The Orioles spent the first two rounds of the draft trying to solve a problem that has lingered since Cedric Mullins’ run in center field started winding down: who’s next?
Baltimore’s center-field pipeline has been in motion for a while, but the answers haven’t really stuck. With Mullins now a Ray, the Orioles are still looking for the player who can take over that spot for the long haul. On draft day, they doubled down on the search by using both of their first two picks on center fielders.
Their first-round choice was Eric Booth Jr., a high schooler with some of the loudest tools in the class. Some draft experts even view him as the best defensive center fielder in the entire draft.
There’s plenty to dream on with Booth Jr., but the timeline is the obvious catch. He just turned 18 last week, which means he’s still a long way from helping in Baltimore.
The optimistic view has him arriving sometime in 2028, though 2029 feels more realistic.
The second-round pick could move faster. With the 46th selection, the Orioles took NC State center fielder Ty Head, a 21-year-old draft-eligible sophomore who is much further along than Booth Jr.
Head brings a contact-over-power profile, and his ability to put the bat on the ball should help him move through the lower minors quickly. The question is whether the power will come.
That makes Head an interesting fit for the Orioles, who for years leaned toward hitters who could punish the ball but often struggled to make enough contact. This looks like a shift toward players with stronger hit tools who need help adding power. It also suggests Baltimore is betting on its own development group to turn that contact into more impact.
Head is not close to the majors yet, but if the Orioles can unlock more pop in his swing, his bat-to-ball skills and defense could give him a high floor and a chance to rise quickly. If the power never comes, though, he may not offer much that some of the organization’s other outfield prospects don’t already provide.
For now, the Orioles are still trying to build a real answer in center. Colton Cowser is there at the moment, but the team does not seem eager to play him every day in that spot, and his value would be greater in left field. If Baltimore can finally land a true center fielder, Cowser could slide to his more natural position and give the club a much stronger defensive outfield, which has been a problem area lately.
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