Orioles outfield prospect Jud Fabian was originally drafted out of the University of Florida last year by the Boston Red Sox with the No. 40 overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft.
The Red Sox reportedly offered Fabian an over-slot bonus of roughly $2 million to sign. The Orioles were rumored to be eyeing the Florida outfielder on an over-slot deal with the No. 41 pick, but with Fabian off the board, they took East Carolina second baseman Connor Norby.
Fabian turned down Boston’s offer last summer in favor of returning to Florida to play college ball with his brother, Deric, a freshman infielder for the Gators this past spring. The Orioles had another chance to draft Fabian this summer and didn’t miss this time around, taking him with the No. 67 overall pick of the 2022 draft. Fabian reportedly signed for slot money, about $1.027 million.
Fabian reported to the Florida Complex League after signing and collected seven hits in 17 plate appearances before being promoted to Low-A Delmarva. His first five games with the Shorebirds came at Low-A Salem, an affiliate of … you guessed it, the Red Sox.
“I was getting booed in left field for the first time,” Fabian said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 25. “There’s no love lost there.”
Fabian, recently promoted to High-A Aberdeen, explained that Baltimore was the place he wanted to be and that hearing his name called by the Orioles was a “dream come true.” So why did he have such positive vibes toward the team that nearly drafted him in 2021?
“Seeing what’s been going on in Baltimore and throughout the whole farm system with all these prospects, all these guys, I know some of them,” Fabian said. “It’s just really awesome to be a part of it. To be able to have the opportunity to get with all these prospects in the big leagues and have a chance to win multiple World Series, it’s awesome to think about.”
The Orioles injected more talent into the system with the 2022 draft. Plenty of those new players are now with the Shorebirds, including infielders Jackson Holliday and Max Wagner and outfielders Dylan Beavers and Fabian. Those four players mostly fit what Orioles GM Mike Elias’ staff has targeted early in drafts — physical up-the-middle college position players with track records of hitting the ball hard and making sound swing decisions.
That description certainly makes sense for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Fabian, who hit .246/.384/.541 with 56 home runs and 143 walks while patrolling center field for four years with the Gators. Fabian said he discovered his power stroke as a junior at Trinity Catholic High School in Florida.
“That’s when I played 25 games and I hit 13 home runs,” Fabian said. “I kind of knew from then. I was like, ‘All right, I’ve got some power, just got to use it.’ I took it into college my first two years. Had seven my freshman year and five in the shortened COVID year. And then my junior year, just really got back in stride with the power and have kept it up ever since.”
Fabian hit .386/.481/.841 with 12 extra-base hits in 52 plate appearances with Delmarva before earning a promotion to Aberdeen. He is focused on cleaning up the swing-and-miss concerns (211 strikeouts in four college seasons) and making more contact.
“I’m just working on keeping the same swing that’s going to be level and help me hit a lot of line drives,” Fabian said. “The average will be there if that happens.”
For more from Fabian, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Joey Gardner