Orioles reach agreement with first draft pick Jackson Holliday (updated)

The Orioles have an agreement in place with prep shortstop Jackson Holliday, the first-overall pick in the MLB Draft. The next step before his official signing.

Holliday is getting a record deal for a high school player, slightly more than the $8.185 million bonus that outfielder Druw Jones received from the Diamondbacks as the second-overall selection, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.

The first selection is slotted at $8,842,200. The Orioles are holding $16,924,000 in their bonus pool.

The left-handed hitting Holliday 18, set a national record with 89 hits in 41 games at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma, passing J.T. Realmuto, while batting .685 with 29 doubles, six triples, 17 home runs, 79 RBIs, 74 runs scored, a .749 on-base percentage and a 1.392 slugging percentage.

Holliday was the No. 2 overall draft prospect by MLB.com and No. 3 by Baseball America. The four-year starter batted .500 (62-for-124) with 16 doubles, six triples, six home runs, 57 RBIs, 54 runs scored and 19 stolen bases in 37 games as a junior and was named to USA Baseball’s 18U National Team in 2021.

The Orioles made 22 selections in the three-day draft. They won’t confirm agreements, choosing to wait until the ink is dry on a contract, which happens following a physical.

The deadline to sign players is Aug. 1.

Orioles director of draft operations Brad Ciolek didn’t express confidence Tuesday that the Orioles would sign with every player, though Holliday never appeared to be a risk.

"I won't talk about any individual cases. I will say that the intent, obviously, is to sign all these guys. That's what we're hoping to do," Ciolek said.

"If, gun to my head, if you're asking if I'm optimistic we're going to sign all of them, I'm probably not as optimistic as I would have been in years past, but obviously the intent is to sign each and every one of these guys, as we do want them in the system. That's why we took them."

Holliday’s advisor is Scott Boras, who also represented Jackson’s father, former major league outfielder Matt Holliday.

The Orioles have signed Lipscomb University right-hander Trey Nordmann, 21, as an undrafted free agent.

Nordmann spent one season at the school and posted a 3.46 ERA and 1.538 WHIP with 12 saves in 28 games. He allowed only eight hits and struck out 40 batters in 26 innings, but also walked 32 and hit seven.

Nordmann pitched for the Upper Valley Nighthawks in the New England Collegiate Baseball League and allowed six runs and six hits with 10 walks, 15 strikeouts and three hit batters in 11 innings.

Over three years that include appearances in the Northwoods League in 2020-21 and the MLB Draft League in 2021, Nordmann has allowed 36 hits, walked 109 batters, struck out 130, hit 19 and surrendered no home runs in 87 innings. He also has 25 saves.

Nordmann is listed at 6-feet-5 and 220 pounds.

Also, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde has rearranged his rotation, with Tyler Wells starting Friday night against the Yankees at Camden Yards, Jordan Lyles on Saturday night and Dean Kremer on Sunday afternoon.

The Yankees are starting Jameson Taillon, Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes Jr.

Update: Holliday's deal is for $8.19 million, according to a source, and tops the previous club record of $8.1 million given to catcher Adley Rutschman, the first-overall selection in 2019.