Possible 3rd Round Picks For The O's Today

[Slade-OH]

Welcome to the 2014 MLB draft where the Orioles 3rd rounder will receive as much attention as it ever will with it being their first pick of the draft.

Day one has concluded and we are just 15 picks away from No. 90, the Orioles first selection in the draft.

For all the draft junkies out there that have been paying attention to the names of interest 100-to-200 players deep like myself, who stands out to you as a possible fit for the Orioles at No. 90?

It's a tough one predict as at this stage of the draft as the list of potential candidates for this pick is big and opinions vary on who's a 3rd round talent.

But for discussion's sake, I thought I'd list several names that I like.

(I'm no expert at this and I'll be thoroughly impressed at my guesswork if one of the following player's I mention actually gets taken by by the Orioles at pick 90)

Chris Ellis - RHP - Ole Miss

Really like this kid for the 3rd round. Hope he's still on the board. Command needs improvement and slider is below average but I like the plus fastball and changeup.

Jace Fry - LHP - Oregon State

Polished lefties that put up stellar results in the Pac-12 seem like "safe" picks to me. Fry's upside may only be a 4th starter but he's a good value for the 3rd round and may have a chance at reaching that upside rather quickly.

Aaron Brown - LHP/OF - Pepperdine

One of the better two way athletes in the country. His future is on the mound where he has three solid average pitches and pitched very well for the Waves this year. The possibility of a slight boost in stuff while concentrating on pitching full time intrigues me.

Brian Anderson - 2B/OF - Arkansas

He can hit and still has some projection in his power tool. I'm intrigued by his offensive minded second baseman profile if he can stick there. May also be an option at third with his athleticism and arm strength.

Jeren Kendall - CF

Kendall is an absolute burner and looks like a potential plus defender in center. His offensive profile is similar to Josh Hart in my opinion so he might be someone Gary Rajsich (who raved about Hart before and after draft day last year) is looking at if available.

Casey Soltis - RF

Soltis has a real nice looking left handed swing and could develop a plus hit tool in my opinion. He's not a real toolsy athlete but has enough arm for right and could be a nice find in the 3rd round. Maybe a Nick Markakis-light

Keaton McKinney - RHP

What I like about McKinney is that he features one of the best changeups in the prep class and a low 90's fastball with movement too. Drawbacks are concerns about his arm action and mediocre breaking ball but I like his durable 6'5, 220 pound frame and think he has a chance at a mid-rotation ceiling.

Cobi Johnson - RHP

I like his projectable frame, bloodlines (Dad pitched in bigs, now a roving instructor with Blue Jays) and advanced feel for pitching.

Boom/Bust high school pitcher...

Dylan Cease - RHP

The upside play, Cease has one of the livelier arms in this class but an elbow injury that has kept him out since March dropped his stock. If available and his bonus demands aren't unreasonable, he could be a worthy gamble for the O's. If not, pass.

[weams]

Welcome to the 2014 MLB draft where the Orioles 3rd rounder will receive as much attention as it ever will with it being their first pick of the draft.

Day one has concluded and we are just 15 picks away from No. 90, the Orioles first selection in the draft.

For all the draft junkies out there that have been paying attention to the names of interest 100-to-200 players deep like myself, who stands out to you as a possible fit for the Orioles at No. 90?

It's a tough one predict as at this stage of the draft as the list of potential candidates for this pick is big and opinions vary on who's a 3rd round talent.

But for discussion's sake, I thought I'd list several names that I like.

(I'm no expert at this and I'll be thoroughly impressed at my guesswork if one of the following player's I mention actually gets taken by by the Orioles at pick 90)

Chris Ellis - RHP - Ole Miss

Really like this kid for the 3rd round. Hope he's still on the board. Command needs improvement and slider is below average but I like the plus fastball and changeup.

Jace Fry - LHP - Oregon State

Polished lefties that put up stellar results in the Pac-12 seem like "safe" picks to me. Fry's upside may only be a 4th starter but he's a good value for the 3rd round and may have a chance at reaching that upside rather quickly.

Aaron Brown - LHP/OF - Pepperdine

One of the better two way athletes in the country. His future is on the mound where he has three solid average pitches and pitched very well for the Waves this year. The possibility of a slight boost in stuff while concentrating on pitching full time intrigues me.

Brian Anderson - 2B/OF - Arkansas

He can hit and still has some projection in his power tool. I'm intrigued by his offensive minded second baseman profile if he can stick there. May also be an option at third with his athleticism and arm strength.

Jeren Kendall - CF

Kendall is an absolute burner and looks like a potential plus defender in center. His offensive profile is similar to Josh Hart in my opinion so he might be someone Gary Rajsich (who raved about Hart before and after draft day last year) is looking at if available.

Casey Soltis - RF

Soltis has a real nice looking left handed swing and could develop a plus hit tool in my opinion. He's not a real toolsy athlete but has enough arm for right and could be a nice find in the 3rd round. Maybe a Nick Markakis-light

Keaton McKinney - RHP

What I like about McKinney is that he features one of the best changeups in the prep class and a low 90's fastball with movement too. Drawbacks are concerns about his arm action and mediocre breaking ball but I like his durable 6'5, 220 pound frame and think he has a chance at a mid-rotation ceiling.

Cobi Johnson - RHP

I like his projectable frame, bloodlines (Dad pitched in bigs, now a roving instructor with Blue Jays) and advanced feel for pitching.

Boom/Bust high school pitcher...

Dylan Cease - RHP

The upside play, Cease has one of the livelier arms in this class but an elbow injury that has kept him out since March dropped his stock. If available and his bonus demands aren't unreasonable, he could be a worthy gamble for the O's. If not, pass.

Excellent. You should put this on the front page.

[weams]

Bukauskas is committed to North Carolina and was a junior when school began in the fall. But at the request of the Tar Heels coaches, he moved his high school graduation up a year, becoming eligible for the 2014 Draft in the process. Though his dynamic arm excited scouts this spring, he remains committed to North Carolina and sent a letter to teams last month telling them he intended to attend college.

Even after a pitcher-friendly Day 1 of the Draft, Bukauskas is one of 21 pitchers rated in the top 100 who were still on the board entering Day 2. Among the remaining highly ranked pitchers are a few who missed time this spring because of injury, including Rice right-hander Zech Lemond (No. 58); Milton (Ga.) High School right-hander Dylan Cease (No. 76); and University of Texas left-hander Dillon Peters (No. 83).

Highlighting the available position players are two high school stars: Norris (Neb.) High School catcher Jakson Reetz (No. 40) and American Heritage High School (Fla.) shortstop Milton Ramos (No. 46). Norris is committed to Nebraska, and Ramos, considered by some scouts to be the best defender in the Draft class, is committed to Florida Atlantic.

Of the remaining college players ranked in the top 100, most are pitchers. Arkansas right-hander Chris Oliver (No. 48) leads the group, while Oregon State right fielder Dylan Davis (No. 74) is the top position player.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/top-200-prospects-list-talent-available-on-day-2-of-2014-mlb-draft?ymd=20140606&content_id=78492542&vkey=news_mlb

[Rene88]

Thanks for posting this!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Slade-OH]

I didn't give much though to the possibility of the O's taking a college reliever but that could be the direction they end up going. They don't have much of a bonus pool and are in win-now mode so it may make sense to target someone like Adam Ravanelle of Vanderbilt or Oregon's closer Jake Reed, whom they can fast-track to the majors as relievers.

[Can_of_corn]

I didn't give much though to the possibility of the O's taking a college reliever but that could be the direction they end up going. They don't have much of a bonus pool and are in win-now mode so it may make sense to target someone like Adam Ravanelle of Vanderbilt or Oregon's closer Jake Reed, whom they can fast-track to the majors as relievers.

Going by their past history they will probably draft one of them and try to convert him into a starter.

Last time I remember them picking a college reliever as a reliever was Olson. (other then late round organizational filler)

[QBsILLEST1]

If we go reliever I'd love to nab AJ Vanegas. Not sure about the quality of his third pitch, but as a HSer, he was one of the better pitching prospects that year, but for whatever reason ended up just relieving in college. I'm curious if they really ever attempted to further develop his 3rd pitch or if they just threw him into the closer position and let it fly.

If he COULD develop a third offering, he certainly would have less miles on that arm than all the other college arms out there...

[bobmc]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mlb/top-200-prospects-list-talent-available-on-day-2-of-2014-mlb-draft?ymd=20140606&content_id=78492542&vkey=news_mlb

"Highlighting the available position players are two high school stars: Norris (Neb.) High School catcher Jakson Reetz (No. 40) and American Heritage High School (Fla.) shortstop Milton Ramos (No. 46). Norris is committed to Nebraska, and Ramos, considered by some scouts to be the best defender in the Draft class, is committed to Florida Atlantic."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>End of day 1, my board reads Jakson Reetz, Keith Weisenberg, Carson Sands, JJ Schwarz, and Dylan Davis. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MLBDraft&src=hash">#MLBDraft</a></p>— Nick J. Faleris (@NickJFaleris) <a href="

">June 6, 2014</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Slade-OH]

If we go reliever I'd love to nab AJ Vanegas. Not sure about the quality of his third pitch, but as a HSer, he was one of the better pitching prospects that year, but for whatever reason ended up just relieving in college. I'm curious if they really ever attempted to further develop his 3rd pitch or if they just threw him into the closer position and let it fly.

If he COULD develop a third offering, he certainly would have less miles on that arm than all the other college arms out there...

Yes, Vanegas could be a fit too. He's probably more of a 4th - 5th rounder.

[Slade-OH]

Brian Anderson off the board to the Marlins.

And now Jace Fry is off the board to the White Sox.

And now Aaron Brown to the Phillies. Drat

[weams]

Brian Anderson off the board to the Marlins.

And now Jace Fry is off the board to the White Sox.

And now Aaron Brown to the Phillies. Drat

So. Who do you like that is left?

[bpilktree]

Ellis gone as well.

[bpilktree]

Brian Gonzlez is our pick.

[weams]

Brian Gonzlez is our pick.

Good. Thanks.