Baltimore Orioles Named Winners of the 2024 MLB Draft

The Baltimore Orioles draft was once again a sign of what their scouting department has built.

Jun 18, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center fielder Vance Honeycutt (7) reaches for the ball during the fifth inning against the Florida State Seminoles at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles scouting department continues to show why they're arguably the best in baseball. While the Orioles' draft picks that have found success have typically been picked early in the draft cycle, they picked at No. 22 and No. 32 on Sunday night and hit their picks out of the park.

Baltimore selected Vance Honeycutt out of North Carolina. The two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year and UNC's single-season home run record holder is a potential superstar.

They also drafted Griff O'Ferrall out of the University of Virginia. O'Ferrall was the everyday shortstop for the Collegiata National Team and put together an impressive career at UVA.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic wrote about his MLB Draft Day One winners, writing that the Orioles were one of them.

"The Orioles didn’t pick until No. 22 but were still able to land center fielder Vance Honeycutt out of North Carolina... If he hits, he’ll be a superstar. And things got even better for the Orioles at pick 32 when they were able to nab shortstop Griff O’Ferrall out of Virginia.

"O’Ferrall can really hit, and can stick at shortstop thanks to quick feet and first-step quickness. It’s amazing Baltimore did this well in the first round despite not picking in the top two-thirds of it."

One has to wonder what Baltimore was thinking when they drafted two college players. Do they believe that they can play in the near future? Does this allow them to move some of their other top prospects in the next few weeks ahead of the trade deadline?

It's certainly possible that they went with the best player available at both picks, as Honeycutt had an argument to be drafted much higher than he was.

In the 2024 campaign, O'Ferrall slashed .324/.467/.454 with five home runs. He had a better showing in 2023, slashing .396/.453/.495. His power numbers aren't going to wow anyone, but he did have 40 combined doubles over his final two years at UVA.

Honeycutt slashed .318/.410/.714 with those 28 home runs and 70 RBI. He had a ridiculous freshman campaign at UNC, blasting 25 home runs, but struggled in 2023 with a .257 batting average and just 12 home runs.

If there are any worries about the Salisbury, North Carolina native, it's all going to be on his swing-and-miss issues. Honeycutt struck out 83 times in 2024 and 90 times in 2022.

However, if he can cut down on that, there's potential for him to be one of the biggest power threats in baseball with elite defensive metrics.