Orioles select Arkansas right-hander in round three (with updates)

By Steve Melewski

Orioles

June 05, 2018, 9:39am

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In the third round of the First-Year Player Draft today, the Orioles selected University of Arkansas right-handed pitcher Blaine Knight. He was the No. 87 overall selection.

Knight is rated the No. 36 prospect by Baseball America, No. 48 by MLBPipeline.com, No. 55 by ESPN and No. 58 by FanGraphs.

This season he went 11-0 with an 2.74 ERA over 16 starts with one shutout. In 95 1/3 innings he allowed 79 hits, including 16 homers, with 22 walks, 88 strikeouts and a .224 batting average against. Knight was a draft-eligible sophomore last season and was selected by Texas in round 29, but he returned to school. The 21-year-old Knight could add a few pounds at 6-foot-3, 165 lbs.

In its writeup of Knight, Baseball America said that, "Instead of signing, he chose to come back for his junior season at Arkansas, where he has been one of the best starters in the SEC. Through the first 10 starts of his junior season, Knight is 6-0, 2.24, including a matchup against Casey Mize in which the Auburn ace was handed his first loss of the season."

During today's MLB.com draft broadcast, analyst Jim Callis made some comments on Knight.

"They've been trying to beef him up," Callis said. "He could been a high pick last year, had he been signable. He wanted to come back to Arkansas. That is the one question you have with him. Can he become stronger? How is he going to hold up over a full pro season?

"But the stuff is pretty good when he is fully rested. He throws 90 to 94 mph, up to 97 mph. He's got a slider/cutter that can be a plus pitch at times. He can throw a curveball and changeup for strikes. I like this guy. The question is, is he projectable or is he skinny? He really hasn't put on a lot of weight in college. He doesn't need more velocity. You are just worried about maintaining that stuff over a long pro season."

Check back here often later, as this entry will be updated after each O's selection today.

Delmarva All-Stars: The Delmarva Shorebirds will send three players to the South Atlantic League's 59th All-Star game. The rosters were announced today and the Shorebirds will be represented by outfielder Zach Jarrett, first baseman Seamus Curran and third baseman Trevor Craport. All three players will be starters for the game.

Jarrett, a 28th-round pick last June, is batting .287/.353/.487 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs. He was the Orioles minor league Player of the Month for April. Curran, an eighth-round pick in 2015, is batting .257/.327/.486 with 11 doubles, 10 home runs and 36 RBIs. He ranks third in the league in both homers and RBIs. Craport, an 11th-round pick last June out of Georgia Tech, is batting .287/.345/.466 with seven homers and 32 RBIs.

The Delmarva players will play for the Northern Division team at the game, to be held at First National Bank Field in Greensboro on June 19.

Round four: In the fourth, the Orioles selected Highlands High School (Kentucky) left-hander Drew Rom. He is 6-foot-2, 177 lbs. and is age 18. He was ranked No. 187 by Baseball America.

Per the BA scouting report, Rom "works to both sides of the plate with an 89-91 mph fastball and a potentially above-average slider."

Said Callis: "He is a guy that was great at Jupiter, one of the big showcases on the schedule. He gets really good extension on his fastball with a loose, easy delivery. A projectable guy. That is always the tricky part with high school pitchers - figuring out what they are now and what they are going to be in the future. Little inconsistent this spring, the weather didn't help in Kentucky. But a lefty who has a chance for three pretty interesting pitches."

Round five: In the fifth with pick No. 145, the Orioles selected University of Iowa right fielder Robert Neustrom. This year he hit .311/.386/.538 with 15 doubles, 11 homers, 43 runs and 36 RBIs when he was all Big 10 first team. Neustrom is 6-foot-3 and 210 lbs. and was ranked No. 147 by MLBPipeline.com and No. 189 by Baseball America.

Said Callis: "Neustrom had a big Cape Cod league last year. The tool that jumps out is the power potential. He's strong and he's got bat speed. He's got loft in his left-handed swing. He's at his best when he goes oppo. He gets pull happy sometimes and there can be some swing and miss. When he uses the whole field he's a lot better. He does draw walks and he moves pretty well. Average runner and average arm, but the main thing you are focused on here is that power potential from the left side."

Round six: With overall pick No. 175, the Orioles selected 17-year-old right-handed pitcher Yeancarlos Lleras from Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. Lleras is 6-foot and 165 lbs, and is 17.

Said MLB.com analyst Jonathan Mayo: "He's kind of athletic. He was up to the mid 90s at times. He shows a good slider. He's a little bit undersized - not just in terms of needing to add some strength, but height-wise. So he's kind of that undersized righty but with some arm strength and some life there."

Round seven: With pick No. 205 the Orioles drafted right-handed pitcher J.J. Montgomery out of the University of Central Florida The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Montgomery was drafted in round 33 in 2016 by the Giants. For UCF this year he made 17 appearances, eight as a starter. He went 6-4 with a 2.54 ERA. Over 63 2/3 innings he allowed 54 hits with 21 walks, 74 strikeouts and a .224 average against. He had a 3.35 ERA as a starter and 1.16 when pitching out of the bullpen. He played two seasons at Northwest Florida State before playing for Central Florida. His brother Christian was drafted in round 11 by the Mets in 2011.

Said Mayo: "He's been a swing man over time. Solid numbers across the board. Probably better out of the bullpen, where that fastball - which touches the mid 90s - might play up. The slider touches average at times, low 80s. He had a cutter and a changeup when he starts. But they were not always effective and maybe they get put on the shelf and he becomes a two-pitch power reliever at the next level."

Round eight: The Orioles selected Elon University right-handed pitcher Ryan Conroy with pick No. 235. In his junior season he went 4-3 with a 3.29 ERA in 17 games and 14 starts. Over 79 1/3, he allowed 73 hits with 32 walks, 67 strikeouts and a .237 average against.

Callis said: "He throws 89 to 92 mph and is a groundball specialist. The key for him this year is he improved his slider after talking to (Mets pitcher Noah) Syndergaard."

Round nine: The Orioles drafted St. John's University lefty pitcher Kevin Magee with pick No. 265. During his senior season in 2018, Magee went 7-3 with a 2.67 ERA. Over 77 2/3, he allowed 73 hits with 15 walks, 92 strikeouts and a .249 average against. For his four-year career he went 14-12 with a 3.69 ERA. Over 178 innings, he gave up 188 hits with 49 walks and 176 strikeouts.

Mayo on Magee: "He is a senior command-and-control lefty with a solid changeup. He's 87 to 91 mph. Started for four years at St. John's. Really high strikeout rate, mostly because of the deception in that above-average-to-plus changeup.

Round 10: With pick No. 295, the Orioles selected right-handed pitcher Dallas Litscher from Saint Katherine (California) College. This season as a senior, the 6-foot-8 Litscher went 8-1 with a 3.05 ERA. Over 73 2/3, he gave up 39 hits with 53 walks, 105 strikeouts and a .155 average against.

Mayo on Litscher: "A 6-foot-8 right-hander. Kind of a guy that bloomed a little late, that threw 90 to 94 mph with a big spike curveball that sometimes shows plus. He's also a professional photographer."

So through 10 rounds of the draft, the Orioles have selected eight pitchers (six right-handers and two lefties) along with an outfielder and shortstop. Of their 10 picks, seven come from the college ranks. The draft concludes on Wednesday with rounds 11-40 beginning at Noon ET.