![\"Mar](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_5365,h_3017,x_0,y_186\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/inside_the_orioles\/01jwf9s8gcdezzeqc810.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Baltimore Orioles could use an infusion of power in their minor league system and this prep star could be the ticket.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The offense has been down for the\u00a0Baltimore Orioles\u00a0this season and next month\u2019s MLB draft isn\u2019t going to help matters.<\/p>\n
Any player the\u00a0O\u2019s select with the No. 19\u00a0overall pick will likely be in the minor leagues to end this season and need at least a year or two to develop. The development timeline is even longer for prep players.<\/p>\n
Yes,\u00a0Jackson Holliday\u00a0is an exception. He was\u00a0Baltimore\u2019s\u00a0first-round (No. 1 overall) pick in 2022 and he made his MLB debut two years later. But he\u2019s the son of All-Star Matt Holliday, so it\u2019s safe to say baseball is in the genes.<\/p>\n
Baltimore probably won\u2019t get that lucky. But, if they could land a player with huge potential, that could help them in years to come.<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s first mock draft\u00a0of this cycle, as written by Kiley McDaniel, has the Orioles taking third baseman Xavier Neyens, who plays baseball at Mount Vernon High School in Washington state.<\/p>\n
The Orioles could certainly use pitching, as their Major League staff is a mess due to injuries. A college-prepared starter might be ready in a year or two, if Baltimore drafts the right one. Neyens, meanwhile, is likely to need three or four years to be ready to break into the Majors.<\/p>\n
But, as McDaniel wrote, there\u2019s a good reason why he could end up in Baltimore. He has traits they value.<\/p>\n
\u201c(The Orioles) tend to lean into Neyens’ skill set: massive raw power, solid athleticism and infield fit,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBaltimore has taken a number of players like this over the years and Neyens has an intriguing upside.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The words \u201cmassive raw power\u201d resonates with scouts and that could be one reason why Neyens goes in the first round, as protected.<\/p>\n The Orioles have three selections in the first 40 picks because they received draft pick compensation for losing Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander in free agency. Both turned down qualifying offers from the Orioles and signed contracts of at least $50 million. So, Baltimore is entitled to two picks between first round and Competitive Balance Round A.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a chance the Orioles could trade those picks, but that seems unlikely with less than two months to go before the draft.<\/p>\n At No. 30, McDaniel has Baltimore selecting IMG Academy second baseman Sean Gamble. At No. 31, he has the Orioles taking Oregon center fielder Mason Neville.<\/p>\n The 2025 MLB draft will be held Sunday and Monday, July 13-14, during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Baltimore Orioles could use an infusion of power in their minor league system and this prep star could be the ticket. The offense has been down… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":58881,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n