The Orioles made their first 11 picks of the 2024 MLB draft on Sunday and Monday, bringing in the first half of a new draft class to restock their farm system over the next few weeks.
But while it will be months, if not years, before the Orioles start to see whether their picks will pan out, they’ve now had a little over a year to see how their 2023 class has fared at the professional level.
Here’s a look at how every pick is doing one year into their pro careers.
1st round, 17 overall: OF Enrique Bradfield Jr., Vanderbilt
So far in his professional career, Bradfield has done exactly what he did at Vanderbilt: run, a lot. The Orioles’ first-round pick has been as advertised on the base paths, stealing 70 bases in 87 games across the past two seasons. He’s reached base at an impressive clip of .384 while playing elite defense in center and left field.
There’s not much power to speak of — he has only three home runs — but Bradfield has proven he has at least three superb tools that should help him reach the majors. Currently at High-A Aberdeen, he should reach Double-A Bowie before the end of the season and could be part of the Orioles’ outfield mix as soon as 2025 if he avoids any setbacks in his development.
2nd round, 53 overall: OF Mac Horvath, North Carolina
After exploding out of the gate last season with a 1.057 OPS in 22 games across three levels, Horvath got off to a slow start to 2024 but has heated up to start putting together a solid season in High-A. The North Carolina product, and former teammate of 2024 first-rounder Vance Honeycutt, is slashing .240/.338/.443 with nine home runs and 24 stolen bases in 65 games this season.
Horvath has played all over the field, seeing time at second base, third base and multiple outfield spots. The hit tool was the biggest question mark for Horvath heading into last year’s draft, and though he’s shown some of that inconsistency, he’s carried over his solid walk rate to ensure he’s still reaching base enough to take advantage of his above-average speed.
2nd round, 63 overall: RHP Jackson Baumeister, Florida State
No pitcher has been drafted higher by the Orioles since executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias took over the front office than Baumeister, who has largely lived up to expectations so far in High-A. The right-hander has had his workload managed carefully, never throwing more than 76 pitches in a start, but he owns a 3.11 ERA and 1.365 WHIP with 83 strikeouts and 42 walks in 66 2/3 innings this season.
Baumeister has had his share of control issues — he’s walking 5.7 batters per nine innings — but it’s telling that the Orioles had him skip Low-A Delmarva and jump right into Aberdeen. His fastball remains his best weapon, topping out at 98 mph, and he mixes in a curveball and slider that both grade out above average. He’s another candidate to make it to Bowie before season’s end.
3rd round, 86 overall: RHP Kiefer Lord, Washington
Lord made one appearance with the Orioles’ rookie ball team last season and had yet to appear in a game this year before undergoing Tommy John reconstruction surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow July 3.
3rd round, 100 overall: OF Tavian Josenberger, Arkansas
The Orioles drafted Josenberger for his strong on-base skills and ability to play all over the diamond. While he is far from a complete player, the Arkansas product has translated those two skills sets into his production with Aberdeen, posting a .330 on-base percentage while appearing at second base, shortstop and all three outfield positions this season.
His power numbers, which improved his junior season at Arkansas after he transferred from Kansas, have not followed suit, but he’s stolen 34 bases this year — already only one short of his total from his entire college career. If the power isn’t going to come around, however, he will have to find a way to improve his contact, as he’s hitting just .214.
4th round, 118 overall: RHP Levi Wells, Texas State
Another member of Aberdeen’s rotation, Wells has made 14 starts this season with a unsightly 7.40 ERA and 1.718 WHIP in 41 1/3 innings. He has yet to complete five innings in a start in his career but has put up strong strikeout numbers with 11.8 per nine innings.
5th round, 154 overall: OF Jake Cunningham, UNC Charlotte
Cunningham’s professional career has gotten off to a slow start. An everyday member of Low-A Delmarva’s starting outfield, he has slashed .178/.302/.270 with three home runs and 12 stolen bases in 51 games. He has a strikeout rate of 31.7% that will need to come down for him to advance.
6th round, 181 overall: RHP Jacob Cravey, Samford
Cravey didn’t pitch after being drafted by the Orioles last season but has bounced back and forth between the rotation and bullpen in Delmarva. He has a 5.44 ERA and 1.773 WHIP in 51 1/3 innings. He’s walked 6.1 batters per nine innings while striking out only 7.9.
7th round, 211 overall: RHP Teddy Sharkey, Coastal Carolina
Sharkey made five appearances out of the Aberdeen bullpen with a 5.63 ERA before undergoing Lumbar Discectomy surgery May 22. He’s expected to miss the rest of the 2024 season.
8th round, 241 overall: RHP Braxton Bragg, Dallas Baptist
The Orioles sent Bragg straight to Delmarva last season and he remained there to open the 2024 campaign. He has posted a 5.09 ERA and 1.351 WHIP in 20 games (12 starts) while racking up 77 strikeouts with 20 walks. Bragg’s peripherals are encouraging if he can manage to limit hard contact.
9th round, 271 overall: RHP Zach Fruit, Troy
Fruit signed with the Orioles for only $40,000 — the second-lowest signing bonus of any player in the class — and has thus far been a bargain. The right-hander owns a 3.63 ERA and 1.328 WHIP in Delmarva, starting in 12 of his 16 appearances. Fruit is striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings and he’s only allowed five home runs on the season.
10th round, 301 overall: OF Matthew Etzel, Southern Mississippi
No one in the 2023 Orioles draft class has enjoyed a stronger start to their professional career than Etzel, who has already reached Double-A while racking up 40 stolen bases across two levels this year.
Etzel’s breakout campaign earned him a spot in the Orioles’ organization top 30 on Baseball America and thrust him into the club’s next wave of outfield prospects that also includes Bradfield, Dylan Beavers and Jud Fabian. So far in Double-A, Etzel is slashing .274/.364/.400 after posting an .857 OPS in High-A.
11th round, 331 overall: RHP Nestor German, Seattle
He’s flown pretty low under the radar thus far, but German is quietly off to a stellar start to his career in Delmarva. He entered the All-Star break with a 1.80 ERA and 0.950 WHIP in 12 outings (10 starts) while striking out (46) nearly four times the number of batters he’s walked (12). After he posted a 6.37 ERA in the West Coast Conference, the Orioles appear to have unlocked something in the 22-year-old.
12th round, 361 overall: RHP Blake Money, LSU
The first of two consecutive Orioles draft picks from then-reigning College World Series champion LSU, Money has also impressed in Delmarva with a 3.46 ERA and 1.049 WHIP over 17 appearances (seven starts). Money, like most of the pitchers in High-A, has never thrown over 80 innings in a season and will be tested as he reaches an uncharted workload in the second half.
13th round, 391 overall: LHP Riley Cooper, LSU
Not to be outdone by his fellow Delmarva pitchers is Cooper, who has a 2.54 ERA and 1.288 WHIP for the Shorebirds in 2024. Delmarva’s pitching staff as a whole has struggled this season, but those results don’t reflect on the impressive professional debuts of Cooper, Money and German.
14th round, 421 overall: RHP Michael Forret, State College of Florida (JuCo)
After taking the junior college route to retain draft eligibility at 19 years old, Forret has gotten off to a fast start to his career, earning a promotion to Aberdeen in early June. He’s posted a 3.78 ERA and 1.215 WHIP in 66 2/3 innings between Low-A and High-A this season, putting up a 12.2 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. He’s had an up-and-down start with Aberdeen but is coming off one of his best starts of the season, having allowed one run in five innings with eight strikeouts.
15th round, 451 overall: OF Qrey Lott, Lowndes HS (Ga.)
Lott didn’t sign with the Orioles and went to junior college at Northwest Florida State, where he hit .282 with three home runs, four stolen bases and an .846 OPS in 38 games.
16th round, 481 overall: C Cole Urman, Cal State
Urman has made 76% of his starts at catcher and the rest at first base this season in Delmarva. He’s struggled to get going at the plate, slashing .192/.301/.303 with four home runs and eight stolen bases in 221 plate appearances. Swings and misses have been a problem; he owns a 34.4% strikeout rate.
17th round, 511 overall: RHP Zane Barnhart, Hillsdale College
Barnhart has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen since being drafted by the Orioles and so far turned in a 2.95 ERA and 1.442 WHIP across three levels of the minor leagues. He’s currently in Aberdeen, where he’s managed to pitch around a high walk rate (6.8 BB/9) and keep his ERA south of 3.00.
18th round, 541 overall: RHP Tanner Witt, Texas
Witt didn’t sign with the Orioles and returned to the Longhorns for his senior season. He went 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA, six strikeouts and eight walks in 9 1/3 innings.
19th round, 571 overall: SS Kollin Ritchie, Atoka HS (Okla.)
Ritchie didn’t sign with the Orioles and honored his commitment to Oklahoma State, where he hit .271 with seven home runs, four stolen bases and an .876 OPS in 53 games.
20th round, 601 overall: SS Jalen Vasquez, North Greenville
After impressing during a month-long stint in Delmarva at the end of last season, Vasquez began the year at Aberdeen and has hit .229 with two home runs, 26 stolen bases and a .699 OPS.
Farm files
The Orioles’ minor league affiliates joined their parent club in taking some time off this week for the All-Star Break. … A pair of right-handers won Pitcher of the Week Awards for their respective leagues. Triple A Norfolk’s Chayce McDermott took the International League honor for allowing one hit in 6 2/3 scoreless innings Friday, and Bowie’s Alex Pham won it in the Eastern League after he went six frames with one hit and no runs allowed Thursday. … Creed Willems, the Orioles’ eighth-round pick in 2021, landed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
The top prospect not featured so far
Jackson Holliday finished the first half on a high note, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles in Norfolk’s final game before the break. The 20-year-old has spent the past three weeks playing exclusively DH while he works his way back from elbow inflammation. Holliday plans to return to the field after the All-Star break and make a run at earning his way back to the Orioles’ roster.
International acquisition of the week
Aberdeen catcher Aneudis Mordán had a strong week to close out the first half, going 5-for-16 (.313) with a home run and two doubles. The Dominican Republic backstop signed for a significant $225,000 signing bonus in 2021, and while he’s ultimately directly behind Samuel Basallo on the organizational depth chart at catcher, he has put together a solid first full season in 2024 with 12 home runs and a .729 OPS in 70 games.
Time to give a shoutout to …
The 2024 season has been a tough one for Justin Armbruester, who has posted a 7.58 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) as a member of the Tides’ rotation. The 2021 12th-round pick has shown progress of late, however. Twice in his past three starts, Armbruester has pitched six scoreless innings, including his last outing Thursday when he set a career high with 10 strikeouts. While Cade Povich parlayed his Norfolk success into an opportunity with the Orioles and McDermott appears he might be next, Armbruester could work his way into that conversation if he can show he’s turned a corner in the second half.