Baltimore Orioles complete their picks for the 2023 MLB Draft
Yesterday, the Baltimore Orioles made 10 selections on their Day Three of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, completing Rounds 11-20. This year, the Orioles selected 22 players overall: 13 pitchers and nine position players, with 20 of the selections being college athletes and two from the high school ranks. The Orioles selected 12 right-handed pitchers, one left-handed pitcher, six outfielders, two infielders, and one catcher.
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On Tuesday, Day Two of the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, the club completed Rounds 3-10. The O’s started the day by selecting right-handed pitcher Kiefer Lord at No. 86 overall from the University of Washington. The Orioles also selected outfielder Tavian Josenberger at No. 100 overall from the University of Arkansas, right-handed pitcher Levi Wells at No. 118 overall from Texas State University, outfielder Jake Cunningham at No. 154 overall from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, right-handed pitcher Jacob Cravey at No. 181 overall from Samford University (AL), right-handed pitcher Teddy Sharkey at No. 211 overall from Coastal Carolina University (SC), right-handed pitcher Braxton Bragg at No. 241 overall from Dallas Baptist University (TX), right-handed pitcher Zach Fruit at No. 271 overall from Troy University (AL), and outfielder Matthew Etzel at No. 301 overall from Southern Mississippi University.
Lord, 21, sported a 6-5 record with a 6.19 ERA (52 ER/75.2 IP) and 78 strikeouts in 15 starts for the Huskies during his junior season. He earned an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention nod after leading the conference in K/BB ratio (4.59) and BB/9 (2.02). Lord was named Collegiate Baseball National Pitcher of the Week by Perfect Game and Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week after tossing 6.0 perfect innings with 10 strikeouts on March 4 against Northern Colorado. He was again honored as the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week after working 8.0 scoreless frames on three hits with 10 punchouts on April 22 at No. 9 Stanford. He spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn. A California native, Lord attended Menlo High School in Atherton, Calif. He was ranked as the No. 127 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline.
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Josenberger, 21, slashed .286/.414/.490 (55-for-192) with nine doubles, 10 home runs, 51 runs scored, 33 RBI, 41 walks, and 13 stolen bases in 52 games during his junior season for the Razorbacks. He paced the team in stolen bases and finished second on the team with 19 multi-hit games. Earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors after logging a perfect fielding percentage in 137 total chances, recording a team-leading seven outfield assists and helping to turn five double plays. He was named SEC Player of the Week on April 3 after helping power the Hogs to a 3-1 week, including an SEC weekend series win against Alabama, slashing .571/.657/1.143 (8-for-14) with two doubles, two home runs, eight runs scored, and six RBI. Josenberger spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at the University of Kansas. He attended Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Mo. He was ranked as the No. 156 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline.
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Wells, 21, pitched to an 8-4 record with a 5.02 ERA (45 ER/80.2 IP) and a team-high 98 strikeouts in 14 starts for the Bobcats during his junior season, earning a spot on the All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team as a result. He was also tabbed as a preseason Third-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball.com, Perfect Game, and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Wells was named Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week after tossing a complete game with a career-high 13 strikeouts on April 14 vs. Marshall. He was also recognized as the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week after working 5.0 scoreless innings on two hits with three walks and nine punchouts on February 17 vs. Northwestern, his 2023 debut. Wells spent his freshman season at Texas Tech University. He attended La Porte High School in his hometown of La Porte, Texas. He was ranked as the No. 96 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline.
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Cunningham, 21, slashed .267/.359/.519 (50-for-187) with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, 40 runs scored, 41 RBI, 25 walks, and one stolen base in 49 appearances (47 starts) during his junior season for the 49ers. During his sophomore season in 2022, he played and started in center field in all but one of Charlotte’s 58 games. slashed .304/.410/.595 (69-for-227) with 12 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs, 38 walks, 16 stolen bases, and 52 RBI. Cunningham launched his second grand slam of the season in the Conference USA Tournament against Middle Tennessee on May 26, 2022. He earned C-USA Hitter of the Week on May 16, 2022. Cunningham attended Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, N.C. He was ranked as the No. 147 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline.
Cravey, 21, went 9-2 with a 3.10 ERA (36 ER/104.2 IP) in 15 appearances (14 starts) for the Bulldogs during his senior season. He earned a spot on the All-Southern Conference First Team and was named Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year after logging a conference-best 104.2 innings and 126 strikeouts. His 126 punchouts were the second-most by a pitcher in school history. He was also tabbed as an All-American by three outlets, earning second-team honors from Collegiate Baseball, and third-team honors from Perfect Game and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Cravey ranks third in program history in career strikeouts (225) and sixth in career ERA (3.47). He attended Andalusia High School in Andaluisa, Ala., where he was ranked as the No. 7 right-handed pitcher and No. 17 overall player in the state by Perfect Game.
Sharkey, 21, owned a 7-2 record with a 2.90 ERA (16 ER/49.2 IP) in 27 appearances for the Chanticleers in his junior season. Named the Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week on April 17. Named to the 2023 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Midseason watch list and ranked as the No. 33 Sun Belt Conference prospect for the 2023 MLB Draft by D1Baseball. In 2022, his sophomore season, Sharkey appeared in 17 games, tied for fifth-most on the team. He threw a season-high 2.0 innings in the road win at the College of Charleston on April 26, 2022. During his freshman season, in 2021, Sharkey owned a 4-1 record with a 2.25 ERA (8 ER/32.0 IP) in 22 games that season, the second-most of any pitcher on the roster. He struck out 33 batters in 32.0 innings pitched and held opposing batters to a .195 batting average. He attended Wall High School in Wall Township, N.J., where he was ranked as the No. 17 overall player in the state by Perfect Game.
Bragg, 22, pitched to a 9-2 record with a 4.19 ERA (40 ER/86.0 IP) and 92 strikeouts in 16 starts for the Patriots during his junior season. He was named Conference USA Player of the Week and Collegiate Baseball National Pitcher of the Week after working 5.0 scoreless innings on one hit with 12 punchouts on February 17 against Fordham. His 12 strikeouts were the most by a Patriot pitcher on Opening Day in program history. Bragg helped lead the Patriots to a school-record 47 wins, including a victory over Washington in an elimination game to advance to the Stillwater Regional Final. He struck out 10 Huskies in the win, the most by a Patriot in an NCAA Postseason game in program history. Bragg spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at the University of Nebraska. He attended Liberty High School in Liberty, Mo., where he was ranked as the top-rated first baseman and No. 9 overall prospect from the state by Perfect Game.
Fruit, 23, a graduate student for the Trojans, went 6-1 with a 6.46 ERA (50 ER/69.2 IP) with five saves in 22 appearances (eight starts) in 2023. In 2022 at Eastern Michigan, he made 14 starts and owned a 4-5 record with a 7.71 ERA (58 ER/67.2 IP) and a team-best 65 strikeouts. Fruit made 17 appearances for the Eagles in 2021 and posted a 3.57 ERA (7 ER/17.2 IP) while striking out 18 batters and securing a team-best three saves. He attended Lansing Community College in Lansing, Mich. from 2019-20, making 10 appearances while striking out 39 batters in 30.0 innings for the Stars. Fruit attended Dundee High School in Dundee, Mich.
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Etzel, 21, slashed .317/.381/.472 (90-for-284) with 17 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 55 runs scored, 51 RBI, 31 walks, and 23 stolen bases in 66 games for the Golden Eagles during his junior season. His 90 hits were the most by a Golden Eagle in a season since 2017, while his 23 stolen bases were the most in a season since 1998. Prior to this year, Etzel earned the top spot on D1Baseball.com’s list of the Top 50 Junior College Impact Players. He spent the previous two seasons at Panola College in Carthage, Texas. Etzel also played in the MLB Draft League last summer, where he slashed .371/.463/.586 (43-for-116) with seven doubles, three triples, four home runs, 31 runs scored, 22 RBI, 19 walks, and 25 stolen bases in 33 games for the Williamsport Crosscutters. A Texas native, Etzel attended Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas. He was ranked as the No. 229 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline.
(Source: MLB)
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