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Baltimore Orioles: Draft Day One Recap and Analysis

By Cameron McGuire

Stillwater High School senior Jackson Holliday is projected to be the Baltimore Orioles first-round pick in July's MLB Draft.
Stillwater High School senior Jackson Holliday is projected to be the Baltimore Orioles first-round pick in July's MLB Draft. /
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Competitive Balance Round B Pick 67: Jud Fabian, OF, University of Florida

May 28, 2022; Hoover, AL, USA; Florida centerfielder Jud Fabian (4) crosses home plate, pointing heavenward after hitting a home run against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament at the Hoover Met in Hoover, Ala., Saturday. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-The Tuscaloosa NewsSports Sec Baseball Tournament Texas A M Vs Florida
May 28, 2022; Hoover, AL, USA; Florida centerfielder Jud Fabian (4) crosses home plate, pointing heavenward after hitting a home run against Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament at the Hoover Met in Hoover, Ala., Saturday. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-The Tuscaloosa NewsSports Sec Baseball Tournament Texas A M Vs Florida /

Fabian was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of last year’s draft but returned to Florida after the two sides could not come to terms. Fabian does not hit well for average as he had a career .246 batting average for the Gators but makes up for it with good power numbers and a high walk rate. This past season Fabian slashed .239/.414/.598 with 24 homers and 62 walks in 66 games. As with many hitters with this combination of home run powers and walks, strikeouts are also a concern as he has a career strikeout rate of 24.3% in college and had a 26.3% strikeout rate in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2019.

Fabian has the longest track record of any of the Orioles’ first four picks as he spent four seasons in college and two seasons in summer wood bat leagues and has hit well at each level. The strikeouts are the biggest concern for Fabian who may not stick in centerfield because of his average arm strength and may need to stick in the corner outfield in pro ball.

Ultimately, Mike Elias continued to stack college bats in this system with three of the four picks going that route. Each of the four picks add home run power to the system as the three college hitters hit a combined 68 homers this past season in the NCAA along with 17 home runs from Jackson Holliday in the high school ranks. Each player drafted has shown the ability to play each aspect of the game well and several of the draft picks have five tool potential and the ability to be above average MLB players. Day two of the draft continues Monday and the draft concludes Tuesday where the Orioles will hope to add some more future big leaguers to the system.

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