The Baltimore Orioles own a golden opportunity in the MLB Draft

The Baltimore Orioles are in a prime position to make a lot of noise in the 2020 MLB draft.

The 2020 MLB draft may look very different this year, but teams across the league still have an opportunity to add notable talent to their farm systems with what many consider the deepest draft in recent memory. Perhaps no team is set up better to add significant talent than the Baltimore Orioles.

General manager Mike Elias and his team have six picks in this year’s five-round amateur selection process, with three of those picks coming within the first 39 selections.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

The Orioles are in a prime position to add significant talent and continue to push their rebuild along in year two of what is going to a long and extensive rebuild in the Charm City.

Baltimore has the second overall pick in the draft but owns the highest amount of bonus pool money with $13,894,300 to spend on their six draft picks. They can’t afford to whiff this year while having more picks and more money than anyone else and a very deep draft class at their disposal.

As many as five different picks are at play for the Orioles, according to Elias. He didn’t mention any specific names in his conference call this week, but it may be safe to assume that Arizona State’s Spencer Torkelson, Vanderbilt’s Austin Martin, Texas A&M’s Asa Lacy, prep outfielder Zac Veen, and Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad are the likely targets.

These have been the most prominent names connected to the Orioles with the second overall pick.

If Detroit selects Torkelson number one overall, the Orioles will have Martin there for the taking. Arguably the top prospect in this year’s draft, Martin has the top hit tool in the draft class (according to multiple major outlets), can play a number of prime positions where the Orioles lack depth at in the minor leagues, and he comes from one of the top collegiate programs in the country which routinely produces MLB talent.

Taking the best player available seems like a no-brainer here for the Orioles.

However, there is a real possibility that Baltimore attempts to save a bit of money with their first pick and looks at a player like Veen or Kjerstad. Veen was mocked to the Orioles by Baseball America in a recent mock draft and brings eye-opening power from the left side, a strong outfield arm, and one of the higher upsides in this year’s draft class.

The Atheltic’s Keith Law recently noted that Kjerstad is a name to look out for when the Orioles pick. Kjerstad is a powerful bat who appears to be slotted for a corner outfield spot in the big leagues, but many scouts believe he may have one of the highest floors on any prospect in the draft.

It’s a real win-win for the Baltimore Orioles. Either they take whoever is left between Martin and Torkelson and add another elite prospect to their system, or they take a gamble on the high floor of Kjerstad or enormous upside of Veen, save some money, and go after some of the top pitching targets available at picks 30 and 39.

Players like Miami’s Slade Cecconi, Georgia’s Cole Wilcox, and Mississippi State’s JT Ginn are just a few players who may fall to the Orioles due to signability concerns. High school bats are also at play here, like Jordan Walker of Decatur High School in Georgia. The Duke commit is seen as a legitimate third base prospect with big power and an above-average hit tool.

Ideally, Pennsylvania high school pitcher Nick Bitsko falls to the Orioles. Bitsko is a UVA commit and has elite stuff, as we looked at below.

Should they spend a little more at the top of the draft with Martin, Torkelson, or even Lacy, there are still plenty of college pitchers with high upside for the choosing. We recently discussed a few targets in detail here.

So, where will the Orioles go? It’s impossible to know until they pick on Wednesday night. The options seem limitless, but what seems certain is that the Baltimore Orioles have an opportunity to win the 2020 draft and bring much-needed momentum in 2021.

With more money to spend, the Orioles can be extremely aggressive in 2020. If they want to continue moving this organization forward, they have to be aggressive.