Baltimore Orioles draft North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt in first round
BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles selected Vance Honeycutt, an outfielder from the University of North Carolina, in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday evening.
Honeycutt, a 21-year-old right-handed batter, was picked 22nd overall.
"He creates well-above-average raw power with bat speed, strength, leverage and loft," an analysis by MLB.com says. "He has similar speed and fine instincts, making him a base-stealing threat and a potential Gold Glover in center field, where his plus arm is stronger than most at the position."
Honeycutt is No. 22 on MLB's Top 200 Draft prospect list.
He batted .318 with 28 home runs, 70 RBIs and 28 stolen bases.
The Orioles have had success with their first-round picks in recent years.
Jackson Holliday, baseball's top prospect, is in Triple-A Norfolk. He was drafted first overall in 2022. Catcher Adley Rutschman, selected first overall in 2019, is headed to his second All-Star Game.
Pitcher Grayson Rodriguez was selected 11th overall in 2018. Infielder Jordan Westburg was drafted 30th overall in 2020. Heston Kjerstad was picked second overall in 2020.
Colton Cowser was drafted fifth overall in 2021. Gunnar Henderson was selected in the second round in 2019.
