College bats on Orioles radar in latest MLB Draft mocks

The mocks are flying off the shelf less than two months from the start of the 2025 MLB Draft. With the postseason looming for college and high school baseball, prospective athletes are approaching their final chances to impress MLB clubs.

This year's draft class is thin at the top with no standout, can't-miss prospects. It carries great depth, though, which bodes well for teams picking in the back end of the first round. The Baltimore Orioles are among those teams, holding the 19th overall selection with consecutive compensatory picks in the 30s shortly after.

The Orioles have a few interesting trends from recent drafts. Baltimore selected a position player with their first pick in six straight drafts from 2019 to 2024. Five of those players were taken out of college, with 2022 No. 1 overall pick Jackson Holliday the exception.

The top of the 2025 MLB Draft class is all about high school shortstops. As high as eight could go in the first round, and the latest mocks have many off the board in the first dozen picks. Ethan Holliday, Jackson's younger brother and a strong defender at short and third base, is the consensus No. 1 pick for MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and The Athletic.

There are differing opinions on how the next 17 picks will shake out before the Orioles are on the clock. Baltimore might have a chance to snag one of those much-talked-about prep shortstops, but settling for a more experienced player is what the Orioles tend to do.

Orioles locked on college players in MLB Draft mocks

MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis says the O's will take Wake Forest shortstop Marek Houston with the 19th pick. Houston is a three-year starter after earning the job at short during his freshman season. He's among the best defenders in the class, and many evaluators believe his ceiling remains high as a fielder at the next level.

Houston raised his power numbers this season, slugging 11 homers with 52 RBIs through 52 games. He also has 19 steals after recording eight total in his first two college seasons.

Keith Law of The Athletic doesn’t believe Houston will be on the board when the Orioles pick. Instead of taking one of the best defenders in college baseball, Law predicts Baltimore will select one of the best hitters in the NCAA, Tennessee's Gavin Kilen.

Kilen flawlessly transitioned from the ACC to the SEC after transferring from Louisville, and his numbers speak for themselves. As of May 15, Kilen is hitting .365 with an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.191. He nearly has as many home runs (14) as strikeouts (16) and consistently makes good contact. The Orioles should be ecstatic if Kilen is still available.

Another transfer could be on Baltimore's radar with Houston's Wake Forest teammate, Ethan Conrad. Conrad's college career is already over due to a shoulder injury suffered in March that required season-ending surgery. Still, he has the tools to be a first-round pick and proved he can stick with the best of them last summer, finishing among the hitting leaders in the Cape Cod League.

Conrad is projected best as a corner outfielder but has experience at first base. A strong, left-handed hitter with defensive versatility plays well for any organization.

Much can change over the next eight weeks before MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announces the names of the draftees. The Orioles continue to do their research, and so will the journalists aiming to get inside the minds of front office executives. Attention will be on conference tournaments nationwide, and more mock drafts will arrive before the 2025 MLB Draft begins on July 13.

More Orioles news from Birds Watcher