O's pleased with overall Draft haul
Club tabs prep stars, college players at various positions
BALTIMORE -- Heading into the final day of the Draft, the Orioles' goal was simple: find talent that had been passed over or overlooked.
While scouting director Gary Rajsich spent Days 1 and 2 selecting a hefty amount of high school prospects -- seven of the club's first 10 -- the O's used their first six selections on Day 3 on college players.
"We were happy. We were able to do what we wanted to do and not let the Draft board dictate what we did," Rajsich said. "While there were other players there that we really wanted, we could put those players off a little bit and take them a little bit later and still able to sign them. The dynamic of the Draft today was a lot more comfortable in that we felt like we were more in control of the board then [Tuesday]."
The O's first Day 3 pick, in the 11th round, was Radford right-hander Ryan Meisinger, who finished second in the 2015 Big South Baseball Pitcher of the Year voting. Meisinger is a Dunkirk, Md., native, he is listed at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds. The O's followed that up with Louisville's lefty Robert Strader, the first of five lefties Baltimore selected on the final day.
Thanks to everyone for all of the love and support and a special thank you to my family and God for giving me this great opportunity #GoO's
- Ryan Meisinger (@RyanMeisinger) June 10, 2015After taking four outfielders in their first five picks, the Orioles continued to fortify their depth in that position as they drafted four more Wednesday. The first of those was center fielder Cedric Mullins from Campbell University in North Carolina.
Other O's draftees who were on MLB.com's radar were high school shortstop Branden Becker (17th round), high school catcher Gabriel Garcia (29th round) and high school left fielder Jake Pries (37th round).
A potential sleeper in the 32nd round is right-handed pitcher Cody Morris, who was projected to be go off the Draft board early until an elbow injury forced him to miss his senior season and undergo Tommy John surgery.
• O's grab local product Morris
"This [Draft] has been deeper," Rajsich said. "We were able to get a lot more high school talent in this one and that's what feels good, because so many of them were signable and we feel good. All indications are that we will sign most of the ones we do want to sign. From that standpoint, it's an exciting year for the Orioles I think."