Cavaliers Now

Ethan Anderson Selected 61st Overall by Baltimore Orioles in 2024 MLB Draft

Matt Newton

Virginia catcher Ethan Anderson was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the 61st overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Virginia catcher Ethan Anderson was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the 61st overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2024 MLB Draft. / Virginia Athletics

The first night of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft has seen a pipeline form between the Virginia baseball program and the Baltimore Orioles.

Not even an hour after grabbing UVA shortstop Griff O'Ferrall with the 32nd pick, the Orioles selected Virginia catcher and utility player Ethan Anderson with the 61st overall pick in the second round of the MLB Draft on Sunday night.

Anderson appeared in 178 games over the last three seasons as a Cavalier. The 2023 campaign saw the switch hitter hit 15 home runs, set Virginia's single-season doubles record with 26 doubles, and earn a Third-Team All-ACC selection. This past season, Anderson was tabbed a Frist-Team All-ACC honoree after batting .331 with 82 hits, 67 runs scored, 20 doubles, eight home runs, and 40 RBI. Anderson finished his career third all-time at UVA with 58 doubles, seventh with 28 home runs, ninth with 173 runs scored, and 10th with 373 total bases.

Though Anderson is listed as a catcher on the MLB Draft tracker, he only made 24 starts at catcher this past season, as Salisbury transfer Jacob Ference started the other 39 games. Anderson started 31 games at designated hitter and eight at first base. It remains to be seen whether Anderson will get more reps at catcher or first base as he begins to progress through the minor leagues.

According to the slot values distributed from the MLB to each franchise, the No. 61 overall pick is valued at $1,418,900, an estimate for the figure Anderson may be expected to receive upon his signing with the Baltimore Orioles.

This marks the second year in a row that Virginia has had two players selected in the first two rounds of the MLB Draft, as O'Ferrall and Anderson follow up Kyle Teel and Jake Gelof going in the first and second rounds of the 2023 MLB Draft. The UVA baseball program has now produced 149 MLB Draft picks all time, 100 of which have come during the Brian O'Connor era.

The 2024 MLB Draft will continue on Monday (rounds 3-10) and Tuesday (rounds11-20) starting at 2pm ET each day. Other Cavaliers eligible to be selected in the MLB Draft include Harrison Didawick, Casey Saucke, and Jay Woolfolk.

More Virginia Baseball News

Griff O'Ferrall Selected 32nd Overall by Baltimore Orioles in 2024 MLB Draft

Virginia Baseball to Face Oregon State, Oklahoma, Minnesota in Round Rock Classic

Virginia Baseball: DIII National Champ LHP Matt Lanzendorfer Transfers to UVA

Virginia Baseball Adds Lynchburg Grad Transfer Pitcher Wesley Arrington

Published
Matt Newton

MATT NEWTON

Matt Newton launched the Cavaliers Now site on Sports Illustrated in August 2021, where he covers all things UVA sports. His reporting spans Virginia basketball and football news and recruiting, former Cavaliers in the pros, and all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. Before this, Matt served as the Sports Director at WUVA, a student-run digital media organization at the University of Virginia, and worked as a beat writer at Scrimmage Play, covering high school sports in central Virginia. Originally from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Matt grew up a huge Philadelphia sports fan. His passion for sports journalism has been evident throughout his career, focusing on both collegiate and high school athletics.