In the weeks since last month’s MLB Draft, the Baltimore Orioles have made significant progress in signing their selected players. Currently, five of the six picks have officially agreed to terms with the Orioles, with the unsigned Carter Baumler expected to formally strike an agreement with the club before the August 1 deadline.
As was expected after the Orioles selected outfielder Heston Kjerstad with the number-one pick, the team has signed several later-round draftees with above-slot bonuses. One of those agreements was with third baseman Coby Mayo, who the Orioles lured away from a commitment to the University of Florida with a $1.75 million signing bonus, far exceeding the $565,600 slot value for the 103rd overall choice. In addition, the club came to terms with shortstop Anthony Servideo on an agreement that includes a $950,000 bonus, an amount higher than the $844,200 slot value for the 74th overall selection.
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While Servideo is a player that the Orioles are hoping will build off his promising 2020 campaign at Ole Miss, Mayo’s signing more closely reflects the club’s strategy of bringing high-risk, high-reward prospects into the fold with above-slot bonuses in the later rounds of the draft. By going far above slot for Mayo, the Orioles have landed a power-hitting third baseman that has the potential to develop into a potent middle-of-the-order bat with enough arm strength to play a corner-outfield position if he does have to move off of third base.
Mayo ranks 12th on our Top-30 Prospect rankings for the Orioles’ farm system, with his raw power making him one of the most intriguing players on that list. Had he followed through with his commitment to Florida, Mayo would have looked to build a successful collegiate career to make himself a first-round selection in the future, but now he has become a player that will be closely watched over the coming years in the Orioles’ farm system.
The Orioles are also expected to pay a bonus that far exceeds slot value to sign Baumler. The young right-hander from Dowling Catholic High School (Iowa) is expected to forgo his commitment to TCU and reach an agreement with the club that includes a $1.5 million signing bonus after being chosen with the 133rd overall pick, which has a slot value of $422,300. All indications since the draft have been that Baumler will sign and, if he does indeed agree to a $1.5 million bonus, it would mean that the Orioles spent about $13.7 million of their $13.9 million bonus pool.
Baumler ranks 27th on our Top-30 list, as his smooth mechanics, projectable frame (he’s listed at 6’2”, 195 lbs.), and advanced three-pitch mix make him one of the most intriguing picks in the Orioles’ draft class. If he builds upon that skillset, Baumler could prove to be a good value for this pick but expect the Orioles to proceed cautiously with his development. He will be just 19 years old in the 2021 season, which will likely represent his first game action since his one outing this spring in a high-school baseball season that was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
By signing Mayo and Servideo, and likely making Baumler’s deal official soon, the Orioles are picking up three prospects on above-slot bonuses. Where does that leave the rest of their draft picks? Kerstad has already agreed to a deal, receiving a $5.2 million bonus that is well below $7.79 million slot value of the number-two overall selection. With the 30th and 39th overall picks, the Orioles picked up Mississippi State shortstop Jordan Westburg and Tulane outfielder Hudson Haskin. Both players agreed to deals that reportedly included slot-value bonuses, meaning that Westburg will receive $2.37 million and Haskin will be paid $1.91 million.
Once they selected Kjerstad, who was projected to go later in the top ten of the first round in most mock drafts, it was apparent that the Orioles intended to spread their MLB-leading bonus pool money around in order to land high-ceiling prospects in later rounds. With most of the draft picks having officially signed their agreements with the team, the Orioles will proceed with developing a draft class that they hope will yield plenty of value down the line. Whether that hope becomes reality remains to be seen, but the club is taking the necessary step of signing these picks, setting the stage for the 2020 draft to make its mark on the organization in one way or another.
For in-depth reports on the players, you can refer to our Top-30 list (with reports written by Nick Stevens) and draft day one and two recaps from Dr. Stephen Loftus. The players in the 2020 draft class were also discussed on our most recent episode of The Verge, with Stephen joining Nick, myself, and Bob Phelan to discuss the Top-30 list.
Orioles Analyst
A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, and Loyola University; Spedden has previously spent time in the Washington Nationals organization as a videographer for the Hagerstown Suns. As a blogger, Spedden is an Editor / Writer for the Suns fan club. Additionally, he contributes to The Nats Blog as a prospect writer, and Ballpark Digest. For BSL, Spedden covers the Orioles Minor Leagues. Co-Host of The Verge: https://anchor.fm/the-verge