Orioles select left-handed hitter Enrique Bradfield for their first-round pick in MLB Draft
During yesterday’s first day of the 2023 MLB Draft, the Baltimore Orioles selected center fielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. from Vanderbilt University (TN) for their first selection as the 17th overall pick of the 2023 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles also selected outfielder Mac Horvath at No. 53 overall from the University of North Carolina and right-handed pitcher Jackson Baumeister at No. 63 overall out of Florida State University.
Bradfield Jr., 21, slashed .279/.410/.429 (65-for-233) with 13 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 69 runs scored, 34 RBI, 45 walks, and 37 stolen bases in 62 games during his junior season. He was named a unanimous preseason All-American, earning first team honors from Baseball America and second-team honors from D1Baseball.com, Perfect Game_, and _Collegiate Baseball. He was also selected to the Preseason All-SEC First Team and the Preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List. His 130 career stolen bases are the most in program history.
Bradfield Jr. attended American Heritage High School in Hialeah, Fla., and helped lead the school to back-to-back 6A District Championships in 2018 and 2019. He was ranked as the fifth-best outfield prospect and the No. 21 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline.
By selecting Bradfield, the O’s used their first-round pick on a left-handed-hitting college outfielder for the third time in four years, as they previously took Arkansas’ Heston Kjerstad (No. 2 overall in ’20) and Sam Houston State’s Cowser (No. 5 in ’21).
Bradfield is a much different player from either Kjerstad or Cowser, though. The former Commodores center fielder is best known for his 80-grade speed and his 70-grade fielding, a pair of tools that stood out to Elias when he watched Bradfield on tape. ~ MLB.com
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Horvath, 21, slashed .305/.418/.711 (73-for-239) with 21 doubles, two triples, 24 home runs, 73 runs scored, 66 RBI, 43 walks, and 25 stolen bases in 60 games during his junior season. He became the first player in school history and first ACC player since 1999 to hit 20 home runs, 20 doubles, and steal 20 bases in a season. Horvath paced the Tar Heels in slugging percentage, runs, RBI, triples, home runs, total bases (170), and stolen bases, earning Second Team All-ACC honors as a result. He attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he pitched and played shortstop. Horvath was ranked as the No. 82 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline.
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Baumeister, 21, pitched to a 5-5 record with a 5.09 ERA (39 ER/69.0 IP) with 95 strikeouts in 15 appearances (14 starts) for the Seminoles during his sophomore season, earning a spot on the All-ACC Third Team for his efforts. He was also named National Pitcher of the Week by Perfect Game and NCBWA and ACC Pitcher of the Week after striking out 14 against Clemson on April 6, the most by an ACC pitcher and eighth-most by a Division I pitcher last season. Baumeister attended The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., where he was named an All-American by Baseball America and Florida Times-Union First Coast Player of the Year in his senior year. He was ranked as the No. 167 overall draft prospect by MLB Pipeline.
The Draft continues with Day Two today (July 10,) with rounds 3-10, and Day Three on Tuesday, July 11, with rounds 11-20, with each day beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on MLB.com.
Welcome to Baltimore Enrique, Mac, and Jackson!
(Sources: MLB)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
