Baltimore Orioles: MLB Draft recap and scouting reports on top 5 picks

By Ben Palmer | Jun 14, 2017

Jun 8, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter looks on front he dugout against the Washington Nationals in the first inning at Nationals Park. The Nationals won 6-1. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

The Baltimore Orioles have selected a handful of players in this year’s MLB Draft. Here’s a look at their top five picks and what they could bring to the team.

The Baltimore Orioles have selected a handful of players in this year’s MLB Draft. Here, we’ll take a look at their top five picks and give a brief scouting report on each player.

No. 21 overall pick – LHP D.L. Hall

We talked a bit about Hall earlier after the Baltimore Orioles drafted him in the first round. It’s somewhat surprising that Hall fell to the Orioles, as many scout had him going earlier in the draft. He has one of the highest ceilings of any of the pitchers in the draft this year.

Hall has been compared to Scott Kazmir. He has a fastball that sits in the low-90s and occasionally hits 94-95 MPH. He’s also got a curveball that was said to be the best breaking ball in the draft by some scouts, and it looks to be a really good potential out pitch. Hall also recently added a changeup that’s still a work in progress but should be a league-average pitch.

His inconsistency hurts him a little bit, but he’s young and has time to work on that, and when he’s on, he’s really on.

Hall is a high school pick whose committed Florida State, we’ll see if he ends up going there or staying with the Baltimore Orioles.

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No. 60 overall pick – SS Adam Hall

At 6’0″ tall and 170 pounds, Hall is a slender guy, but he’s athletic. He’s a plus fielder with good range and a good arm, moving easily to both sides with fluidity.

On the offensive side, Hall is a good contact hitter with quick hands and a knack for hitting balls in the gap. He has decent power but that’s not his main game, as he’s more of an on-base and doubles kind of guy.

Overall, Hall projects to be a good fielding shortstop who’s a solid hitter (likely a good leadoff hitter). He’s got good speed, so he could potentially steal a fair amount of bases as well.

No. 74 overall pick – LHP Zac Lowther

Lowther is a fairly big guy, at 6’2″, 235 pounds, and is liked by a fair number of scouts, making his pick this late in the draft intriguing.

Lowther has a windup that releases the ball at the 3/4 angle, and has a decent fastball that sits around 88-89 MPH, topping out at 91. While the velocity isn’t exactly overpowering, Lowther’s strength is his ability to locate his fastball well.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect to Lowther’s game is his curveball, which looks to be his true out pitch to hitters on both sides of the plate. It’s a sharp, good quality breaking ball that Lowther is good at locating. He also has a changeup that he rarely uses, but should start including more to vary his repertoire.

Lowther could easily become a quality starter, but if he doesn’t develop that way, he could also turn into a specialty pitcher out of the bullpen.

No. 98 overall pick – RHP Michael Baumann

Baumann is big (6’4″) and pitches like a power pitcher. He has a plus fastball that consistently sits around 95 MPH. He also throws a curveball that’s decent and a slider that looks to also be a potential plus pitch. He’s also got a decent changeup to go along with everything else.

Baumann’s windup isn’t the most repeatable windup out there, which has lead to some inconsistency and control issues. That being said, there’s a fair bit of talent here that shouldn’t be ignored.

No. 128 overall pick – RHP Jack Conlon

A big, strong, athletically built player, Conlon has a high-energy delivery, and with his 6’4″ frame, he’s able to create a good downhill angle towards the plate. He has a good fastball that sits around 94 MPH, however it’s a mostly straight pitch, but he has good command of it within the zone.

Conlon also has a good feel for his changeup that has some good fading action to it. He also throws a slider that’s still a work in progress but shows promise.

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Overall, Conlon is a very raw pitcher but has some decent potential if he can refine his delivery and his stuff.

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