This, that and the other

This, that and the other
By the end of the week, the Orioles will be required to make further adjustments to their 40-man roster in order to protect players in the Rule 5 draft. Teams now pay $100,000 to select a player in the major league phase, and he can be offered back to his former organization for half the fee. I remember when it was $50,000 and $25,000, but the last collective bargaining agreement upped the cost. Could also explain my increased alcohol consumption, unless that's COVID related. The Orioles have...

Hess becomes free agent, surgery for Baumler (updated)

Hess becomes free agent, surgery for Baumler (updated)
The Orioles have created another opening on their 40-man roster as part of their early offseason business. Pitcher David Hess cleared waivers today and entered the free agent market, according to an industry source. Hess, 27, made three relief appearances this summer and allowed five runs and 10 hits in seven innings. He's 4-20 with a 5.86 ERA and a 1.466 WHIP in parts of three major league seasons covering 190 1/3 innings. Young pitching prospects Keegan Akin, Dean Kremer and Bruce Zimmermann...

Bevy of shortstops won't bump Henderson from position

Bevy of shortstops won't bump Henderson from position
While the Orioles wait to make official their decision to pick up the option on José Iglesias' contract, the only potential glitch tied to finances, they're in the developmental stages with a handful of shortstop prospects who could vie for the position. Don't bother checking out the fall instructional camp in Sarasota, Fla. because it's closed to the public, but the group of 55 includes Baseball America No. 8 organizational prospect Gunnar Henderson, No. 10 Jordan Westburg, No. 15 Adam...

Draft selections impressing in fall instructional camp

Draft selections impressing in fall instructional camp
The inability to put this year's draft selections in the 60-man player pool motivated the Orioles to get them work in the fall instructional league. At least five of the six, with outfielder Heston Kjerstad unavailable due to a non-sports medical issue. Director of player development Matt Blood is down in Sarasota, Fla., to observe, among many things, the raw skills and the progress made by shortstops Jordan Westburg and Anthony Servideo, outfielder Hudson Haskin, third baseman Coby Mayo and...

Jim Callis with props for O's draft, plus other notes

Jim Callis with props for O's draft, plus other notes
When I interviewed MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis this week it was apparent he is very high on the O's 2020 draft, where they selected six players over the draft's five rounds. Here is a review of the Orioles' draft: * Round 1 (No. 2 overall) - O's selected University of Arkanas outfielder Heston Kjerstad. He was signed to a bonus of $5.2 million, which was well under the slot amount of $7.79 million. * Competitive Balance Round A (No. 30 overall) - They selected Mississippi State shortstop...

Orioles sign second overall draft pick Heston Kjerstad

Orioles sign second overall draft pick Heston Kjerstad
A third 2020 draft selection by the Orioles is under contract. The team announced today that it signed outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the second overall pick from the University of Arkansas. The biggest fish in their draft pond. Infielder Jordan Westburg, the 30th overall pick, and outfielder Hudson Haskin, the 39th, signed on Saturday for $2,365,500 and $1,906,800, respectively. Both at full slot value. Kjerstad has signed for $5.2 million, according to a source. Terms were first reported by...

Orioles sign draft picks Westburg and Haskin

Orioles sign draft picks Westburg and Haskin
The Orioles haven't forgotten about their 2020 draft picks while plotting the construction of their camp rosters for the second spring training. The club announced this afternoon that it's signed infielder Jordan Westburg, their Competitive Balance Round A selection and the 30th overall pick, and outfielder Hudson Haskin, their second-rounder and the 39th overall. Westburg signed for $2,365,500 and Haskin for $1,906,800 - both at full slot value, according to a source. Westburg, 21, batted...

An early mock draft, an opening night matchup and more

An early mock draft, an opening night matchup and more
Is it too soon to talk about the 2021 First-Year Player Draft? Probably so, but not at Baseball America. A day after the recent draft, Baseball America was already projecting the top picks (subscription required) for the next one. Never too soon, I guess. In fact, Baseball America has already put out a mock draft for June of next year and they have the Orioles picking first. Major League Baseball has not even announced how the draft order will work for that draft, but if they are going to crown...

A look at Orioles' post-draft math

A look at Orioles' post-draft math
When the Orioles selected Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad No. 2 overall in the recent First-Year Player Draft, the assumption was they took him there to save some money to spent later in the draft. And while it could work out that way, the Orioles made it clear he was their top choice. Any savings would be an added bonus. We didn't know it then, but the Orioles would not go overslot until their last two picks, drafting high school players in the fourth and fifth rounds. There have been no...

Updates on Orioles signing drafted and undrafted players (more)

Updates on Orioles signing drafted and undrafted players (more)
On the same day that teams are allowed to begin signing undrafted players, cleared to make some noise following the 48-hour quiet period, the Orioles have reached agreements with two of their selections from last week. Both are high school players chosen at the backend of the abbreviated draft. Both are over-slot. Right-hander Carter Baumler, a fifth-rounder from Dowling Catholic High School in Iowa, has agreed to terms on a $1.5 million contract, as first reported by Prospects 365's Mason...

O's use draft to fortify shortstop position on farm

O's use draft to fortify shortstop position on farm
Last winter, the Orioles signed free agent shortstop José Iglesias to a one-year contract with a club option for 2021. At a position where you want to have a plus defender, he will be that for the Orioles when we see baseball again. He posted a career-high 1.4 Defensive Wins Above Replacement last season and leads all major league shortstops in fielding percentage since 2015. But the Orioles hope the long-term future of the position is currently on the farm, where in recent years, the club...

Remembering a Powell who won after leaving Orioles

Remembering a Powell who won after leaving Orioles
While waiting for the commissioner to try to sell us on a season that will last about as long as spring training ... As I reviewed the list of past Orioles selections in the First-Year Player Draft, a yearly endeavor that illuminates the misses more than the hits, I stumbled upon a reliever taken with the 19th overall pick in 1993 out of Mississippi State. The same school, by the way, that produced shortstop Jordan Westburg, selected by the Orioles on Wednesday with the 30th pick. Jay Powell...

Notes and quotes on the draft and more with Brad Ciolek

Notes and quotes on the draft and more with Brad Ciolek
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...

Baseball's shutdown impacting prospects and draft picks (updated)

Baseball's shutdown impacting prospects and draft picks (updated)
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...

Orioles take Haskin 39th, Westburg talks selection (updated)

Orioles take Haskin 39th, Westburg talks selection (updated)
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...

Reflecting on past drafts and more from Elias

Reflecting on past drafts and more from Elias
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....

Elias calls Kjerstad "the best left-handed hitter in the country"

Elias calls Kjerstad "the best left-handed hitter in the country"
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...