{"id":2592,"date":"2017-05-30T07:43:10","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T12:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prospects1500.com\/?p=2592"},"modified":"2020-05-03T17:14:22","modified_gmt":"2020-05-03T22:14:22","slug":"orioles-2016-draft-class-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prospects1500.com\/al-east\/orioles-2016-draft-class-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Baltimore Orioles 2016 Draft Class Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is my first article since shifting from covering the Rangers system to covering the Orioles. The two teams’ minor league systems and organizational philosophies couldn\u2019t be any more different. The Rangers believe in spending freely in the international market, stocking the minor leagues with both quality and quantity Latin American talent. \u00a0The Orioles<\/a> own a globe that seems to be devoid of anything south of Florida.<\/p>\n

While I am a huge Orioles<\/a> fan, and live within an hour of three of their minor league affiliates, I am not always enamored with their player development strategies. What drew me to covering the Rangers is the thing that frustrates me about the Orioles<\/a>. Baseball America\u2019s international review series, by the excellent Ben Badler, pointed out that the Orioles<\/a> only signed 5 international free agents in this past signing period. Badler and others point out that Orioles<\/a> ownership does not prioritize spending on international talent. This outdated and misguided philosophy has put the Orioles<\/a> at a significant disadvantage and left the Orioles lagging in the talent department.<\/p>\n

So how does an organization who doesn\u2019t understand, or doesn\u2019t believe in, the international free agent market try to keep up with more savvy organizations in the year 2017? \u00a0They must have extraordinary drafts.<\/p>\n

With the 2017 MLB Draft on the immediate horizon, here is a look back at the Orioles<\/a> 2016 draft. A draft that so far has delivered mixed results.<\/p>\n

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Cody Sedlock, RHP, Illinois, Round 1, pick 27<\/strong>
\nSedlock was ranked #2 by our former Orioles<\/a> prospect writer, and that\u2019s a pretty fair evaluation. I would have ranked him second, behind only Chance Sisco, as well. Sedlock was used heavily in college. As a result, the Orioles<\/a> chose to ease him into professional ball last season, limiting his appearances to 3 inning stints. Sedlock is said to be an advanced pitcher with a 4 pitch mix. He started the 2017 campaign in Advanced A Frederick. He impressed early, but has been lit up his past few starts. \u00a0His ERA sits at an unsightly 6.80. It\u2019s still early in Sedlock\u2019s career, and he has time to hone his skills, but his stock has definitely taken a slight step backwards.<\/p>\n

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