Baltimore Orioles Ink Draft Deal with Talented Tulane Catcher for Under Slot Value
Tulane Baseball officially has another one of their alumni signed to a deal with an MLB team following the 2024 MLB draft.
Catcher Colin Tuft signed a deal with the Baltimore Orioles after being selected with the 249th pick in the eighth round of the draft.
Tuft signed for $182,500, well under slot which was valued at $206,900 according to Baseball America. However, college players generally have less leverage in the signing process, especially older collegiate players who may only have a year or less of eligibility left.
A transfer from the University of Virginia, Tuft wanted an opportunity to catch, something he was not able to recieve at UVA. He did make a College World Series appearence with UVA, but it wasn't until he arrived at Tulane that his full skillset was put on display.
"The thing that we didn't understand about him until we got him in the program and he started to get comfortable was his ability to lead a pitching staff," said head coach Jay Uhlman. "His receiving skill set was really undervalued. I thought that was one of the things - his ability to get strikes and steal strikes - I think made a huge difference for our success from last year to this year. So, he was really instrumental."
In 2024, Tuft hit .279 with a .946 OPS while playing both catcher and in the outfield. He is now the eighth player drafted by the Orioles in program history. He was also the third catcher taken by the Orioles in this year's draft.
He will join a developmental system that has a great track record of producing Major League catchers, evidenced by this year's American League All-Star starting catching Adley Rutschman.
A talented catcher, Tuft will now have the opportunity to ply his craft at the professional level with the hopes of one day making it to the MLB.
KADE KISTNER