Grading the Baltimore Orioles 2020 MLB Draft Picks

With the second-pick in the MLB draft, the Baltimore Orioles had the opportunity to pick up some young players with serious potential.

It’s no secret that the Baltimore Orioles have several needs, but it seems like they did not use the 2020 draft to fill them.

With the second pick, it was certain the O’s would not get Spencer Torkelson, the big hitter who went to the Detroit Tigers. But, the O’s were expected to pick up the next best player on the list: Austin Martin. He didn’t go until the Blue Jays snapped him up with their #5 pick.

Overall, the Orioles draft was less than exciting. These are the players they selected:

#2: Heston Kjerstad – Outfielder from Arkansas
#30: Jordan Westburg – Shortstop from Mississippi State
#39: Hudson Haskin – Outfielder from Tulane
#74: Anthony Servideo – Shortstop from Mississippi
#103: Coby Mayo – Third baseman from Stoneman Douglas HS
#133: Carter Baumler – Pitcher from Dowling Catholic HS

Of course, no one knows what these young men will do in the future. But, the Orioles already seem to have a bunch of outfielders with Austin Hays and Yusniel Diaz waiting to hit the field behind Anthony Santander, Trey Mancini, DJ Stewart, and Dwight Smith, Jr.

The team has struggled with shortstops lately, which is why they signed Jose Iglesias to a one-year contract for 2020. Gunnar Henderson is an 18-year-old short stop who was expected to play in rookie ball this year.

If you were expecting something grand and exciting from the O’s in the draft, you were most likely sorely disappointed. The big question is why the Orioles did not take Austin Martin? After Torkelson, he was labeled the “best pure hitter” in the draft. Lights-out pitching and hitting win games, so why on earth would a team pass on Martin?

The only answer that seems to make sense is that the Orioles did not want to pay him. That’s why the draft was so disappointing. Dan Connelly with The Athletic tweeted:

This is an underslot decision. No question, Well thought of, but it's a shocker. Now you have to think the Orioles will go for a guy that falls to 30 or 39 and give him overslot. Maybe Nick Bitsko, the mystery high school pitcher out of Pennsylvania. Maybe JT Ginn.
— Dan Connolly (@danconnolly2016) June 10, 2020

So, in a way, the Orioles did punt the draft. They didn’t want to spend, so they chose not to invest in the second-best hitter, who proved himself in college. The Marlins and Royals most likely did the same thing, as they also passed on Martin. But, those two teams are low-spending, like the Orioles.