Orioles wrap up third day of MLB Draft (updated)

The MLB Draft has concluded with the Orioles taking 20 college players and two high school players.

The final count is 11 right-handers, one left-hander, two catchers, four infielders and four outfielders.

“As I mentioned yesterday, we really liked our options as far as the pitching, especially on Day 2 and Day 3 of the draft,” said Orioles director of draft operations Brad Ciolek. “Our scouting and analyst team did a fantastic job did a fantastic job of identifying guys and having unique traits, as far as the arsenal that we’re looking for. Really excited about the crop that we got today and yesterday, and really looking forward to getting them down to Sarasota and working with our player development staff.”

The streak of consecutive college players, following Oklahoma prep shortstop Jackson Holliday at first overall, ended at 11 today with 11^th-round prep pitcher Zachary Showalter.

Twenty-two players were selected over three days, including 10 this afternoon with rounds 11-20. These players can sign for up to $125,000 without counting against the bonus pool.

In the 11^th round: The Orioles chose right-hander Zack Showalter of Wesley Chapel (Fla.) High School. Showalter posted a 0.78 ERA in nine games this year, with 18 hits allowed, 16 walks and 89 strikeouts in 45 innings. The senior also batted .333/.394/.571 with three doubles, four home runs and 21 RBIs in 72 plate appearances.

Showalter, who’s 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, has a fastball touches 94 mph, and scouting sites note his sharp slider. He has a commitment to the University of South Florida and could be an overslot signing.

He isn’t related to former Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

In the 12^th round: The Orioles selected Indiana University right-hander Bradley Brehmer, who’s listed at 6-feet-6 and 205 pounds. They also drafted him in the 23^rd round in 2018 out of Decatur Central High School in Indianapolis.

Brehmer pitched one year with the Hoosiers and went 5-4 with a 5.30 ERA and 1.433 WHIP with 33 walks and 77 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings. He made 17 appearances, including 14 starts, and surrendered only five home runs.

Brehmer spent three seasons at Wright State and struck out 85 batters in 76 2/3 innings as a junior.

In the 13^th round: The Orioles selected left-hander Jared Beck of Saint Leo University in Florida, who’s listed at 7-feet and 225 pounds.

They drafted a center?

Beck pitched two seasons at St. Leo. He made 13 starts this year and registered a 3.95 ERA and 1.259 WHIP with 105 strikeouts 68 1/3 innings.

Sounds like they drafted a pitcher.

The Iowa native held opponents to a .217 average.

"Jared's a really interesting case," Ciolek said. "He was 88-91 and hist stuff really ticked up a little bit later on and actually reached up to 95. We think we can help his breaking ball, as well, and he's also got a changeup that he's been working on. Obviously, he's a little bit of a bigger guy and that might take a little bit more in terms of delivery, refining his mechanics, but we have the utmost faith in our player development staff, our pitching coaches, that will be able to get the most out of his ability."

In the 14^th round: The Orioles took Lehigh University catcher Adam Retzbach. In three college seasons, he batted .272/.370/.495 with 23 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs and 78 RBIs in 460 plate appearances.

During his final season at Lehigh, Retzbach .294/.397/.560 with 12 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs and 46 RBIs in 224 plate appearances.

Retzbach, who also plays first base and left field, threw out six of 19 runners attempting to steal this year for Vermont in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He’s a right-handed hitter listed at 6-feet-4 and 220 pounds.

In the 15^th round: The Orioles selected right-hander James Hicks Jr. out of the University of South Carolina. He’s listed at 6-feet-2 and 190 pounds.

Hicks appeared in only two games this year as a junior before undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Crowder College transfer struck out seven batters in seven innings.

In his first year with the Gamecocks, Hicks allowed four runs and 10 hits and threw 114 pitches.

In the 16^th round: The Orioles stuck with college pitching and selected Virginia Tech right-hander Graham Firoved. The Virginia Beach native transferred from Radford University after 2019.

Over three combined seasons with Radford and Virginia Tech, Firoved posted a 9-0 record with a 4.10 ERA, 1.463 WHIP and six saves in 64 games. He walked 58 batters and struck out 135 in 94 1/3 innings.

In 2022, Firoved went 5-0 with a 4.76 ERA and 1.412 WHIP in 27 appearances and fanned 72 in 51 innings.

Firoved, who is listed at 6-feet-1 and 185 pounds, made three appearances at Northwest Florida State in the shortened 2020 season and had a 10.38 ERA in 4 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out nine.

In the 17^th round: The Orioles selected Vanderbilt University switch-hitting shortstop Carter Young. In three seasons, he batted .244/.339/.468 with 24 doubles, eight triples, 23 home runs and 90 RBIs in 573 plate appearances. He walked 65 times and struck out 167.

In 2022, Young dipped to a .207/.327/.383 line in 56 games and was removed from the lineup by the NCAA Tournament. He had six doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 26 RBIs in 226 plate appearances.

Young announced later that he was transferring to LSU. He could try to enhance his draft status by staying in school.

Young, who’s listed at 6-feet and 180 pounds, has only played shortstop in college.

"Obviously, whenever you have a guy that has proven himself that he can play in the SEC, is an able defender at shortstop and has shown power, not so much this year, but last year ..." Ciolek said. "Had a little bit of a down year this year, so that's potentially why he dropped, but we're really excited to have him in this class and we'll see what happens when we open negotiations and go from there."

In the 18^th round: The Orioles went back to college pitching and chose University of Miami right-hander Andrew Walters. The reliever had a 1.57 ERA and 0.820 WHIP with 14 saves in 43 games (one start) in two seasons. He walked 15 batters and struck out 98 in 57 1/3 innings.

Walters made 24 appearances this season and had a 1.65 ERA and 0.582 WHIP with all 14 of his saves. He walked six and struck out 62 in 32 2/3 innings.

His fastball reaches the mid-90s.

Walters is listed at 6-feet-4 and 220 pounds. He wasn’t recruited at Palm Bay Bayside, a late-bloomer who sprouted from 5-feet-8 to something closer to his current size over one summer.

His father, Kyle Walters, is 6-8 and played basketball at Division II Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. Andrew figured to do a little more growing.

Miami offered him a scholarship after he spent one season at Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne.

In the 19^th round: The Orioles selected University of Richmond outfielder Alden Mathes. He also pitches and has plays first base and the outfield. The Orioles will develop him as a center fielder, according to Ciolek, because the Orioles like his athleticism and plus-arm.

Mathes batted .333/.392/.536 in three seasons at Richmond, with 23 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and 76 RBIs in 399 plate appearances. He walked 29 times and struck out 42.

In his most recent season, Mathes appeared in 55 games, made 278 plate appearances and slashed .344/.398/.567 with 13 doubles, six triples, 10 home runs and 59 RBIs.

Mathes, a left-hander who also bats from the left side, registered a 4.14 ERA and 1.222 WHIP in 21 games, including nine starts. He struck out 107 batters in 82 2/3 innings.

In the 20^th round: The Orioles used their last pick on Indiana University right-hander Reese Sharp, who’s listed at 6-feet-3 and 220 pounds.

The reliever, drafted by the Giants in the 28^th round in 2019, was 3-6 with a 6.42 ERA, 1.409 WHIP and four saves this year in 23 games. He struck out 76 batters in 54 2/3 innings and hit eight batters.

Scouts got another look at Reese in the Cape Cod League, but he allowed seven earned runs and eight total with eight walks and 11 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings.

“If you take a look at the class as a whole, obviously the key focal points for us besides adding talent to the farm system is finding guys who are solid defensively up the middle, especially yesterday and today with position players, and pitchers as far as guys that arsenal-wise we think that we can help improve, whether it’s their fastball, their breaking ball,” Ciolek said. “A lot of those picks that you saw today, we kind of have that in mind and was the focal point of that.”

The organization is attracted to those high-strikeout totals.

"Obviously that's a big thing, the swing and miss," Ciolek said.

The inflated ERAs aren't a concern, especially with some defenses unable to offer support with limited range in the infield.

Players must sign by Aug. 1.

"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," Ciolek said, "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."

Here is the complete list of draft picks, with round and overall selection:

1 (1): INF Jackson Holliday, Stillwater High School (OK)
CBA (33): OF Dylan Beavers, University of California
2 (42): INF Max Wagner, Clemson University
CBB (67): OF Jud Fabian, University of Florida
3 (81): RHP Nolan McLean, Oklahoma State University
4 (107): C Silas Ardoin, University of Texas
5 (137): RHP Trace Bright, Auburn University
6 (167): OF Douglas Hodo III, University of Texas
7 (197): RHP Preston Johnson, Mississippi State University
8 (227): RHP Cameron Weston, University of Michigan
9 (257): INF Adam Crampton, Stanford University
10 (287): RHP Wyatt Cheney, McLennan Community College (TX)
11 (317): RHP Zack Showalter, Wesley Chapel (Fla.) High School
12 (347): RHP Bradley Brehmer, Indiana University
13 (377): LHP Jared Beck, Saint Leo (Fla.) University
14 (407):  C Adam Retzbach, Lehigh University
15 (437): RHP James Hicks Jr., University of South Carolina
16 (467): RHP Graham Firoved, Virginia Tech University
17 (497): SS Carter Young, Vanderbilt University
18 (527): RHP Andrew Walters, University of Miami
19 (557): OF Alden Mathes, University of Richmond
20 (587): RHP Reese Sharp, Indiana University

Ardoin is the son of former major league catcher Danny Ardoin, who appeared in five games with the Orioles in 2006 and went 1-for-13 with six strikeouts.

The Nationals signed Ardoin as a free agent in November and traded him to the Astros in March 2007.

The Dodgers selected Baylor University outfielder Kyle Nevin, younger brother of Orioles infielder Tyler Nevin, in the 11^th round.