Baltimore Orioles 2020 MLB Draft: Post-first round pitching targets
By Nick Stevens
The Baltimore Orioles have a great opportunity to add numerous high-quality arms in the 2020 MLB draft.
Baltimore Orioles fans rejoiced last season as they watched former Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman become the top overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft, a move that helped jettison the Orioles minor league system to respectability.
After another rough season on the field at the major league level, the Orioles enter the 2020 MLB draft with three picks among the first 39 selections, including the second overall pick behind the Detroit Tigers.
With a shortened college baseball season leaving teams with fewer opportunities to see potential talent and a drastically reduced draft this year, it has become more difficult to judge what kind of strategy some teams will take with them into the draft process and where certain players are likely to go.
As we get closer to the June 10-11th draft, a clear top three have emerged from the pack of potential draft picks. While most mock drafts and reports believe the Tigers will take Arizona State’s Spencer Torkelson, Vanderbilt’s Austin Martin and Texas A&M’s Asa Lacy could just as well hear their name called first overall.
Regardless, that still leaves the Baltimore Orioles with the option to select one of the two premier bats in all of college baseball. Of course, they could also go with Lacy here, or even Georgia’s Emerson Hancock if they prefer, but taking either Torkelson or Martin may be the best bet here.
Why? This year’s draft is loaded with college pitching talent and with two more picks coming at number 30 and 39 for the Orioles, there’s plenty of opportunities to grab quality pitching arms to complement either the top power tool in Torkelson or the top hit tool of Martin.
This is far from a comprehensive list, but instead a brief look at four notable pitchers who may be available to the Orioles after their first-round pick. Based on scouting profiles, prospect rankings and discussion from places like Baseball America and Fangraphs, and personal viewings/video research, these three particular names stand out.