The Baltimore Orioles selected Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. with the No. 17 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, marking the fourth time in five years the Orioles have taken a college position player in the first round.
Bradfield, 21, joins Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman (2019), Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad (2020), Sam Houston State outfielder Colton Cowser (2021) and Oklahoma high school shortstop Jackson Holliday (2022) as first-round picks in the Mike Elias era, though Bradfield is the first of those picks made outside of the top five.
Bradfield hit .311/.425/.447 with 57 extra-base hits across his three years at Vanderbilt (2021-2023). The 6-foot-1, 170-pound outfielder posted more walks (131) than strikeouts (122) during his college career. He also stole 130 bases and is considered a plus-plus defender in center field.
Bradfield’s best year at Vanderbilt came in 2022, when the Hialeah, Fla., native hit .317/.415/.498 with 23 extra-base hits and earned consensus All-America honors.
The Orioles have a roughly $10.5 million bonus pool for picks in the top 10 rounds (as well as anyone taken outside of the top 10 rounds who signs for more than $125,000). The slot value for the No. 17 pick is approximately $4.17 million.
Additionally, Maryland shortstop Matt Shaw was taken by the Chicago Cubs with the No. 13 overall pick. It is the highest a Terp has ever gone in the draft.
UPDATE: The Orioles selected North Carolina outfielder Mac Horvath with the No. 53 overall pick and Florida State right-hander Jackson Baumeister at No. 63 overall. Horvath hit .275/.387/.584 with 90 extra-base hits during a three-year career with the Tar Heels. He played mostly third base at North Carolina but was announced as an outfielder by the Orioles. Baumeister pitched for two years at Florida State, moving into the starting rotation full time this past spring. He posted a 5-5 mark with a 5.09 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 69 innings during the 2023 season.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Vanderbilt Athletics