Baltimore Orioles: Draft Day One Recap and Analysis

Competitive Balance Round A Pick 33: Dylan Beavers, OF, University of California

With the Orioles’ second pick, Elias solidified his reputation for picking college position players with the selection of Dylan Beavers out of California. Similar to Holliday, Beavers is considered a potential five-tool player at the major league level although he has a below-average hit tool and obviously does not have nearly as high of a ceiling as Holliday. Despite this, Beavers adds talent to an already stacked Orioles system in terms of outfield prospects. Notably, Beavers has an unorthodox swing that has caused him issues in college and in the Cape Cod Summer League at times, but scouts believe that his swing can be fixed with some development. Beavers has enough raw power and speed that if he does make the necessary adjustments then he can develop into an above average MLB player and has the speed and arm strength to stick in center field.

Beavers played only 8 games last summer in Cape Cod where he struggled with a slash line of .233/.286/.300 with two doubles. He has had an impressive college career, though, with a .291/.427/.634 slash line with 17 homers in 56 games for the Golden Bears. He also drew 51 walks in 272 plate appearances for a walk rate of 18.8% which shows good plate discipline that will hopefully translate in pro ball. With a plethora of young outfielders in the Orioles system, Beavers will need to stand out in some way in order to become a regular for the O’s in the future and his combination of raw power, speed, and defensive ability could allow him to stand out if he develops his swing.