Who could the Orioles select in the upcoming draft?

The 2023 MLB draft is officially 1 month away and the Baltimore Orioles will have their first selection at pick 17. This is there first time selecting outside of the top 11 picks since 2017 when they selected D.L Hall at 21st overall. Lets take a look at some players projected to the Orioles in recent mock drafts.

Who could the Orioles select in the upcoming MLB Draft?

Bleacher Report, MLB Pipeline, and The Athletic Mock Drafts

Bryce Eldridge, 1B/RHP, Madison High School (VA)

Bleacher Report, MLB Pipeline, and the Athletic all had the same thought process for the Orioles. They had the Orioles selecting Bryce Eldridge at 17th overall in their drafts. Eldridge is one of the top high-school prospects in this upcoming draft thanks to his two-way player potential. Eldridge stands at 6'7 yet features the desired athleticism for both first base and corner outfield. Here's what Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report had to say about Eldridge.

"Eldridge is the best two-way player in this draft class with legitimate first-round potential on the mound, but his offensive ceiling is higher as a 6'7", 223-pound slugger with huge raw power and a compact swing for a player his size. He has played primarily first base when not pitching, but he has the athleticism and arm strength to potentially profile in right field as well."

I think Eldridge would present a very exciting, high upside addition to the Orioles farm system. But, the selection of Eldridge would also drift away from the recent draft ideology of the Orioles. Since Mike Elias took over, the Orioles have selected a college position player 3 out of the past 4 drafts in the first round.

Just Baseball Mock Draft

Brock Wilken, 3B, Wake Forest

Wilken is viewed as one of the top college bats in this draft. He features a big 6'4, 225 pound frame with elite power potential. MLB.com gave Wilken a 60 grade power tool on their 80 grade scale which is considered one of the best grades in the entire class. Here's what Rhys White of Just Baseball has to say about Wilken.

"Wilken may be the best power hitter in this entire draft. He has hit 19 home runs and is currently batting .329/.495/.781.He may have to move to first, but he has the sort of bat that a team won’t care about where he plays when he is mashing in the middle of their order. He is a selective hitter who waits for his pitch, pounces, and can make any ballpark look small. The raw strength, combined with his selective approach and swing plane, creates the perfect recipe for a potential 30-home run bat who walks a fair share and is a middle-of-the-order force for a team."

The selection of Wilken would follow a trend created by the Orioles front office in recent years. That being, strong and patient college hitters who have a good idea of the strike zone and are disciplined at the plate. Wilken would be a welcomed addition to an already very strong Orioles farm system.

Baseball Prospect Journal

Kevin McGonigle, SS, Monsignor Bonner (Pa.) HS

This mock draft featured another high school shortstop for the Orioles in round 1. Similarly to Jackson Holliday, who was the 1st overall pick in last years draft, McGonigle would represent yet another high upside high school bat for the lower levels of the O's farm. This is what Dan Zielinski III had to say about the prospect.

"McGonigle is one of the top hitters in the prep class. He is an aggressive hitter with a quality approach and doesn’t expand the strike zone. He consistently squares up the baseball and drives the ball into the gaps."

With the MLB draft coming up, keep an eye out for these three players to potentially join the bright future of the Baltimore Orioles.