The Orioles selected six players the last two nights in the First-Year Player Draft and the first five-round Major League Baseball draft ever is in the books. In a Zoom call with Baltimore reporters late last night, O's supervisor of domestic scouting operation Brad Ciolek expanded on the club's scouting and interest in top pick Heston Kjerstad, the University of Arkansas outfielder that went No. 2 overall. "We liked him as a bat coming out of high school," Ciolek said. "At Arkansas, he...

Two days of the First-Year Player draft provided the ideal distraction from the back and forth between ownership and the Major League Baseball Players Association. Barely a peep about the length of a proposed season, percentages of prorated pay and an expanded playoff format that could shove 16 teams into October. And now, back to our regularly scheduled bickering, already in progress. Selecting players from the college and high school ranks is followed by negotiations on contracts, with the...

The wait for the Orioles to select a pitcher in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft is continuing. They passed yesterday on the arms with the second and 30th overall picks and used the 39th this afternoon in the second round to nab Tulane outfielder Hudson Haskin. MLB.com ranked Haskin, who's sophomore-eligible, as the 74th-best talent in the draft. But Baseball America had him 211th. Haskin, 21, is a right-handed hitter described as a toolsy center fielder who was chosen by the Athletics in the...

The Orioles made the first round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft a breeze for the beat crew. They didn't pull any surprises. They didn't choose a player who required a hasty Google search or leave us frantically tearing through the pages of Baseball America's preview issue. Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman was the obvious choice two years ago as the first overall selection, though prep shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had the endorsement of at least one former scout in the organization....

On night one of the First-Year Player Draft the Orioles got two Southeastern Conference players from Texas to add to their farm system. They selected an outfielder and an infielder. They added Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad (pronounced KERR-stad) with the No. 2 overall pick and they selected Mississippi State infielder Jordan Westburg at No. 30. Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias made it clear last night Kjerstad was the player the club liked the most at No. 2,...

The Orioles knew fairly early in the draft process that they were taking a position player. Executive vice president Mike Elias especially liked one pitcher, but not with the second overall pick. Not with so many intriguing hitters. Elias didn't meet in person with Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who in the executive's words was more of a dark horse candidate to join the organization. Their Zoom call proved to be an important step in solidifying the decision. The player that they liked...

New Oriole Heston Kjerstad, taken by the club with the No. 2 pick tonight in the First-Year Player Draft, showed some confidence when he talked to reporters during a Zoom interview. After Detroit took Spencer Torkelson as expected, the Orioles pulled a surprise with the selection of the lefty-hitting outfielder from the University of Arkansas. "I'm just excited to be a part of Birdland now and embark on my next journey of professional baseball," Kjerstad said. "Right now, I'm just stoked...

The second-best power bat in baseball's First-Year Player Draft is headed to the Orioles organization. With their choices narrowed to five players heading into tonight, the Orioles passed on Vanderbilt's Austin Martin and chose Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad with the second overall pick. The first surprise of the night didn't take long to surface. Kjerstad, 21, slashed .448/.513/.791 with five doubles, six home runs and 20 RBIs in 16 games before baseball shut down due to the...

As we binge on mock drafts, fight the confusion and wish that we could gain some clarity, the Orioles are attached to multiple players depending on the hour and who's doing the predicting. The consensus in my informal poll remains Vanderbilt third baseman/center fielder Austin Martin with the second overall pick. But there's some hedging. Baseball America's Carlos Collazo and The Athletic's Keith Law, to name just two, have heard that the Orioles could go under slot. Baseball America's 6.0...