Orioles first-round pick making strides in right places

North Carolina's Vance Honeycutt had some flashy grades on his 2024 MLB Draft scouting report.

According to MLB Pipeline, the two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year had a 70 grade fielding tool, a 65 run tool, and 60s for his arm strength and power at the dish. On a 20 to 80 grading scale, anything at a 60 or above is considered to be "plus," or above average.

How did a player with that many flashy tools in his kit fall to the Orioles' pick at No. 22 in the 2024 MLB Draft? It may have been, in large part, due to other teams' concerns about his hit tool, which was graded at just a 40 by MLB Pipeline. That grade essentially encompasses a lot of approach-based traits, such as plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills. It was Honeycutt's one real weakness in Carolina blue.

In the 62 games of his junior season, Honeycutt mashed 28 home runs, en route to a .714 slugging percentage and 1.124 on-base plus slugging. He posted the highest batting average of his career at .318, and his on-base percentage sat at .410. The concerns came in the outfielder's approach and swing-and-miss, as Honeycutt struck out 83 times compared to just 36 walks. How would a 27.5 percent strikeout rate and a 12 percent walk rate translate to professional baseball?

26 games into his first professional season, Honeycutt hasn't eradicated those issues, but he's made strides.

Vance Honeycutt's plate discipline is improving

In High-A Aberdeen, the center fielder has struck out 35 times in 26 games to kick off the minor league season. At roughly a 31 percent rate, it's a smaller jump than many might've anticipated as he adapts to professional baseball. And before a tough start to May, that number was at 27.5 percent, his strikeout rate in college. Honeycutt also leads the Ironbirds in walks with 18, good for roughly a 16 percent rate, a big improvement from his college numbers.

It's also important to note that Aberdeen is a notoriously tough ballpark to hit in. Even some of the best O's minor leaguers in recent memory, like Gunnar Henderson, had their fair share of struggles with the Ironbirds. Away from Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium, Honeycutt is hitting .262 with a .446 on-base percentage, has a .898 OPS, and has walked nearly as many times as he's struck out.

All in all, Honeycutt's numbers to kick off his professional career don't jump off the page. But he's making important strides in the right places. The potential Gold Glove defense in center field and great speed doesn't hurt, either.

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