How are the Orioles' 2023 draft picks doing so far?

While the Baltimore Orioles continue their march to the postseason, the minor league season is winding down. The top of the Orioles' farm system is well-known at this point with Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, and Coby Mayo all knocking at the door of the majors already. However, the Orioles' 2023 draft class has already started to make their own mark as well.

Here's how the Orioles' top picks from the 2023 MLB draft are doing

Before anyone draws too many conclusions, guys' numbers from their draft year don't mean much. It is one of those situations where you certainly prefer them to excel right out of the gate, but it is far from a death sentence if a player struggles in their draft year. These guys are still in the process of adjusting to pro ball and have had to deal with things like moving to a new city, getting their finances in order, and trying to digest all of the information the team is giving them. Next year will start to provide much better information once these guys get a normal offseason.

The Orioles' top pick in 2023 was Enrique Bradfield Jr. out of Vanderbilt whose calling cards are his top of the scale speed and outstanding outfield defense. So far, Bradfield Jr. has lived up to his billing with .314/.495/.357 line and 24 steals across three levels of the minors. Whether or not Enrique will ever hit for much power is his biggest question, but averaging better than one steal per game and already making it to high-A seems quite good.

Baltimore used their next pick on Mac Horvath and brought him into the fold on a slightly underslot deal. Horvath has a ton of physical tools, but had some questions regarding his hit tool going back to his high school days. However, Horvath has had little problem so far as he has slashed .353/.477/.662 with five homers and 11 stolen bases while also mashing his way to high-A. It is probably unfair to expect him to be THIS good going forward, but he is off to very exciting start.

The Orioles did end up dipping into the well of pitching prospects with their competitive balance pick next with Jackson Baumeister out of Florida State. Sadly, Baumeister hasn't pitched in the minor leagues yet. This isn't particularly unusual as teams do hold guys back at times in their draft years especially pitchers who had long college seasons. However, it definitely would have been nice to see him throw a bit in the minors this year.

Other notable Orioles' draft picks

The Orioles have been very cautious with the arms they picked in the draft this year as top 10 round picks Kiefer Lord, Levi Wells, and Jacob Cravey all have have very limited or no time on the mound in the minors during their draft year. A notable exception is 7th round pick Teddy Sharkey out of Coastal Carolina who has made four relief appearances so far and has yet to give up a run.

Baltimore's third round pick, Tavian Josenberger, is an intriguing prospect due to his defensive versatility. However, his pro debut has yielded mixed results as he has slashed .222/.396/.278 in 22 games so far in the minors.

Finally, the Orioles selected outfielderJake Cunningham out of UNC-Charlotte with their fifth round pick and that pick is looking pretty good so far. Cunningham is has put up a .273/.455/.394 line so far in the minor leagues with more power likely to come if he can keep the swing and miss under control.

More Orioles News from Birds Watcher