Baltimore Orioles End Up With Under-The-Radar Prospect in Latest MLB Mock Draft

The Baltimore Orioles have 11 months to think about which prospect they will take with their first-round pick next year.

Apr 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Orioles hat and glove sits in the dugout during the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

Few teams have had the kind of run the Baltimore Orioles have had with their first-round picks.

Going back to 2017, six of their last eight first-rounders have made their MLB debuts with the Orioles. The other two were selected in the last two drafts and are not ready for the Majors.

High school or college, it hasn’t mattered. Baltimore has landed the pick.

Bleacher Report recently put together a 2025 mock draft and had the O’s selecting No. 28 overall. With the pick, Baltimore ended up with a college pitcher, right-hander James Ellwanger out of Dallas Baptist.

DBU, based in Dallas, Texas, is one of the best mid-major baseball programs in the country. The Patriots have made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances since 2008, with two regional championships. The program has also produced Major Leaguers, one of the most recognizable being Ben Zobrist.

So going to a school like DBU and snagging a pitcher like Ellwanger comes with a quality track record when it comes to the program. He’s unlikely to sneak up on teams, though. The Washington Nationals selected him in the 19th round out of high school in 2023.

With the Patriots last season he didn’t exactly impress, as he finished with a 6.11 ERA with 23 walks and 11 strikeouts in 17.2 innings. He made eight appearances, with just two going longer than two innings.

But, in the Cape Cod League this summer, it’s been a different story.

In one of the most prestigious summer leagues in the country, he threw 13 innings, struck out 22 and walked five. He had a 2.77 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. It’s a signal that his first year with DBU was more about adjusting to college than about his potential being misjudged.

Now, he’ll have to align that performance with his second season with the Patriots, and since he’s a draft-eligible sophomore, 2025 would be the perfect time to do it.

Lately, the Orioles can’t seem to miss in the first round. The latest selection was North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt, one of college baseball’s top hitter last season. He’s already considered a Top 100 prospect in the organization.

Last year Baltimore drafted another outfielder, Enrique Bradfield Jr., out of Vanderbilt. He’s cruising through the system and just earned a promotion to Double-A Bowie after a torrid stretch at High-A Aberdeen.

The five previous first-round picks have made their MLB debuts — infielder Jackson Holliday (2022), outfielder Colton Cowser (2021), outfielder Heston Kjerstad (2020), catcher Adley Rutschman (2019), pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (2018) and pitcher DL Hall (2017). Kjerstad is the only one who is not currently in the big leagues.