On Monday, a 24-year-old right-hander named Alex Pham won Eastern League Player of the Week honors. Pham, the Orioles’ 23rd-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline, allowed just two baserunners in six scoreless innings in the Baysox’s loss to Altoona four days prior.
Pham’s name may not be familiar to a majority of Orioles fans, but the 2021 19th-round pick is a shining example of the kind of value that can be had on Day 3 of the MLB draft.
With all competitive balance round and compensation picks out of the way, the Orioles entered the final day of the 2024 draft with 10 selections. Under Mike Elias, Baltimore has traditionally saved the arms for last, going pitcher-heavy in the draft’s middle-to-late rounds. In 2023, for example, the O’s drafted eight pitchers between Rounds 6-14. This draft was no different, as 10 of Baltimore’s final 14 picks were pitchers, and all 10 were at least a year removed from high school.
“We had some high school pitchers on the board,” said Matt Blood, the Orioles’ vice president of player development and domestic scouting. “But usually high school pitchers have college commitments, and they have higher signing bonus demands, and so they’re not always easy to acquire, especially where you’ve seen us draft them.”
The Orioles kicked off their 2024 class by selecting North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt on Sunday night, then grabbed nine more college players with their next 10 picks. On Day 3, they picked six college players, three high schoolers and one junior college player.
In all, the Orioles’ 2024 draft class consists of 21 players: 11 pitchers, four catchers, two shortstops and two outfielders. Sixteen of the club’s draftees come from the college ranks, four from high school and one from junior college.
“We’re really excited about the group we were able to bring in,” Blood said. “I think we were able to, one, accomplish our goal of getting the best player that we wanted at each pick, while also having some balance and some variety in the profiles of the players that we were able to select.”
Teams have until Aug. 1 at 5 p.m. to sign their drafted players, and Blood said the organization wants to get their signings out of the way “as fast as possible.”
11th round, No. 339: Sebastian Gongora, LHP, Louisville
The Orioles began Day 3 by grabbing another college arm. Gongora is Baseball America’s No. 353 prospect, though he was ranked higher a year ago when he went undrafted out of Wright State. The 6-foot-5 lefty transferred to Louisville, where he registered a 6.24 ERA in 16 starts. Gongora’s velocity increased in 2024 and his fastball touched 97 mph early in the season. He also has a slider, curveball and changeup, though “his secondaries are fringy sort of pitches,” according to Baseball America.
12th round, No. 369: Andrew Tess, catcher, Calvary Christian High School (Florida)
Baltimore selected their fourth catcher of the draft class in Andrew Tess out of Calvary Christian in Florida. The Clearwater native has a commitment to the University of Pittsburgh and is not ranked in Baseball America’s top 500 draft prospects. Perfect Game lists Tess at 6 feet, 200 pounds.
13th round, No. 399: Brandon Downer, RHP, California Baptist
Brandon Downer is the Orioles’ sixth pitcher taken in this year’s draft. Downer, who turned 21 in May, spent three seasons at California Baptist, posting a 5.61 ERA with 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The best season of Downer’s college career came in 2024, when he put up a 4.35 ERA in 16 appearances. The 6-foot-5 righty also pitched in the Alaska League last summer and registered a sparkling 1.08 ERA in five starts while striking out 17 batters.
14th round, No. 429: Cohen Achen, RHP, Lindsey Wilson College
Here comes the run on arms. The Orioles grabbed Cohen Achen with their 14th round pick, making him their third hurler of Day 3 and seventh overall. Achen played four seasons at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky, collecting a 3.66 ERA with 11.4 strikeouts per nine. The Canadian righty, who turns 23 at the end of July, pitched in eight games with a 2.93 ERA in the Northwoods League earlier this summer. (In case you were wondering, Lindsey Wilson College’s mascot is the Raiders.)
15th round, No. 459: Carter Rustad, RHP, Missouri
Can I interest you in another college righty? Carter Rustad pitched two seasons at San Diego, then three at Missouri, putting up a 4.82 ERA in a whopping 192.1 innings. His 8.0 strikeouts per nine don’t stand out, but the 23-year-old walked just 2.5 batters per nine and just 1.4 in his final season. Rustad, a native of Kansas City, appeared in just one game in 2023 due to injury but tossed 65 innings this past spring, posting a 6.37 ERA. He was a 23rd round pick by the Brewers in 2019 and is listed at 6-foot-4, 194 pounds.
16th round, No. 489: Nate George, outfielder, Minooka Community High School (Illinois)
Back to the high school ranks, where the Orioles scooped up outfielder Nate George in the 16th round. George is Baseball America’s No. 272 prospect, giving him “double-plus” speed. Committed to Northwest Florida, George is an 18-year-old right-handed hitter, and though he has “solid bat speed and strength,” scouts have concerns about the quality of his hit tool. Listed at 6 feet, 200 pounds, George also ran track and played football at Minooka Community High School, and can reach the mid-90s with his arm, according to Prep Baseball. George is the Orioles’ third high school player selected.
17th round, No. 519: Iziah Salinas, LHP, Cowley County Community College (Kansas)
Baltimore’s first junior college player drafted is left-hander Iziah Salinas, who pitched one season at Cowley County Community College in Arkansas City, Kansas. Salinas registered a 4.21 ERA across 15 appearances (14 starts) and struck out 90 batters in 62 innings. The lefty turned 19 in January and stands at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds.
18th round, No. 549: Michael Caldon, RHP, Felician College (New Jersey)
The Orioles dipped into the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference to get their 18th-rounder, right-hander Michael Caldon out of Felician University in New Jersey. Mostly used as a starter in 2024, Caldon had a 3.58 ERA in 75 1/3 innings. He posted an impressive 12.3 strikeouts per nine. Caldon also pitched in the Coastal Plain League in 2023 and the New England Collegiate Baseball League in 2024, a pair of wood-bat college summer leagues.
“We had him come into our pitching lab and we evaluated him there, and he did some things that we really liked,” Blood said. “So getting him where we were able to get him was in our opinion a big win.”
19th round, No. 579: Braylon Whitaker, outfielder, Cox Mills High School (N.C.)
Baltimore selected their fourth prep player in Braylon Whitaker out of Cox Mills High School in North Carolina. Whitaker is listed as a 5-foot-10, 160-pound outfielder, though he’s appeared on the mound as a left-handed pitcher, according to Max Preps. A left-handed hitter, Whitaker is committed to Wingate University, according to Perfect Game.
20th round, No. 609: Evan Yates, RHP, Cal State Fullerton
With their final selection, Baltimore snagged Evan Yates, their second righty from Cal State Fullerton (they grabbed Christian Rodriguez in the 10th round). Yates, who hails from Redlands, California, logged 123 2/3 innings in two seasons in the Big West Conference, posting a 4.29 ERA and 112 strikeouts. He did not appear in any games in 2024, but pitched in 11 games this summer for the Frederick Keys, now a member of the MLB Draft League.
