On a day the Orioles’ lineup featured three of their recent first-round picks, they signed their latest.
As Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers began, Baltimore announced it signed Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., the 17th overall pick in last week’s MLB draft. Bradfield signed exactly for his pick’s slot value of just under $4.17 million, according to a source with direct knowledge of the agreement.
Picking outside of the top five for the first time since 2018, the Orioles took Bradfield, whose speed and defense in center field are both regarded as excellent. In three seasons at Vanderbilt, Bradfield hit .311/.426/.447 with 31 doubles, 11 triples and 15 home runs while stealing 130 bases in 143 tries.
“Really, I think for us one of the better realistic outcomes for the night,” executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said the night of the pick. “He is a premium college player from the most premium conference there is from the most premium program that there is, and he’s been excellent for three years there.”
He wasn’t the only top 2023 draftee Baltimore inked Monday. About an hour earlier, the Orioles announced they signed second-rounder Mac Horvath, an outfielder from the University of North Carolina. Horvath received a signing bonus of $1.4 million, according to the source, with that value being about $180,000 below the slot value for the No. 53 pick. This spring, Horvath hit .305/.418/.711 with 24 home runs and 25 steals.
By signing for his slot value, Bradfield becomes Baltimore’s first top selection to sign for at or above his respective figure since 2017. Three of the players selected in the first round since then were in Monday’s lineup, with 2018 No. 11 pick Grayson Rodriguez pitching, 2019 first overall pick Adley Rutschman catching and 2021 No. 5 pick Colton Cowser in left field.
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