MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis on the Orioles' No. 1 draft pick

We are now just days away from a huge night for the Orioles. The 2019 First-Year Player Draft begins Monday at 7 p.m. It will be televised live on MLB Network and, for the second time in team history, the Orioles have the first pick in the draft.

The draft consists of 40 rounds, and a team may pass on its selection in any round and not forfeit its right to participate in other rounds. The 2019 draft will span three days, as it has since 2009. On Monday, the first 41 selections, through competitive balance round A, will air exclusively on MLB Network and MLB.com. Beginning with the first pick in Round 2 and continuing through overall pick number 78, the draft will air live exclusively on MLB.com.

The Orioles will have three picks Monday. In addition to that first pick, they will select with the first pick in Round 2 at No. 42 overall. They will also select No. 71 with a pick in competitive balance round B.

The draft will resume at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 4, when selections will be made for rounds 3-10, with one-minute intervals between selections. Day 3 of the draft on Wednesday, June 5, will begin at 12 p.m. ET, featuring picks in rounds 11-40, with no time delay between selections.

The consensus top two players - and most have them in this order - are Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman and shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., from Colleyville Heritage (Texas) High School.

On Wednesday night, Jim Callis from MLB.com and MLBPipeline.com was a guest on my "Extra Innings" radio show on 105.7 The Fan. Here is what he said about the O's draft options:

There has been so much talk about Adley as the O's pick. Has it reached the point where it's not even close between the two players?

"No, I think it's close. I think you can make a case that Adley Rutschman is the best catching prospect since I've been covering the draft (in 1989). He's a switch-hitter that hits for average and power. He draws a ton of walks. He's leading the NCAA in OPS and walks right now. And on-base percentage.

"He's a really good athlete for a catcher. He kicked for Oregon State's football team earlier in his career. He famously chased (Stanford running back) Christian McCaffrey down on a kickoff return as the kicker. It's not like this guy is going to have to move (positions). He's a really good defender and receiver. Plus arm strength and great makeup.

"But Bobby Witt Jr. a lot of years would also be a fairly easy pick at No. 1 too. A five-tool shortstop. Chance to be five-plus tools. Great makeup as well because he grew up around the game.

"I would also throw in there - and he would be the No. 3 prospect for me - but Andrew Vaughn of Cal is probably the best all-around hitter in the draft. He's a first-base-only guy, but he can really, really hit. If there is a guy who I think is going to hit .300 with 30 home runs a year in this draft, it would be Andrew Vaughn.

"I think Adley Rutschman for most people would be the No. 1 pick. But it's not like it's Adley Rutschman and everybody else. There are other good options out there."

But for you Adley should be the pick?

"If I'm making the pick, yeah, I would take Rutschman. And I love Bobby Witt Jr. and I love Andrew Vaughn's bat. I would take Rutschman - he is the guy I think is the most talented player in this draft. You know it behooves the teams to look at all the candidates. The Orioles are not going to say 'Adley's our guy' for negotiating reasons. But I think when it comes down to it on Monday, that they will take Adley Rutschman No. 1."

Where would Rutschman rank in a new top 100 prospects list?

"That is a good question and I haven't thought that through. He would clearly be the best catching prospect in baseball. Joey Bart went No. 2 in the draft last year (to the Giants). He's better than Joey Bart, clearly, in my mind. Better hitter and better receiver.

"You know, we might hedge our bets a little bit and let him get going. Purely on tools and not giving guys who have a bit of a track record in the minors a boost, I mean Adley would probably be a top-five prospect in the game. If you give credit to others that are really tooled up and have some good stats in the minors, maybe he ranks in the 10-to-15 range. But he'll be an elite prospect right away."

O's fans have some comparisons here. Matt Wieters-Rutschman and Manny Machado-Witt. They drafted a college catcher high with Wieters No. 5 overall in 2007 and a high school shortstop high with Manny No. 3 in 2010. Are there any parallels here?

"Yeah, I mean Rutschman is a switch-hitting catcher with power. Compared to Wieters, you'd say that Rutschman was probably a better receiver and a better hitter. Wieters was a very good player and prospect, but Rutschman is better.

"Machado-Witt would be, I think, pretty similar tools at the same time. I think the difference for me - and I don't mean this as a knock on Machado - but Witt has higher baseball IQ. Because he grew up around the game. I think his tools are more polished than Manny's were (at a similar point). I know that is saying something, because Manny got to the big leagues almost overnight. But they are somewhat similar to both those guys."

Does Rutschman have a higher ceiling than Witt, even though the shortstop is younger and runs better?

"Yeah, but it would be close. I do think it's a lot harder to find a catcher than it is a shortstop. The catcher is the hardest position to fill, and the position scarcity is why I say the ceiling is higher. I think Adley is a more polished hitter. They probably have comparable power. Witt is, obviously, a better runner. I would take Adley, but it's not like Adley is at one level and Bobby Witt is a tier down. It's close. And if the Orioles felt Bobby Witt was the better player, you could certainly argue that. It's not like there is this big gap."