A guide for O’s fans ahead of the 2023 MLB Draft

This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

In Brad Ciolek’s first MLB Draft as the Orioles’ director of draft operations last July, the team had its pick of any player in the class, because it had the No. 1 pick. It wasn’t too difficult of a decision to make. Baltimore selected Jackson Holliday, a high school shortstop out of Oklahoma who is now the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline.

It won’t be as easy for the O’s in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft, which begins Sunday evening at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Due to its 83-79 performance in the 2022 season, Baltimore has the No. 17 pick in the ‘23 Draft. It’s the latest the Orioles have selected in the opening round since ‘17, when they selected left-hander DL Hall at No. 21.

So this is a position that Ciolek -- who worked in Baltimore’s scouting department from 2013-21, before ascending to his current role in November 2021 -- and the O’s haven’t been in in quite some time.

“It’s going to be a little bit different kind of anxiety,” Ciolek said. “We have to have some dominoes fall before us, before we pick.”

Here’s everything Orioles fans need to know before tuning into this year’s Draft:

When is the Draft, and how do I watch it?
Day 1 of the Draft is set for Sunday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN and MLB Network) and will feature the first two rounds. Rounds 3-10 will take place during Day 2 on Monday (2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and MLB.com). Rounds 11-20 will occur on Day 3 on Tuesday (2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and MLB.com).

When will the Orioles pick on Day 1?
Baltimore has the No. 17 pick in the first round, as well as the No. 53 pick in the second round and the No. 63 pick in Competitive Balance Round B.

Who could the O’s pick at No. 17?
According to Ciolek, the Orioles were considering about 6-10 players when they were at No. 1 last year. Their list is much larger this time. Ciolek said the team is considering roughly 20-22 players to take at No. 17 -- all of whom he’s seen in person multiple times while scouting.

In the latest mock from MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis, Baltimore was projected to take University of Florida right-hander Hurston Waldrep, the No. 19 prospect in the class. The 21-year-old spent his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Southern Mississippi before transferring to play for the Gators in 2023.

“Waldrep is a unique talent. It’s fun to watch him,” Ciolek said. “He’s got four pitches. His secondaries are lethal. He’s got the split that he’s got a remarkable feel for, two breaking balls that he will double- or triple-up with, and he’s got a fastball that sits 95-98. He is a very intriguing starting-pitching prospect. We’ll definitely be discussing him, and some other guys as well.”

Callis believes the Orioles could also consider taking a high school hitter with their first pick.

Regardless of whom Baltimore selects, the club believes it can acquire a talented prospect, even though it’s picking in the back half of the opening round.

“I don’t want to say we’re overly confident, but we’re confident,” Ciolek said. “We believe in our process. It’s worked so far -- knock on wood, obviously.”

Are the O’s actually considering a pitcher in the first round?
The Orioles haven’t taken a pitcher in the opening round since 2018, when they selected right-hander Grayson Rodriguez at No. 11. They’ve targeted position players in recent years, using their top picks on catcher Adley Rutschman (No. 1 in ‘19), outfielder Heston Kjerstad (No. 2 in ‘20), outfielder Colton Cowser (No. 5 in ‘21) and Holliday.

Considering Baltimore hasn’t used a first-round selection on a hurler since general manager Mike Elias was hired in November 2018, it would be quite different to see the O’s pick a pitcher at No. 17. But it appears to be something they’re strongly considering, and not because they’ve stacked up on hitters in recent years.

“There are some pretty intriguing arms. There’s a few college arms, there’s also a couple high school arms that have our attention,” Ciolek said. “The bottom line is, we want the best player regardless of the situation, regardless of what the 40-man roster may look like a couple of years from now.”

How much money will the Orioles have to sign their ‘23 Draft picks?
Baltimore will have a bonus pool of $10,534,800. The pick value for the No. 17 selection is $4,169,700.