Draft day arrives: The Orioles will pick No. 11 and No. 37 tonight

The three-day, 40 round First-Year Player Draft begins tonight. The first round, which will be televised live on MLB Network, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET. Tonight, teams will draft through the second round and the completion of compensation picks after that round, so that takes the draft through 78 selections.

The draft resumes at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday with round three through 10, and concludes at Noon ET on Wednesday with selections in rounds 11 through 40.

The Orioles will make two picks tonight with the No. 11 selection in round one and the No. 37 overall selection as part of the competitive balance round A. The Orioles lost their second round pick for signing free agent pitcher Alex Cobb. When the third round begins tomorrow, the Orioles have the No. 87 overall pick.

As in past years, scouting director Gary Rajsich said the Orioles look to take the best player available when they pick - that is, the highest-rated player on their draft board at the time of the selection.

But Rajsich admits the organization could approach some picks in this draft mindful of the club's more immediate needs at the big league level. The Orioles have both a poor record and four key pending free agents. That could impact some draft decisions this year.

"Well, we are mindful of it," Rajsich said on Sunday. "I know we are going to need some players that could move rapidly through the system, to help us here quickly. So that is a factor in our discussions, but not the only one."

Could that make a college player more likely to be taken over a high school player as a tiebreaker if two players are rated about equally?

"I think that is a factor this year, yes," Rajsich said.

Rajsich feels this is a pretty deep draft in the top 100 with more pitchers expected to be taken.

"Pitching is dominant," he said. "But that just means that the position players at the top will fly off the board sooner, I think. Because there are fewer of them. So scarcity is a factor in this draft, as it always is."

Does that mean the Orioles have to look more at those position players?

"Not necessarily," he said. "We are still looking for the best player. Those position players have to be the right ones."

As always, Rajsich and his scouts want players with tools and talent. But they are looking for more than that.

"Makeup is immensely important, just as much as talent," he said. "They have to have the character and heart and be able to persevere. They have to be mentally tough. This is an incredibly tough business with a lot of failure in it. Makeup is character, intangibles, leadership. It's all part of the puzzle and has to be considered when we are choosing these guys."

The slot amount for the No. 11 pick is nearly $4.4 million. Are there players that would be tough to sign at No. 11, even with those dollars slotted for that spot?

"There are always (tough to sign) guys." Rajsich said. "If it's possible we'll make a run at it, if they are an option for us. But otherwise we'll pass. They'll let us know. We don't want to jump into anything we can't handle as far as our budget."

Despite the Orioles' terrible record this year, Rajsich doesn't see this draft as more crucial than any of his others since he took over in his current role leading into the 2012 draft.

"No, and I don't really believe it's extra special," he said. "I've heard that before. There is a lot of pressure on every draft. They only come once a year. And with our limited international involvement, there is more pressure on us already. We feel a need to get it right every year."

The Orioles top 10 round picks and slot bonus amounts for each:

No. 11 in round one - $4,375,100
No. 37 in competitive balance round A - $1,923,500
No. 87 in round three - $663,200
No. 115 in round four - $483,300
No. 145 in round five - $361,000
No. 175 in round six - $273,400
No. 205 in round seven - $213,700
No. 235 in round eight - $170,700
No. 265 in round nine - $149,900
No. 295 in round 10 - $140,600

The Orioles did not have a first round pick in 2014. But among their nine first-round picks since 2008, seven have been pitchers. The only exceptions were shortstop Manny Machado, taken No. 3 in 2010, and outfielder DJ Stewart, taken No. 25 in 2015.

Last year, the Orioles selected 21 pitchers among 41 selections and they wound up signing 34 players total, including 24 of their first 25 picks. Rajsich projects that the Orioles will likely sign 32 to 34 players this year.