O’s shift focus from pitching at end of draft

Club selects several college hitters to balance haul

NEW YORK — After using eight of their first10 picks onpitchers in the first twodays of the major league baseball draft, the Orioles began the third and final day with a run on college position players to balance their haul.

Their first of 30 picks Wednesday — North Carolina catcher Cody Roberts — INSIDE: Towson University’s Palacios carries on family baseball legacy was one of four straight college hitters they selected. The club’s third-day haul made it more of an even split of talent coming in.

Out of 40 overall selections, 21 were pitchers, with 13 of those coming from the college ranks.

Four players selected were ranked in the MLB.com Top 200, and 12 were ranked in the Top 500 by Baseball America, including five third-day picks: Roberts (No. 274), 12th-round shortstop Clay Fisher (No. 339), 16th-round right-hander Parker McFadden (No. 443), 20th-round right-hander Caleb Kilian (No. 299) and 35th-round righthander Conor Grammes (No. 388).

With their 38th-round pick, the Orioles took a major signability lottery ticket in Florida prep right-hander Slade Cecconi, who was rated the No. 79 prospect in the draft by Baseball America. A Miami commit, Cecconi was said to have the potential to be one of the top high school pitchers in the draft before an erratic spring led teams to back off. He’ll likely

carry the bonus demands of a high pick and can return to the draft in two years as a draft-eligible sophomore, but the Orioles took a chance for his negotiating rights.

They have a total bonus pool of $8,754,400 for the first 10 rounds, with any picks made after the 10th round capped at $125,000 before counting against that figure. A penalty is paid on any overage. Bonus slots are lost if any of the top 10 picks are not signed, and players must be signed by July 6.

Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, the Orioles’ top selection overall, has an assigned bonus slot value of $4,375,100.

The Orioles selected two players with local ties Wednesday — Colonel Richardson right-hander Jake Zebron, a North Carolina State commit from Caroline County, selected in the 18th round, and left-hander Jayvien Sandridge, a Hagerstown native from Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy, in the 32nd round. Sandridge is committed to Central Florida, and was believed to be the seventh and final player with Maryland roots selected over the three-day draft.

Local players selected Wednesday include George Washington right-hander and Winters Mills alumnus Isaiah Pasteur (13th round, New York Yankees), George Mason right-hander and Allegheny alumnus Bryce Nightengale (16th round, Oakland Athletics), and Maryland outfielder and Archbishop Curley alumnus Marty Costes (22nd round, Houston Astros). Navy right-hander Noah Song was not drafted; he faces a five-year military commitment.