First five rounds: Adley Rutschman (1-1), Gunnar Henderson (2-42), Kyle Stowers (CBB-71), Zach Watson (3-79), Joey Ortiz (4-108), Darell Hernaiz (5-138)
Also notable: Maverick Handley (6-168), Andrew Daschbach (11-318), Dan Hammer (13-378)
Obviously, this draft is going to be headlined by Adley Rutschman, possibly the best college catching prospect ever, or at the very least since Florida State's Buster Posey in 2008. For those who remember the Matt Wieters hype, Rutschman is easily better at the same stage of his career and should be a future All Star with power, high on-base percentages, great defense, and leadership. Moving past Rutschman, though, there's a lot to like elsewhere in this draft. Gunnar Henderson provides a ton of upside and guys like Kyle Stowers, Zach Watson, and Dan Hammer seem like they could take a big step forward with pro coaching. It was also a Stanford-themed draft, as the Orioles took Stanford position players in the second Competitive Balance round, the sixth round, and the eleventh round.
1-1: C Adley Rutschman (Oregon State, my rank: 1)
Adley Rutschman is not short on praise, and it's well deserved as one of the best draft prospects of the decade, perhaps the best since Bryce Harper in 2010. Simply put, he's the complete package as a player. The Portland-area native slashed just .234/.322/.306 as a freshman at Oregon State in 2017, then put himself firmly into the first overall conversation after a huge sophomore year where he slashed .408/.505/.628 as a sophomore. Somehow, he got even better in 2019, finishing with a .411/.575/.751 line, 17 home runs, and a 38/76 strikeout to walk ratio over 57 games. Despite going through the rigors of catching and playing in a tough Pac-12 conference, Rutschman led all college baseball players in on-base percentage (.575), OPS (1.326), and walks (76) while finishing fifth in batting average (.411) and sixth in slugging percentage (.751). As you might figure from those stats, he has an excellent feel for hitting between great plate discipline (28.6% walk rate, 14.3% strikeout rate) and great feel for the barrel, and that helps him get to his plus power very consistently. Defensively, he's a superb catcher with both a strong arm and a great glove, and he comes with all of the desired leadership skills you look for in a catcher. Together, that helps Rutschman project for 30 or more home runs per season with high on-base percentages and borderline Gold Glove defense, or as some would call it, "MVP caliber." He draws a lot of comparisons to Buster Posey, which is natural given that Posey was the game's most recent elite catcher, though Rutschman looks to have more power. No pressure or anything, Adley, but the expectations are sky high. He'll inevitably have his ups and downs working through the minors and breaking into the majors, but given his power, competency for hitting, defense, and work ethic, it's hard to see him becoming anything but a star. He signed for a record $8.1 million, which was still $320,000 below slot, and he's slashing .176/.282/.294 with a home run and a 4/5 strikeout to walk ratio over ten games between the complex level Gulf Coast League and short season Aberdeen.
2-42: SS Gunnar Henderson (Morgan Academy [AL], my rank: 25)
After saving money on Rutschman, the Orioles dipped into the high school ranks to spend that extra money on Gunnar Henderson. Henderson hails from Selma, Alabama, and you don't see too many players from these small towns in the Deep South get drafted this high out of high school. Henderson is the exception, having been a late riser on many boards with a great senior year at John T. Morgan Academy, and while he's still raw, he's improved considerably as of late. He's 6'3" and is very athletic, which helps him on both sides of the ball, and he has shown both power and feel for the barrel this spring. He has a quick bat solid raw power, and he has been getting to it more frequently, albeit against mediocre competition in Central Alabama. He's also getting it figured out defensively, with his strong arm and athleticism making him a virtual lock to stay on the left side of the infield, possibly at shortstop if he can refine his game a little bit, but if not, definitely at third base. He also didn't turn 18 until June, and he has the upside to hit 20-30 home runs per season with good on-base percentages and good defense. However, unlike Rutschman, he will need a lot of time to develop and probably won't move through the minors very quickly at all. Committed to Auburn, he instead signed for $2.3 million, which was $530,000 above slot, and he's slashing .240/.339/.280 with a 15/7 strikeout to walk ratio over 14 games in the Gulf Coast League.
CBB-71: OF Kyle Stowers (Stanford, my rank: 67)
Kyle Stowers is a bit of a polarizing player because of the way his numbers have fluctuated, but I think pro coaching can really help him. The San Diego-area native showed power from an aggressive approach when he slashed .286/.383/.512 as a sophomore at Stanford in 2018, but that approach didn't hurt him when he went on to the elite Cape Cod League and slashed .326/.361/.565 with six home runs and a 34/7 strikeout to walk ratio over 34 games there that summer. Then in 2019, he was a different player; this year, he slashed .303/.369/.523 with nine home runs and a 31/24 strikeout to walk ratio over 55 games in a lineup that also included 2019 Orioles draft picks Maverick Handley (6th round) and Andrew Daschbach (11th round). Stowers' strikeout rate dropped from 20.4% as a sophomore to 12.4% as a junior, while his walk rate also dropped a little from 12.5% to 9.6%. His swing is more direct this year, which has helped his strikeout rates, and he generates good power from his 6'3" frame and whippy swing. However, I think he could actually tap into it even more once he gets to working with Orioles minor league hitting coaches, and he could eventually profile for 20-30 home runs annually if things break right. While he improved his contact rates this year, it will still be something to follow as he works his way through pro ball. Additionally, he's an aggressive hitter and will probably never post high on-base percentages, so most of his value will be tied to that power, even if he hits for high averages. Defensively, he holds his own in the outfield but is nothing special. Stowers signed at slot for $884,200, and he's slashing .231/.294/.352 with a home run and a 31/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 30 games with Aberdeen.
3-79: OF Zach Watson (Louisiana State, my rank: 91)
Zach Watson could have gone in the top 100 picks as a draft eligible sophomore last year, where he slashed .308/.366/.479 for LSU and ranked 75th on my 2018 draft list, but he (along with Zack Hess) opted to return to Baton Rouge for his junior season. It turned out to be much of the same, as he slashed a nearly identical .308/.378/.468 with seven home runs and a 47/22 strikeout to walk ratio over 60 games. The Ruston, Louisiana native is a very consistent hitter who has proven himself against tough SEC pitching, and he also slashed .382/.450/.500 in a brief, ten game run through the Cape Cod League, so there's no question about his feel for the barrel. Watson is extremely skinny, listed at six feet and 160 pounds, and he uses that barrel to spray hard line drives around the field. Despite his slight stature, there might actually be some power projection in there just because he hits the ball so darn hard, and additional loft in his swing could help him hit 15 home runs per season. While he does have that coveted feel for the barrel, one important issue to address early in his pro career will be his plate discipline, which is average for now. Watson can also fly on the bases and in the outfield, where he lacks a big arm but is overall an above average defender. Overall, he looks like a fourth outfielder at first glance, but he's the kind of guy that could take off with pro coaching and end up an everyday center fielder. He is very old for his class, having turned 22 in June, so that's one knock. Watson signed at slot for $780,400, and he's slashing .247/.316/.494 with five home runs, five stolen bases, and a 24/8 strikeout to walk ratio over 29 games between Aberdeen and Class A Delmarva.
4-108: SS Joey Ortiz (New Mexico State, unranked)
I mentioned in Adley Rutschman's paragraph that he had the fifth highest batting average in college baseball at .411 this year. Well, Joey Ortiz ranked third at .422. While New Mexico State a) is an extremely hitter-friendly environment and b) doesn't face the same competition in the Western Athletic Conference that Oregon State sees in the Pac-12, ranking ahead of Rutschman in anything is pretty darn impressive, especially when you're third best in the country (albeit second on your own team behind Nick Gonzales' NCAA-leading .432). Ortiz' huge breakout year overall saw him slash .422/.474/.697 with eight home runs and a 26/21 strikeout to walk ratio over 55 games, though it was a little inflated in that Coors Field-like environment in Las Cruces. The Los Angeles-area native has great feel for the barrel and should continue to hit for a high average in pro ball, though he'll need to get more patient at the plate if he wants to post high on-base percentages as well. Though he hit eight home runs at New Mexico State this year, he'll probably be more of a singles and doubles hitter in pro ball at 5'11" and with an all-fields approach. With very competent defense at shortstop, his profile screams utility infielder down the line. On the plus side, he's more than a year younger than Zach Watson and didn't turn 21 until July. He signed for for $450,000, which was $88,200 below slot, and he's slashing .241/.315/.286 with a home run and a 19/12 strikeout to walk ratio over 31 games at Aberdeen.
5-138: SS Darell Hernaiz (Americas HS [TX], unranked)
Just 50 miles down the road from New Mexico State's campus in Las Cruces, the Orioles found another shortstop in El Paso high schooler Darell Hernaiz. He's a very athletic kid with high upside, but he has a long way to go developmentally. He's got some power but hasn't fully tapped into it yet, with room to grow in his 6'1" frame. He's also solid defensively but may not be able to stick at shortstop. Really, it's hard to project him at this point, especially because I'm writing this article on his 18th birthday two months after the draft, but his athleticism and strength should help him on both sides of the ball through what should be a long development path. Committed to Texas Tech, he signed for $400,000, which was $2,000 below slot, and he's slashing .213/.373/.298 with a home run and a 15/12 strikeout to walk ratio over 15 games in the Gulf Coast League.
6-168: C Maverick Handley (Stanford, unranked)
The Orioles picked up Kyle Stowers in the second Competitive Balance Round, and almost a hundred picks later, they grabbed his teammate, Maverick Handley. The man with the 80 grade baseball name slashed .290/.393/.442 with five home runs and a 39/33 strikeout to walk ratio over 59 games, but it's really his defense and feel for the game that the Orioles are buying as he will inevitably have a tough time starting considering who they took first overall. The Denver native has great plate discipline that helps him get his pitch and do enough damage to remain viable with the bat, but at a stocky 5'11", he lacks much power and projects as a low-impact hitter overall. Defensively, he gets the job done and then some, as he is a lock to stick behind the plate both with his glove and with his leadership skills. Ultimately, he projects as Rutschman's backup down the line, and the Adley Rutschman/Maverick Handley combination might have the coolest pair of names ever for any pair of major league catchers on the same team. He signed for $250,000, which was $51,600 below slot, and he's slashing .218/.338/.273 with a 24/7 strikeout to walk ratio over 21 games at Aberdeen.
11-318: 1B Andrew Daschbach (Stanford, unranked)
Make that three Stanford hitters in the first eleven rounds for the Orioles. However, Andrew Daschbach is perhaps the polar opposite to Maverick Handley as a player. The Silicon Valley native is a pure masher, and he slashed .289/.382/.602 with 17 home runs and a 54/25 strikeout to walk ratio over 59 games for Stanford this year. That big season was highlighted by a four homer performance against Cal Poly on May 14th, and he also slashed a strong .306/.424/.515 with five home runs and a 32/17 strikeout to walk ratio over 40 games on the Cape. At 6'3" and 225 pounds, he's plenty strong enough to blast balls out of any park, and he has gotten to that power consistently against quality pitching. However, his plate discipline is only so-so, with a 21.7% strikeout rate and just a 10% walk rate, so it's fully a power-only profile. There's not too much projection, but he could hit 20 home runs annually if he gets to the majors and tightens his control of the strike zone. Defensively, he's limited to first base and could end up a DH long term, so all of the pressure will be on his power. He signed for $250,000, which counted for $125,000 against the Orioles' bonus pool, and he's slashing .227/.370/.333 with one home run and an 18/15 strikeout to walk ratio over 24 games at Aberdeen, where he once again shares the lineup with Handley and Kyle Stowers.
13-378: RHP Dan Hammer (Pittsburgh, unranked)
Between Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Maverick Handley, and now Dan Hammer, the Orioles really are stocking up on the cool names. Hammer comes from Pitt, where he has never quite put it together despite strikeout stuff. The Philadelphia native posted a 6.55 ERA, a 1.85 WHIP, and an 80/37 strikeout to walk ratio over 66 innings for the Panthers this year, but he was much better on the Cape last summer, where his ERA was just 2.16 and he struck out 20 batters to five walks in 25 innings. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball and adds a solid breaking ball and changeup, but his stuff hasn't been consistent and he has gotten hit hard when he fell behind in the count. The Orioles will work to get him more consistent with everything in the hopes of getting a #4 starter, though shifting him to the bullpen could help him take a big step forward. Hammer signed for $150,000, which counts for $25,000 against the bonus pool, and he has a 1.17 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and a 19/6 strikeout to walk ratio over 15.1 innings at Aberdeen.
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