Recapping the O's 2021 Draft Selections

The Baltimore Orioles had one goal going into the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft: get the best players available. Three days later, they feel they have done just that. With 21 picks in the First-Year Player Draft, the Orioles selected nine right-handed pitchers, six outfielders, four infielders, and two catchers. Their 2021 draft class is comprised of 20 college athletes and one high school student. Four of the 21 selections were ranked in the top 250 draft prospects by MLB.com.

“We have all types of data and we study the heck out of the draft,” said Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias. “These elite college performers are surprisingly good when you look back at past drafts and you are amazed they didn’t go higher sometimes. That has continued to be a lesson year after year, and we are very mindful of that.”

The Orioles started the draft on a high note when they selected Colton Cowser, an outfielder from Sam Houston State University, with the No. 5 overall pick.

As a junior at Sam Houston, Cowser hit .374/.490/.680 (76-for-203) with 16 home runs, 10 doubles, two triples, 61 runs, 52 RBI, and 42 walks in 55 games. He made history becoming the second player in Sam Houston program history to be named Southland Conference (SLC) Player of the year after leading the SLC in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs, hits, RBI, and home runs.

“We are very pleased to have selected Colton with our first-round draft pick this year,” said Elias. “He has been and is one of the best pure hitters in the country since setting foot on campus at Sam Houston. This year he put up a superlative line for them, showing power, hitting for average, speed, and defense. He’s a five-tool player and he’s somebody we suspect to impact our team and our lineup on both sides of the ball, both offensively and defensively. I think it is rare to get all five of those tools in a college performer like we did, that’s why we took him. We got our guy, I’m very pleased about that.”

Three of the Orioles selections led the nation in hits, RBI, and outfield assists, respectively, and two of their picks recorded no-hitters in 2021.

Connor Norby, the Orioles second-round pick, an infielder from East Carolina University, led the nation with 102 hits. Reed Trimble, the O’s third-round pick, an outfielder from the University of Southern Mississippi, tied for the nation’s lead with 72 RBI, and John Rhodes, Baltimore’s fourth-round pick, an outfielder from the University of Kentucky, led the nation with eight outfield assists. Carlos Tavera, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Texas Arlington, the Orioles’ fifth-round pick, and Dylan Heid, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown, Baltimore’s 11th-round pick, both threw no-hitters.

The second day of the draft was highlighted by the selection of nine collegiate players and one high schooler, including four outfielders, two infielders, two catchers, and a right-handed pitcher. Supervisor of Domestic Scouting Operations, Brad Ciolek, said the data and analytics pointed them toward college players, specifically ones like Norby and Collin Burns, an infielder from Tulane University, who have the ability to take quality at-bats and show versatility on the field.

Norby hit .415/.484/.659 (102-for-246) with 15 doubles, 15 home runs, 64 runs, and 51 RBI in 61 games during his junior season in 2021, earning him American Athletic Conference (AAC) Player of the Year honors. He collected at least one hit in 53 of 61 games, earning him the 2021 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award. He was named a First Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Baseball America, and D1Baseball.com, and was a Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist. Norby was ranked as the No. 43 overall draft prospect by Baseball America and No. 58 by MLB.com.

“Norby has tremendous feel for the barrel and has the ability to adjust well,” said Ciolek. “It’s a lightning-fast bat and he’s shown he can hit elite stuff. We really like what we are getting here in terms of the offensive potential.”

Burns hit .353/.410/.571 (84-for-238) with 20 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 55 runs, and 50 RBI in 55 games during his junior campaign in 2021. He was a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award.

“Collin Burns moves very well in the dirt, has excellent instincts, and a big league clock,” said Ciolek. “We take a lot of pride in our defensive evaluation as well. We are happy with the number of guys we got.”

Tavera, the only pitcher selected by the O’s on day two, pitched to a 3-4 record with a 3.04 ERA (28 ER/83.0 IP) and 117 strikeouts in 15 games (14 starts) in 2021.

“This year he was up to 96 MPH, and settling around 92-94 with a good feel for his slider and a plus-change up,” said Ciolek. “Seeing what our scouts saw in the seats at UTA, and having the data to cement those findings, we feel really happy about the overall stuff there.”

Creed Willems, a 6’1” 225 pound catcher from Aledo (TX) High School, was the only high schooler selected by the O’s. While Creed has the ability to pitch, the Orioles will develop him as a catcher and look to utilize his already powerful bat.

“Creed is a baseball player,” said Ciolek. “We actually had him here at Camden Yards and he hit about three to four balls to Eutaw Street. He has raw power.”

On the third and final day of the draft, Baltimore selected eight right-handed pitchers, one infielder, and one outfielder, rounding out their 2021 draft class.

“We spent a lot of time looking at these college pitching prospects,” said Ciolek. “We’re looking for guys who throw a lot of strikes and have more strikeouts than walks, and guys who have some secondary weapons that we might be able to hone in and approve. A lot of these guys checked those boxes and we are really happy with the group of arms we got today.”

With their first pick on Tuesday in the 11th-round, the Orioles selected Heid. He finished his senior year with a 7-2 record and a 1.37 ERA (9 ER/59.1 IP), with 105 strikeouts and 15 walks. He earned PSAC West Pitcher of the Year, NCBWA_, _DIICCA_, and _ABCA/Rawlings Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year honors, and was named a DIICCA and ABCA/Rawlings First Team All-American.

“The one thing that really stands out is just how good his fastball is,” said Ciolek. “He’s up to 94 and has big swings and misses on his fastballs and we were really excited to get him in the 11th round.”

The Orioles ended the 2021 draft with the 587th overall pick, selecting Trendon Craig, an infielder from Louisburg College, the same junior college as current O’s outfielder, Cedric Mullins. Craig finished the 2021 season hitting .420/.546/.790 (60-for-143) with 11 doubles, 14 home runs, 55 RBI, and 53 runs.

“We had him here in a workout and showed some power, showed that he could run,” said Ciolek. “We are going to do the best we can to get him in black and orange as soon as possible.”

Over the Draft’s three days, the Orioles accomplished their goal of selecting the best players available. Now, stacked with players who take quality at-bats and can hit for power, fielders who show great athleticisms and versatility, and high-strikeout pitchers, Ciolek will turn the job over to the player development team.

“I think our player development department does a good job of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each guy and their athleticism,” said Ciolek. “We did take some guys we might be able to play some other positions because of their versatility and athleticism and if we might think that’s a fit in pro ball we will explore that. But bottom line, we just wanted to get the best athletes and the best baseball players available and we felt like we did that.”

The full list of the Orioles 2021 Draft Class, see the Orioles Draft Tracker.