O's focus on position players on Draft Day 2

Think the Orioles went bat-heavy on Day 1 of the MLB Draft? That was only the beginning.

The Orioles looked to infuse their farm system via one of the more focused approaches of any team on Tuesday, selecting up-the-middle position players with their first five picks on Day 2.

• Draft Tracker

Not until tabbing College of Charleston righty Griffin McLarty in Round 8 did the Orioles draft their first arm, marking the latest point they’ve ever gone in franchise history without taking a pitcher. All told, the club used its first eight selections on bats at premium positions, and many of them have a chance to rise swiftly.

It's a departure for an organization that’s routinely used the Draft to target pitching in recent years, and a clear strategy from executive vice president Mike Elias in his first year running the club’s war room. Context is a big part of the reason why, both locally and from a broader perspective.

The Orioles' farm system was oddly lopsided heading into this week, defined by its crop of near-ready position players but almost no pitching at the upper levels, and several promising young hurlers but few impact bats in the lower ranks. Enter the three center fielders, three shortstops and three catchers added on Tuesday.

Considering the near-record number of college players taken league-wide on Day 1, when position players accounted for more than 60 percent of the draftees, the Orioles' intent becomes clear: to catch up quickly in a league that is both valuing athleticism and skewing younger than ever.

The Draft concludes on Wednesday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 on MLB.com beginning at noon ET. But first, let’s take a snapshot of the club’s eight selections from Rounds 3-10:

CF Zach Watson

Round: 3rd

Pick: No. 79 overall

School: LSU

Age: 21

Unlike Stanford center fielder Kyle Stowers -- who was the Orioles' final pick of Day 1 but who might develop into a corner-type -- Watson projects more as a center fielder long-term. Once regarded as the fastest high school player in Louisiana, Watson is now considered one of the top defensive outfielders in this year’s Draft class and has above-average hit ability to boot.

Watson also minored in Information Systems and Decisions Sciences, which should give him something to talk about with Orioles assistant GM Sig Mejdal. Mejdal worked under the title of Director of Decisions Sciences in the Astros front office before arriving in Baltimore last year.

SS Joey Ortiz

Round: 4th

Pick: No. 108 overall

School: New Mexico State

Age: 20

Ortiz put up gaudy offensive numbers as a junior for the Aggies, leading Division I in hits, runs and triples while hitting .422. Still, he’s seen as a glove-first player at the next level with plus speed and above-average hands and defensive quickness.

Before starring in the Northwest League last summer, Ortiz played in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League as a rising sophomore in 2017. Major League players to come out of the Beltway-area wood-bat summer circuit include Rays infielder Brandon Lowe, Padres slugger Hunter Renfroe, veteran reliever Cody Allen and All-Star second baseman Brian Dozier.

Ortiz is the seventh player in New Mexico State school history to be drafted by the Orioles -- only the Reds have gone into Las Cruces and snatched up more.

SS Darell Hernaiz

Round: 5th

Pick: No. 138 overall

School: Americas HS (El Paso, Texas)

Age: 17

Hernaiz is an upside player and the first one Baltimore went off MLB Pipeline’s list of Top 200 Draft-eligible prospects to select. Some think his arm will eventually fit better at second base, but he’s seen as a good athlete who has a chance to grow into some power.

The bigger question is signibility: The son of a former Indians, Tigers and Dodgers farmhand, Hernaiz is committed to Texas Tech.

C Maverick Handley

Round: 6th

Pick: No. 168 overall

School: Stanford

Age: 21

Stowers’ teammate for three seasons with the Cardinal, Handley impressed the Orioles with his ability to get on base and noted defensive skills behind the plate. Though far from the impact bat No. 1 overall pick Adley Rutschman projects as, Handley figures to have an impact an an Orioles farm system light on catching at the lower levels.

In addition to Rutschman and Handley, the Orioles had taken just two catchers in the first six rounds since 2010, most notably using their second-round pick on Chance Sisco in 2013. Handley majored in biomechanical engineering at Stanford, and sports a big league mustache already.

OF Johnny Rizer

Round: 7th

Pick: No. 198 overall

School: Texas Christian

Age: 22

The first college senior selected by the Orioles, Rizer hit .311 during a breakout 2019 for the Horned Frogs. Rizer has little financial leverage given his age and limited track record, which could bode well for Baltimore if it needs to go above slot value to sign a prep player like Hernaiz.

RHP Griffin McLarty

Round: 8th

Pick: No. 228 overall

School: College of Charleston

Age: 20

The Orioles entered the eighth round one of two teams, along with the Giants, yet to draft a pitcher. They then beat San Francisco to the punch in snatching McLarty, a lanky righty who rose up Draft boards late this spring on the heels of a dominant junior season.

McLarty showed increased velocity and struck out 27 batters in 21 1/3 innings over his final three starts, capping a campaign in which he pitched to a 1.87 ERA in 101 innings. His 116-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio jumps off the page, particularly for someone whose fastball largely lives in the low 90s.

McLarty also pitched in the 2011 Little League World Series for a team from La Grange, Ky.

RHP Connor Gillispie

Round: 9th

Pick: No. 258 overall

School: Virginia Commonwealth

Age: 21

A 5-foot-11, 185-pound right-hander, Gillispie went 12-6 with a 2.53 ERA over the last two seasons, both spent in the rotation. Like McLarty, he did it with an eye-catching strikeout-to-walk ratio, Gillispie whiffing nearly five times the number of hitters he walked during his sophomore and junior seasons.

This year, in a nod to his father, Brian, Gillispie walked to the mound to “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

C Jordan Cannon

Round: 10th

Pick: No. 288 overall

School: Sam Houston State

Age: 22

It doesn’t get more 80-grade, name-wise, for a catcher than Cannon, though he emerged as one of Sam Houston's top offensive performers in 2019 as well. Again, the Orioles targeted athleticism here. Cannon’s 14 stolen bases this spring hint at enough speed for him to move from behind the plate if necessary, and his status as a fourth-year senior means the Orioles can probably save some money if they need to go above-slot with any of their higher selections.