Orioles roll the dice with outfielder Vance Honeycutt with 22nd pick in MLB Draft

On Sunday night, the Orioles selected North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt with the 22nd overall pick in the MLB Draft. Honeycutt is billed as a high upside player with a ton of speed and power but a flawed swing that results in a ton of strikeouts.

Some evaluators think Honeycutt is arguably the most talented player in the draft, at least in terms of his unique blend of power and athleticism. However, some teams had reportedly taken Honeycutt completely off the board due to his elevated strikeout rates in college.

In his most recent season with the Tar Heels, Honeycutt smashed 28 homers, swiped 28 bags, and slashed .318/.410/.734 in 62 games. The young righty adds elite defense and is said to be an intelligent baserunner, able to take the extra base more often than not.

If the Orioles can figure out how to reconcile Honeycutt's swing in a way that allows him to keep all of his upside while becoming a more patient and consistent hitter, this could prove to be the best pick of the draft.

Orioles make high risk, high reward choice with Vance Honeycutt

One National League scout was quoted, saying of Honeycutt "He's one of those guys who, if everything hits, you're going to wonder how he wasn't a top-10 pick". Seeing as how the Orioles have a ton of talent in the minor league system already, it's a reasonable choice for them to bet on Honeycutt's upside.

This isn't the first time Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal have made a risky first round pick during their tenures in Baltimore. Just last year, the duo selected Enrique Bradfield Jr., an outfielder out of Vanderbilt with blazing speed but a questionable hit tool.

At the end of the day, it still does seem like Elias and Mejdal have a type. They like college hitters with upside, as evidenced by recent first round picks like Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, and Heston Kjerstad.

However, the Orioles have done such a great job developing talent over the past 5 years that it's fair to have a ton of faith in the process. Honeycutt is the type of guy who could make a lot of teams question their systems a few years down the road.