A few years ago, the Orioles were the envy of many small market organizations with a young club and excellent player development. Many of those star prospects have stalled in the big leagues, so the Birds haven't quite broken out yet, and they'll hope this latest draft injects the talent needed to get them over the hump. It's a hitter-heavy class at the top featuring four bats in their first five picks, including each of their three largest bonuses and five of their six largest bonuses. They swooped in on the two top high-upside prep prospects in Mississippi with seven figure bonuses and continue to add elite outfield defense to a system already full of it. They played the bonus pool fairly straight up, handing out a few modest over-slot bonuses in rounds two, four, eight, and eighteen while saving a little bit of money in rounds three, five, nine, and ten. They headed into the back half of the draft with some leftover bonus money to spend and drafted five high schoolers, ultimately signing three of them and letting nineteenth rounder Victor Salazar and twentieth rounder Ross Davis both walk to Texas JuCo's.
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Note that the number before a player's name indicates their draft position. For example, "2-50" would indicate that a player was taken in the second round with the fiftieth overall pick.
1-7: OF Eric Booth Jr., Oak Grove HS [MS]
Slot value: $7.33 million. Signing bonus: $7.32 million ($2,500 below slot value).
My rank: #6. MLB Pipeline: #6. ESPN: #5.
The Orioles hope a long list of first round duds ends right here, and Eric Booth Jr. has as much upside as any they've selected. Hailing from tiny Bassfield, Mississippi, he played high school baseball about 25 miles away at Oak Grove High School in the Hattiesburg area for better athletic development and it paid off. Like most Mississippi prep prospects, he was very raw as scouts evaluated him through high school, but he took massive steps forward during his senior year to push himself all the way into the top ten prospects. He's still raw, but the final picture is much, much clearer and numerous teams were more than happy to throw millions of dollars at him. He has a gashing left handed swing fit for line drives in game that can leak his power when he gets out over his hips, but he has excellent feel for the barrel and performed well against elite stuff on the showcase circuit. Though he doesn't tap it much in games, there is real power in the tank as he has filled out his 6' frame and he has already shown it in batting practice. Even as the raw power develops into game power, his plus-plus speed plays very well with his current approach as he puts immense pressure on infields and outfields alike with his wheels. As he has polished up his reads and outs in the outfield, he's begun to maximize that speed out there as well with plenty of range and an average arm in center field. Booth has all of the tools and as of this spring, has shown them all in games. He's blindingly fast, plenty strong, and plays up to the competition wherever he goes. As the Orioles clean up his approach a little further, there is upside as a 20 homer hitter with high batting averages and tons of stolen bases with strong defense in center field. On top of the upside, he is extremely young for the class and turned 18 just days before the draft. There aren't many prospects out there with Booth's dynamic skillset and the Orioles know how to develop. He had previously been committed to Vanderbilt.
2-46: OF Ty Head, North Carolina State
Slot value: $2.18 million. Signing bonus: $2.43 million ($248,400 above slot value).
My rank: #46. MLB Pipeline: #60. ESPN: #46.
Seeing Ty Head go above slot (roughly pick #41 value) as a college bat here at pick #46 might surprise some people given he typically ranked in the 45-60 range on most boards, but he was well-liked by model driven orgs and the Orioles are one of those. He was a well-known prospect out of high school in 2024, but made it to campus at NC State and has started 110 of their 112 games since. An on-base machine, he served as a nice table setter as a freshman (.274/.433/.402, 4 HR), then added impact as a sophomore (.285/.461/.531, 12 HR) to elevate a more well-rounded profile. It's a true plus hit tool, which is really hard to find outside of the first round unless it's paired with 30 grade power. He rarely chases and runs elite walk rates, bumping from a strong 19.8% as a freshman to an absurd 23.3% as a sophomore, leading to an elite .447 career on-base percentage. He also makes elite contact, whiffing barely 10% of the time in 2026 and running a strikeout rate of just 9.0%. When you don't chase and you don't whiff, it's really, really hard to get you out. Head is a hit over power bat, but he did triple his home run output from four in 2025 to twelve in 2026 as he has found a way to maximize his fringy raw power. The Orlando-area native likes to throw his barrel at the ball and in 2026 he got better at getting behind and under the ball rather than rolling over, helping elevate it more consistently and get the ball over the right field fence to the pull side. Most of his power will have to come to the pull side in pro ball with wood bats, though at 6'3", 205 pounds, he does have some space to tack on a little more strength to his tall, skinny frame. Head's value gets another major boost with his defense. He's a plus runner with great instincts in center field, making all of the plays in, out, and against the wall. The arm his fringy, but with his range and ability to go get it, that's fine. Between Head, Vance Honeycutt, Enrique Bradfield, Nate George, and even Eric Booth in this draft, the Orioles have an extremely deep set of elite defenders. There's a very good chance that when more than one of these prospects inevitably becomes an everyday big leaguer, they'll have two or even three Gold Glove-caliber center fielders roaming all three spots.
3-82: RHP Dominic Voegele, Kansas
Slot value: $1 million. Signing bonus: $897,500 ($106,300 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #205. ESPN: #228.
Dominic Voegele went a little earlier than many expected and signed just below slot value, where the Orioles believe they've found an undervalued arm. Voegele hit campus at Kansas and jumped straight into the rotation, where he posted a 3.89 ERA and was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2024. He hasn't quite replicated that success over the last two seasons, posting a 5.77 ERA, but he never relinquished his rotation spot and has made 48 starts and thrown 274.1 innings in three seasons in Lawrence. The fastball sits in the mid 90's and touches 98, though the movement is ordinary. He stands out for his breaking balls, led by a sharp plus curveball with late, hammer bite and a tight, downer slider. Those two pitches helped him rack up 120 strikeouts in 2026, fourteenth most in Division I and enough to let the Orioles to hand him nearly a million dollars. He doesn't use his changeup much and it will need to be further developed in pro ball. The 6'2" righty has a pretty simple delivery with a long arm stroke and little extension, giving hitters a long look at the baseball before and after it leaves his hand. The lack of deception has caused his stuff to play down the last two years after he got the better of them in his first look as a freshman, so the Orioles will look to get creative to rectify that in pro ball. The stuff is plenty good to play against pro hitters, so if the Orioles can find a way to hide the ball better, he has real upside. The St. Louis-area native pounds the zone like a starter should and even if the command is only average, he knows how to use it. Voegele projects as a mid-rotation starter at peak if the Orioles can fix him up a little bit, or as a #5 journeyman even at his median projection.
4-110: OF Kevin Roberts Jr., Jackson Prep HS [MS]
Slot value: $711,800. Signing bonus: $1 million ($288,200 above slot value).
My rank: #90. MLB Pipeline: #136. ESPN: #106.
Eric Booth Jr. isn't the only high upside Mississippi prep outfielder coming to Baltimore. Kevin Roberts Jr. actually began the draft cycle in a similar position to Booth, but while Booth had a fantastic senior season down at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Roberts Jr. created more questions during his. A former teammate of Pirates star rookie Konnor Griffin, scouts have been regulars at Jackson Prep for years now dating back to 2019 Diamondbacks draftee and Kansas City Chiefs reserve Jerrion Ealy a few years prior. Roberts might be the most tooled up player in the entire class. Listed at 6'5", 220 pounds, he takes explosive right handed swings to produce plus power and could grow into plus-plus as he fills out that big frame. At this point, tapping that power might be a bit of a question. He never had an advanced approach by any means, and that approach stalled in 2026 as he chased too much and swung over too many breaking balls even at the high school level. Roberts has a bit of a slow trigger at the plate as well that can impact his timing, and all together it's a question whether he'll even hit in A ball, let alone the big leagues. He's young for the class (like Booth) and was still 17 on draft day, so the Orioles will probably take his development very, very slowly. In addition to the explosive power, he's also a plus runner with an above average arm who in most organizations would have a shot to play center field. That might be a stretch in the Orioles system and its plethora of elite outfield defenders, but he'll fit great as an above average right fielder in this system. With plus power and speed from a huge 6'5" frame that he's still growing into, it would be a disservice to try to describe his upside. There is none. To get there, though, his approach will need a complete overhaul and it will take a lot of patience and a little luck. He had previously been committed to Florida.
5-142: SS Jimmy Anderson, Heartland JC [IL]
Slot value: $521,500. Signing bonus: $457,500 ($64,000 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
It took two years, but the Orioles got their guy. He hit the ground running at Heartland JC and hit .439/.520/.706 as a freshman, and Baltimore liked it so much they drafted him in the nineteenth round. He didn't sign and returned to school, where he hit even better as a sophomore at an absurd .465/.544/1.030 with 26 home runs. Baltimore liked him fourteen rounds better and this time got him to sign. Anderson handled Illinois JuCo pitching extremely well, obviously given the numbers, and also run just a 7.2% strikeout rate against a 14.8% walk rate in 2026. He has solid bat to ball and takes good at bats, which would aid his transition to pro ball. He tapped his power extremely consistently at Heartland and even if it will likely play more average in pro ball, he knows how to get the ball in the air and do damage. The Orioles drafted him as a shortstop and will run him out there to start, where he could stick if they trust his glovework, though his arm could push him to second base. The Chicago-area product lacks a plus tool, projecting as a utility infielder with some pop, some speed, and the ability to get on base.
6-171: LHP Zane Adams, Alabama
Slot value: $393,300. Signing bonus: $370,000 ($23,300 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Zane Adams is a bit of a sleeper who could outplay his draft position. He was a highly recruited lefty out of Porter High School in the Houston area and earned draft interest in the top several rounds, but went to Alabama with the hopes of tapping his immense potential. Three years later, he has had his ups and downs in the Alabama rotation and ultimately left his draft stock in roughly the same place. 2026 was Adams' best, with a career-best 4.58 ERA, a career-high 100 strikeouts, and a career-best 25.2% strikeout rate. At his best, he has the stuff and command to profile in a big league rotation. His fastball sits in the low 90's and touches 96, albeit with more average life. He spins the ball well and has especially flashed well with his curveball, which looks like an above average pitch on his best days, while his slider gives him another average offering. Adams has an above average changeup that got great results in 2026 and is an especially useful weapon as a left handed pitcher. He has some jerk in his delivery but has thrown 214 innings over three seasons and had a career-best 7.6% walk rate in 2026, so he should profile in the rotation. The 6'4" lefty certainly has the size, so if he can get more consistent with his stuff overall and perhaps add a tick or two of velocity, he's a big league starter. If not, he might play best in long relief. Adams was draft-eligible last year so he was already 22 on draft day, making him similar to a senior sign even if he was technically a junior.
8-230: SS Will Plunkett, Mamaroneck HS [NY]
Slot value: $247,900. Signing bonus: $672,500 ($424,600 above slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: #198. ESPN: #193.
Making one more splash, the Orioles handed a fourth round signing bonus to eighth rounder Will Plunkett to divert him from a Binghamton scholarship. Largely unknown to scouts outside of the New York area heading into the draft cycle, he was lightly recruited (at least by MLB draftee standards) and didn't appear at many high-visibility showcase events save for the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter last October. After getting a late start in the spring due to his high school basketball season, he was one of the best players in the Tri-State area this spring and slowly began to turn area scout notes into real front office interest. He appeared at the MLB Draft Combine in June and while his exit velocities were ordinary, scouts really got to picture and dream on the future projection. Plunkett is a 6'3" athlete with great projection, and his clean right handed swing requires little work at this point with a direct, powerful drive through the ball. The power is presently below average but Baltimore sees some time in their weight room and the natural physical development that comes with age helping him get to at least fringy, if not average power, and projecting for closer to 20 home runs per season at his ceiling. He made a ton of contact up in New York this spring but of course pro ball will be a jump. Those most optimistic on his glove believe he could stick at shortstop, with his athleticism combining nicely with good glovework and arm strength, and he could really end up anywhere on the infield depending on how he develops. There's nice all-around value here for what was still a pretty reasonable fourth round bonus, with many highest on Plunkett tabbing this one of the better sleeper picks in the draft.
9-260: RHP Collin McKinney, Arizona
Slot value: $213,300. Signing bonus: $147,500 ($65,800 below slot value).
My rank: unranked. MLB Pipeline: unranked. ESPN: unranked.
Collin McKinney brings another accomplished arm to Baltimore even if his college career was a bit up and down. A Houston-area native, he began his career in-state at Baylor but missed his freshman 2023 season with an injury. Returning for a redshirt freshman year in 2024, he maintained a rotation spot all year long but pitched to a 6.70 ERA across fourteen starts, then transferred to Arizona. Tucson is by no means an easy place to pitch, but he did drop his ERA to 3.98 while making another thirteen starts in 2025 (plus two relief appearances). Working as both a starter and a reliever in 2026, his ERA ballooned back up to 6.27 but he had a career-best 26.1% strikeout rate and by far a career-low 9.6% walk rate, down from 14.2% over his first two seasons. Strikeout and walk rates are far more important to scouts than ERA, so the Orioles popped him in the ninth round and think he can take another step forward. McKinney has loud stuff, beginning with a low to mid 90's fastball that can reach 97 in short stints and really pops on hitters with sneaky extension. He spins two breaking balls in a slider and a curveball, both of which can flash above average and miss bats. There is a changeup as well, rounding out a four pitch arsenal that will serve him well as a starter. Command formerly held him back but has stepped forward from below average to fringe-average now, and if he can refine it a little bit further, it will work in the rotation. The 6'5" righty comes with projection remaining even if he is already 22, looking the part of a #5 starter who could move quickly through the minors.
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