens, and when he fell to Baltimore at pick #21, they snared the high upside lefty. He throws in the low to mid 90's with arguably high school baseball's best curveball, and despite his smaller stature at 6'1", he could develop into a real front-of-the-rotation force in Camden. Prep stars like Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey ran into a significant injury troubles while moving up through the Orioles system, so Baltimore's approach to developing Hall will be an interesting one to watch. Hopefully, DL can avoid the D.L.
2-60: SS Adam Hall (my rank: 112)
The Orioles went with a high-upside Hall again at pick #60, though Adam (no relation) is much more raw than D.L. A high school shortstop from Ontario, Hall is a Texas A&M commit with the upside to be an above average starting shortstop, both at the plate and in the field. However, coming from a cold weather area, he is understandably raw, with his swing needing to be completely reworked. He won't be in Baltimore in time to replace J.J. Hardy right away, but once he works his way up, he could be a star ~if~ everything breaks right.
CBB-74: LHP Zac Lowther (my rank: 126)
This pick is eerily similar to their second round pick last year, Western Michigan's Keegan Akin. While Akin hasn't pitched too well at High Class A Frederick this season (4-4, 5.01 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 58/23 K/BB), both he and Lowther are pitchability lefties from mid-major in the Midwest. Lowther comes from Xavier University, where he, like Akin, dominated his small conference, in this case the Big East. He has the ceiling of a back end starter, but he's a pretty safe bet to at least get to the majors as a reliever.
3-98: RHP Mike Baumann (my rank: 121)
24 picks after Lowther, the Orioles went back to the mid-major college ranks with Jacksonville's Mike Baumann. Baumann has long arm action with a fairly narrow arsenal that leads many to project him in the bullpen, but after making 43 starts in three years for Jacksonville, Baltimore should give him a chance to prove he can develop his offspeed pitches to play off his low to mid 90's fastball.
17-518: SS Greg Jones (my rank: 84)
Obviously, Jones didn't fall to the 17th round because of his talent. He's a signability risk as a player with a commitment to UNC-Wilmington, one who has no problem walking away from the negotiating table and going to college. Jones is one of the toolsier players in this draft, one I liken to a less advanced Drew Waters with a chance to play shortstop. He's fast as heck and generates good power from both sides of the plate, but he has a lot of work to do to reach his ceiling and that is why he may be best off attending school. He'll be draft eligible as a sophomore if he ends up on campus because he is a year old for his class, strengthening his bargaining position even more.
Others: 4th rounder Jack Conlon is a similar pick to D.L. Hall, though the Texas high schooler is taller, right handed, and throws a slider instead of a curveball. The slider looks like a plus pitch at times, and he has similar ceiling, but more risk. I literally know nothing about 5th rounder Lamar Sparks, as he went unranked on the BA 500, but the Texas high schooler does have a cool name. 6th rounder Mason McCoy, out of Iowa, slashed .328/.394/.474 as the Hawkeye shortstop and should be a utility man going forward. They snagged a catcher in the seventh round with Wake Forest's Ben Breazeale, who had a breakout season for the Deacons this year as a senior, while ninth rounder T.J. Nichting put up a solid, three year career at UNC-Charlotte while playing all over the diamond. I got to see 11th rounder Trevor Craport play for Georgia Tech when the Yellow Jackets came to Virginia Tech, and the sophomore catcher has done nothing but hit since he got to Atlanta (career .343/.406/.521, 12 home runs), though he is a bit undersized at 5'11" and right handed. 14th rounder Cameron Ming has been a big part of the Arizona Wildcats' pitching staff the past couple of seasons, playing a pivotal role in their march to the NCAA Championship game in 2016 and going 7-2 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP as a swingman in 2017. The 6'2" lefty will probably be converted to relief going forward.
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