The third and final day of the Major League Baseball draft was a departure from the first two days for the Orioles. While they took three more pitchers from large colleges, they also chose four pitchers from small schools, a high school catcher and two high school outfielders.
Overall, the Orioles selected 21 players, 17 from colleges. After not taking any pitchers among their first four picks, they ended up taking 11 pitchers—all from colleges.
“We obviously need pitching, and we found some pitchers that we like,” Matt Blood, the Orioles’ vice president of player development and scouting said. “The balance we got in this draft was the right fit for the org. We’re excited about everybody that we got.”
None of the four high school players was a pitcher, but that wasn’t necessarily by design.
“Usually high school pitchers have college commitments and they have higher signing bonus demands,” Blood said. “They’re not always as easy to acquire.”
Their 11th-round pick was left-hander Sebastian Gongora from Louisville. Gongora was 5-4 with a 6.14 earned-run average in 15 games. He struck out 89 batters, walked 29 and allowed 14 home runs in 77 2/3 innings.
In the 12th round, the Orioles took their fourth catcher and second high school player, Andrew Tess from Calvary Christian High in Clearwater, Florida, where he hit .500 in 2024.
Right-handed pitcher Brandon Downer was their 13th-round pick. Downer, from California Baptist University, was 6-6 with a 4.35 ERA in 16 games, 15 starts. Downer struck out 63 and walked 22 in 62 2/3 innings this past season.
Canadian right-hander Cohen Achen, from Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky, was chosen in the 14th round. Achen was 5-5 with a 4.90 ERA in 13 games, 12 starts, and struck out 101 batters while walking 25 and allowing just five home runs in 64 1/3 innings.
“I think something that we know is that pitching can come from anywhere and everywhere,” Blood said. “Players can develop at different rates. We look for players with performance, with major league traits.”
Right-hander Carter Rusted from Missouri was the 15th-round pick. The 23-year-old, who was originally drafted by Milwaukee in 2019, was 5-6 with a 6.37 ERA in 14 games, eight starts. Rusted struck out 58, walked 10 and gave up 14 home runs and hit 14 batters in 65 innings.
Nate George, from Minooka, Illinois Community High School, the Orioles’ 16th-round selection, is an outfielder who was also a local track standout in the 100 and 200 meters.
Left-handed pitcher Iziah Salinas, from Cowley County Community College, was taken in the 17th round. Right-hander Michael Caldon, from Felician College in New Jersey, was the 18th-round pick. Caldon was 6-3 with a 2.79 ERA in 13 games with 109 strikeouts and 23 walks in 75 1/3 innings.
“We had him come into our pitching lab. We evaluated him there. He did some things that we really liked,” Blood said. “In getting him where we were able to get him was in our opinion, a big win.”
Left-handed hitting outfielder Braylon Whitaker, from Cox Mill High School in Concord, North Carolina, was the 19th-round pick. He hit .500 this season with a .619 on-base percentage.
Their final pick was right-hander Evan Yates, the second pitcher picked from Cal State, Fullerton. Yates, a reliever, was 3-0 with a 1.27 ERA. He allowed 15 hits and no home runs in 21 1/3 innings.
It was Blood’s first draft after concentrating on the minor leagues for his first four years with the Orioles.
“It was a lot of fun to do, and we were able to accomplish most of the goals that we have, most of the things that we were trying to do,” he said.
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