Scouting makeup in the draft (Chris Davis on Homers for Hearts)

Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft, consisting of 40 rounds, will be held over three days beginning on Monday, June 12.

The first two rounds of the draft, through competitive balance round B (where the Orioles have a pick) will be held beginning Monday at 7 p.m. Eastern time. Rounds three through 10 will be held starting at 1 p.m. on June 13. On June 14, the draft resumes at noon with rounds 11 through 40.

The Orioles select 21st overall in round one. It is their highest selection since they took pitcher Kevin Gausman fourth overall in 2012. They have three other top 100 picks with selections at Nos. 60, 74 and 98. The Orioles will have 11 picks in the top 10 rounds. The last time they held the 21st pick in the draft, they took outfielder Larry Bigbie out of Ball State in 1999.

The Orioles are looking for talent, of course, in selecting players, but more than just baseball skill is considered. A player's makeup - his character and attitude - are also important.

rajsich sidebar.jpg"Makeup for me is just as important as talent," Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich said. "You have to have both. It is more difficult to know that about the college guys, but at the same time, you've watched them over a longer period."

Rajsich said he expects his area scouts to try to get to know the players personally and get a real feel for them. But he said that is easier to do with high school talent.

"That is part of the job, yes, they should do that," Rajsich said. "But there are some college programs that don't let scouts get near their players. They may have one day for that in the spring and our scouts have to do all their signability work then and that makes it tough. But high school players, they are free to get to know them as much as they want. That is one of the most important parts of the job: getting to know the signability and makeup."

The signability is essentially the amount of a signing bonus a player is hoping to get from a pro team. Tougher-to-sign players can fall in the draft.

The Orioles have held some draft meetings this week to pare down the number of players they will consider for that 21st pick. Most of the potential picks at No. 21 will be players pretty well scouted by the club.

"Most of them are guys we have known about," Rajsich said. "We generally have between four to seven (in person) looks at these guys throughout the spring. And in most cases, the area scout has seen him over more than one year."

Last year, the Orioles signed a large amount of their draft picks, coming to terms with 34 of 41 selections. They signed 24 of their first 25 picks. They drafted 27 pitchers and signed 23.

Homers for hearts: If you ever wanted to take a shot at hitting a home run at Camden Yards, here is your chance - and it is for a great cause.

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis and his wife Jill will host "Crush's Homers for Hearts," a charity home run derby event at Oriole Park on Thursday, July 13, from 5-9 p.m. It will benefit the Pediatric Heart Program of the University of Maryland Children's Hospital at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Participants will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in a home run derby challenge in foursomes on the field at Oriole Park. Along with taking part in the home run derby, participants will also have the opportunity to watch a private Orioles team workout prior to the event, warm up on the field with Orioles strength and conditioning coaches, enjoy complimentary food and beverages, and take pictures with Chris and Jill Davis.

"You can go on the field and take your shot at a home run like the players," Jill Davis said. "I think it is going to be really fun. I think I'm going to help with the kids maybe, the T-ball challenge. That is more up my alley.

"We've always been passionate about helping children. Especially helping children battling illnesses at a young age. I'm a nurse and have a daughter now and that has always been close to my heart.

"We want to do anything we can to help. We met with the hospital board and we decided that focusing on the children's heart program at the hospital is going to be the most beneficial. We've learned a lot about that and are behind it 100 percent."

The Davises have worked with Casey Cares in the past and will again. They hope this event continues for many years.

Chris Davis has also announced that he will be donating $1,000 to the the Pediatric Heart Program for each home run he hits during the 2017 regular season.

"We are grateful for the commitment by Chris and Jill Davis and partnership of the Orioles to our pediatric heart program," said Dr. Mohan Suntha, president and chief executive officer of the University of Maryland Medical Center, home of the University of Maryland Children's Hospital. "This event presents an important opportunity to continue advancing research and care for our smallest and most vulnerable patients in the most complex area of pediatric heart disease."

The Davises have visited the University of Maryland Children's Hospital a few times and that only served to further motivate them to help the kids and families there.

"Once we met the staff and got to know the parents and kids, it is hard not to fall in love with them," Chris Davis said. "They have such positive and energetic attitudes. Some of them are battling some very serious things. It puts things in perspective. We enjoy spending time with those kids. Our hope is that Crush's Homers for Hearts continues to grow each year and becomes a cornerstone in the program's fundraising efforts."

For more information about sponsorship packages or foursome participation for this event, may contact Nichole Komninos (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) at the University of Maryland Children's Hospital. This event is private and exclusive to the participants, patients and sponsors.




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