The Orioles have drafted a college position player in the first round of every MLB draft since executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias took over ahead of the 2019 season.
While they could break from that mold by taking a pitcher or a high school player in the draft next month — the latter has been predicted in some mock drafts — it’s a safe bet that Baltimore will select a college bat with at least one of its MLB-high six Day 1 picks, if not more.
With the College World Series bracket set, the next two weeks will offer many of the top draft prospects in the NCAA one last chance to make impressions on MLB teams and push their names up some big boards. It also gives Orioles fans a chance to see several players who should be on the club’s radar for picks Nos. 19, 30, 31, 58, 69 and 93.
Here are six position players to watch when the CWS kicks off in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday:
OF Brendan Summerhill, Arizona
Age: 21, Bats/Throws: Left/Right, Height: 6-foot-3, Weight: 200 lbs
19th-ranked 2025 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline
After Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette, the consensus top college hitter in the class who is projected to go in the top five, Summerhill is the second-best college bat still in the tournament. A left-handed hitter with more walks (36) than strikeouts (21) to go with 11 stolen bases this season, Summerhill profiles as a leadoff hitter with the potential for more power as he develops. He might not be available to the Orioles at No. 19 if enough teams see him as a long-term center fielder.
SS Wehiwa Aloy, Arkansas
Age: 21, Bats/Throws: Right/Right, Height: 6-foot-2, Weight: 200 lbs
22nd-ranked 2025 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline
A dream scenario for the Orioles likely includes either Summerhill or Aloy available for their first selection, where they can afford to take a big swing on talent with how many picks they have this year. Aloy is athletic and already boasts some raw power, a profile the Orioles have targeted before with their picks of Colton Cowser and Vance Honeycutt. The Southeastern Conference Player of the Year isn’t very fast and he might shift to second or third base eventually, but the bat will play.
C Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina
Age: 21, Bats/Throws: Switch/Right, Height: 5-foot-10, Weight: 200 lbs
38th-ranked 2025 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline
Bodine is a name to watch when the Orioles’ compensation picks come up at Nos. 30 and 31. The Chanticleers’ leadoff hitter has some of the best contact skills in the draft, and he brings a line drive-oriented swing to both sides of the plate. Bodine is more of a floor play than an upside swing, and the Orioles have shown no reservations about drafting a catcher despite having Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo; they took Ethan Anderson 61st overall last year.
OF Charles Davalan, Arkansas
Age: 21, Bats/Throws: Left/Right, Height: 5-foot-9, Weight: 190 lbs
55th-ranked 2025 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline
A draft-eligible sophomore, Davalan transferred from Florida Gulf Coast last summer, and his numbers improved despite facing tougher competition in the SEC. His hitting tools stand out, but Davalan also has sneaky pop and he could stick in center with the potential for above-average defense in the corners. He’s an option for Baltimore in the second round.
2B Daniel Dickinson, LSU
Age: 21, Bats/Throws: Right/Right, Height: 6-foot, Weight: 180 lbs
72nd-ranked 2025 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline
Two years ago, Dickinson was a walk-on at Utah Valley. Now, he’s slashing .319/.471/.546 in the middle of a deep LSU lineup. There are questions about how he will adjust to tougher competition and the switch to wooden bats, but Dickinson has impressed prospect evaluators with his approach and low strikeout totals. Having already moved off of shortstop because of his subpar range and arm strength, Dickinson is likely entrenched at second base for now.
OF Gavin Turley, Oregon State
Age: 21, Bats/Throws: Right/Right, Height: 6-foot-1, Weight: 196 lbs
78th-ranked 2025 draft prospect by MLB Pipeline
Turley, like Dickinson, might be a reach for the Orioles with their competitive balance pick at No. 69 but could offer a lot of value at No. 93 if he falls into the third round. He’s produced both for Oregon State and in the Cape Cod League, showing legitimate power potential and a strong arm that suits his projection as a corner outfielder. Though he struggles to make contact on breaking pitches, Turley cut his strikeout rate from 27.3% in 2024 to 22.2% this year.
Each week, The Baltimore Sun will break down three of the top performers in the Orioles’ prospect ranks and hand out superlatives for those who didn’t make the cut.
1. Triple-A Norfolk outfielder Dylan Beavers
It’s hard to envision a better start to the season for Beavers, who is on pace for career highs across the board, including a 20.2% strikeout rate. He stuffed the stat sheet last week, going 12-for-23 (.522) with five extra-base hits and a 1.542 OPS. Beavers, a 2022 first-round pick, has an eight-game on-base streak and his approach has improved as the season has progressed.
2. Triple-A Norfolk catcher Samuel Basallo
Another week, another monster performance for Basallo, the Orioles’ lone top 100 prospect after Heston Kjerstad (Baseball America) and Coby Mayo (BA and MLB Pipeline) graduated this season. Basallo launched three home runs last week, including another multihomer game last Tuesday, raising his total to 13 on the season. The Dominican native is well on his way to shattering his career high of 20 set in 2023 when he began the year in Low-A Delmarva.
3. Double-A Chesapeake right-hander Trey Gibson
The Orioles promoted Gibson to Chesapeake last week on the heels of a 13-strikeout performance with High-A Aberdeen, and he picked up where he left off in his first Double-A start Saturday. Gibson allowed one run on one hit with three walks and eight strikeouts across six innings, needing only 75 pitches to complete the outing.
The top prospect not featured so far
Outfielder Enrique Bradfield has struggled since returning from a hamstring injury on May 20, hitting .180 with a .581 OPS in 15 games with Double-A Chesapeake. He did pop his first home run of the season Wednesday and has still stolen 14 bases over that span, but the Orioles will likely look for him to get his on-base percentage back up before a promotion to Triple-A is on the table.
International acquisition of the week
The only real bright spot in the Delmarva lineup this season has been catcher/first baseman Yasmil Bucce. Signed out of Venezuela in 2021, Bucce has taken a step forward in the power department this season with five home runs and 17 extra-base hits in 49 games. He ranks third in the Carolina League in on-base percentage (.431) and fifth in OPS (.895).
Time to give a shout-out to …
Another Venezuelan amateur signee, Shorebirds right-hander Yeiber Cartaya received the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week Award for a dominant outing against the Fredericksburg Nationals on Friday. Cartaya limited the FredNats to two hits over 6 1/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and a walk. The 2025 season is the 22-year-old’s first full season above rookie ball, and he has a 5.23 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, 47 strikeouts and 34 walks in 41 1/3 innings.
Farm files
Right-hander Braxton Bragg, who last week debuted at No. 15 on MLB Pipeline’s organizational top 30 rankings to replace Mayo, missed his start for Chesapeake with mild right forearm discomfort. … Outfielder Vance Honeycutt, the Orioles’ first-round pick last summer, was scratched from Aberdeen’s lineup Wednesday with left hip flexor tightness but returned to the lineup on Saturday and Sunday. … Right-hander Michael Forret (Aberdeen) and infielder Max Wagner (Chesapeake) were both reinstated from the injured list last week. … The Norfolk Tides announced a couple of front office changes last week, moving longtime general manager Joe Gregory to president and promoting Mike Zeman to GM.
Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrich and instagram.com/bymattweyrich.