O'Ferrall and Anderson talk of transition from college to pro teammates

ARLINGTON, Texas – They sat next to each other in their new Orioles uniforms, with freshly signed contracts to remain teammates beyond college.

Infielder Griff O’Ferrall and catcher Ethan Anderson were shoulder-to-shoulder during this morning’s video call with media and quick to smile at the opportunity to go from the University of Virginia to first-day picks in the 2024 draft.

“It’s pretty crazy,” O’Ferrall said. “Especially, we were roommates for the past two years, so definitely are very close. We were definitely in shock when we found out we were going to the same team. But we went from living together and now we’re going to be spending more time together, so it doesn’t change much for us. But it’s definitely exciting.”

“Griff has been one of the closest teammates for me the last three years,” Anderson said. “I don’t know if it’s like I haven’t left UVA or this is just like the next chapter and we’re still together.”

The Orioles chose O’Ferrall with the 32^nd-overall selection, a prospect performance incentive compensation reward after Gunnar Henderson was named American League Rookie of the Year. Anderson arrived in the second round, the 61^st-overall selection and the first of four catchers grabbed by the organization.

Anderson sent a congratulatory text to O’Ferrall after his friend was drafted, having no idea what would come next, how they’d intertwine again.

“His phone was probably blowing up,” Anderson said. “But once it happened to me and I found out I was going to the Orioles, I sent him a text saying, ‘This is crazy.’ He was one of the first phone calls we had of just like how crazy it was.

“Leading up to the draft, we had talks about how crazy it would be to go to the same team, and thinking there’s 30 teams, I never thought it was a shot. And then now, having a familiar face and being able to do this together is awesome.”

O’Ferrall was in the backyard and heard people screaming inside the house. It confused him, of course. He had no idea why.

“It was just 20 minutes after I had just gotten picked and a couple of my teammates come running out and start screaming that Ethan’s going to the Orioles,” he said. “So it was definitely a pretty cool moment.”

O’Ferrall, 21, batted .324/.367/.454 with 20 doubles, a triple, five home runs, 52 RBIs, 22 walks, 17 steals and 64 runs scored in 63 games as a junior, and he won the Brooks Wallace Award that’s presented annually by the College Baseball Hall of Fame to the nation’s top shortstop. No other player in UVA history won it.

More hardware came with O’Ferrall winning a Rawlings Gold Glove Award for Division I shortstops.

“Defense is, you know, half the equation,” Matt Blood, vice president of player development and domestic scouting, said on his video call after the first night of the draft. “You have to play defense and you have to score runs and you have to prevent runs. So, it all goes into the calculus when you are selecting players.

“He’s a gamer. He’s a really good baseball player. He can impact the game defensively, on the base paths, and he wreaks havoc with his bat. A ton of line drives, a ton of contact, really tough out. He’s the kind of guy that fans are going to love. I think that is what you see when you see him play.”

MLB.com’s Jim Callis reports that O’Ferrall signed for $2.7 million, slightly below the $2,835,400 slot.

"I'm trying to bring a well-rounded player to the organization," O'Ferrall said. "Play great defense, obviously hit, be a good hitter, and develop some more swing-decision stuff as far as handling the zone a little bit better. I think that's something I can do. And especially rely on some of my contact abilities to be a little bit more picky and specific with what I'm trying to hit. Overall, just trying to bring every part of the game and try to help the team."

Anderson, 20, batted .331/.435/.508 with 20 doubles, eight home runs, 40 RBIs, 40 walks, five steals and 67 runs scored in 63 games as a junior. The switch-hitter earned first-team All-ACC honors at utility and was a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award, given annually to the nation’s top catcher.

“He has a very interesting and exciting offensive profile,” Blood said. “Gets on base a ton, makes a lot of quality contact. He’s a switch hitter and can do a lot of things to impact the game on the offensive side.

“The defensive side, he wasn’t able to catch as much this year as he probably would have liked. And we’re looking forward to helping him develop into that role with us.”

Said Anderson: "The biggest thing for me is just developing the catching. I caught in high school, caught a little bit at Virginia. I think I'm capable of doing it. Just want the reps and coaching to develop it."

The duo arrives at an organization that’s eyeing a World Series title. The Orioles posted the best record in the American League last season and led their division this year at the break.

The track record for player development speaks for itself.

“Obviously, this farm system alone is incredible, and obviously the big league club is doing some really special things right now,” O’Ferrall said. “Just kind of being able to get our foot in the door into such a great organization and all the good things we’ve heard about it is definitely a great situation, for sure.”

Having the top affiliate nearby allowed Anderson to do his own scouting.

“Growing up in Virginia Beach with the Tides in Norfolk, I went to games when I was younger and you got to see the guys coming up, Gunnar (Henderson) and Adley (Rutschman),” Anderson said. “So it’s special being in the same organization as them and being able to be around the same people that coached them.”

Agreeing to contract terms was the first step, followed by their affiliate assignments and introductions to professional life.

“I was definitely pumped to get it rolling and also getting to go out to Sarasota pretty soon after this, I’m flying out today, and just kind of getting back to work and start playing again,” O’Ferrall said. “I’m definitely excited that it’s moving along, for sure.”

“For both of us, we talked about just playing baseball again,” Anderson said, “and getting down to Sarasota and start swinging the bat.”

And doing it as teammates. As usual.