Baltimore Orioles Sign Three Undrafted Baseball Players

If you thought the Baltimore Orioles were finished drafting young ball players, think again.

With young ball players available for nothing more than a $20,000 signing bonus, the Baltimore Orioles picked up a few.

After an uninspiring and unexpected five-round draft, the Orioles added a pair of pitchers and a first-baseman to their numbers.

According to Baseball America’s undrafted free-agent tracker, the Orioles have signed these three players:

• Ryan Watson, RHP, Auburn
• J.D. Mundy, 1B, Radford
• Brandon Young, RHP, Louisiana-Lafayette

The Orioles could potentially sign more, as the opportunity to talk to nondrafted players began on June 14 at 9 AM. There is no limit to undrafted signings, and MLB teams can sign them for UP TO a $20,000 bonus. That’s not too bad for teams, but a bit pathetic for the young players. However, signing for $20,000 means that they have the chance to get in on a real MLB contract -eventually.

So, who are these three guys who get to might get to wear Orioles unis?

Ryan Watson was a senior at Auburn. In his final season, he pitched 1.23 in five appearances. He walked only one batter in 7.1 innings. At Auburn, he pitched in relief and started, too. The native of Auburn, Alabama stands 6’5 and 215 pounds. His career ERA at Auburn was 4.67.

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J.D. Mundy is another senior. He stands 6’0 and weighs 210. He’s a native of Roanoke, VA and spent two years at Radford University, batting .323/.425/.606 in his full junior season and short senior season. Prior to attending Radford, he played baseball for Virginia Tech, spending most of his time as a designated hitter.

Brandon Young is another right-handed pitcher from a southern college. The 6’6, 210-pound senior is from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He spent two years at Louisiana-Lafayette after pitching for two seasons at Howard Community College. He’s a native of Lumberton, Texas. At Louisiana-Lafayette, he pitched a 3.65 ERA. Young finished 7th on the NCAA Career Leaders list for K/9 (12.42) and 16th on the list of H/9 (6.15). In the short 2020 season, he went 19.1 innings before giving up a hit!

Hopefully, these low-cost signings will bring something to the team. As graduates, they have several years of competitive D1 baseball under the belts. These signings make some sense, as the Orioles have pitching needs to fill.