Orioles 2025 MLB Draft + UDFA Recap
The Orioles found their lane and hit 98 mph in it.
Written by: Nick Stevens
The 2025 MLB Draft is now complete. 24 total picks for the Orioles with a fun mix of potentially fast-moving college bats, long-term project bats, and lots of pitching plucked from the SEC down to the NAIA ranks and everywhere in between.
The signing deadline for these picks is set for 5 pm on July 28th, so now we wait and see how many of these 24 picks officially join the organization.
In the meantime, here’s a quick and dirty recap of each pick. More detailed profiles will come through the rest of the summer and into the winter. You can also listen to our Day One livestream show here and our full recap episode from Monday night here. The Orioles have also signed two undrafted free agents as of this publishing on July 15th. Notes on them are included at the end.
1.19- Auburn C/OF Ike Irish
The Orioles began night one by getting tremendous value in Irish falling to 19 when he should have been a top 10 pick. With a strong hit tool, 20-25+ home run potential per season, a strong arm well suited for right field, premier bat speed, and plus exit velos (114+), Irish was one of the more complete hitters in this year’s class. He will likely catch and play in the outfield once he signs, but with his bat and strong arm, his future is likely as a middle-of-the-order, everyday starting right fielder.
1C.30- Coastal Carolina C Caden Bodine
Little did we know, selecting Bodine after Irish was just the beginning of the Orioles stockpiling bats with strong hit tools this year. Bodine brings fantastic bat-to-ball skills as a switch-hitter, an 89% overall contact-rate and a 94% in-zone contact rate. Fastballs in the zone are Bodine’s specialty. An elite framer, Bodine should be a tremendous asset to pitchers in the system. I don’t think it’s a hot take to say he could be the Opening Day catcher in Double-A next year. He won’t be, but the point being he should be a quick riser who hits for average, gets on base at a high rate, and is one of the, if not the top defensive catcher in the system.
1C.31- Arkansas SS Wehiwa Aloy
This year’s Golden Spikes winner falls all the way to 31 overall as the Orioles continued to soak up tremendous value. Aloy profiles to stick at shortstop. If he moves off the position it’s over to third base where the power should still play. Aloy’s second season in the SEC featured 21 home runs and a 137 wRC+. There’s some whiff and chase in his profile and some questions about the hit tool, but his defensive abilities and power (114+ mph EVs/57% hard-hit rate this season) from the shortstop position are hard to find at this point in the draft. This was a slam dunk pick and if teams still had to walk to the podium to submit their pick, I would have put up an Usain Bolt sprint time to submit this card.
CBA.37- Summit HS OF Slater de Brun
Also known as Lil Slayyy, de Brun brings a 50-60 grade hit tool (depending on which outlet you look at ), with 70 grade speed and plus fielding grades. His smaller stature and bat bring immediate comps to Arizona Diamondbacks outfielders Slade Caldwell and Corbin Carroll. MLB.com notes in their write up that de Brun is already showing power than Carroll did at this stage. A Vanderbilt commit, de Brun will certainly be on over-slot pick. He’s coming off a spring where he posted an 83% contact rate, 6% in-zone whiff rate, and low chase rates. If there’s more power incoming, de Brun will become one of the more intriguing outfield prospects in the system.
2.58- Michigan State LHP Joseph Dzierwa
An uber-projectable, 6’7” arm, Dzierwa’s ability to pound the strikezone is impressive. His fastball sits in the lower-90s and touches 95 mph, but there could be more in the tank as he fills out and continues to develop physically. The changeup is his swing-and-miss weapon, producing a 40% whiff rate this season. Some public models have his four-pitch graded with Stuff+ grades between 104-113 (100 is average). The good quality clay is here for a major league rotation arm, and not in the backend.
CBB.69- Georgia RHP JT Quinn
Quinn’s innings were limited at Georgia this season, but I guarantee you that the Orioles didn’t select Quinn at #69 overall to use him as a reliever. A popular “sleeper pick” by some in the industry, Quinn’s fastball gets up to 98 mph and sits 94-95 mph. His slider also grades out as a potential plus pitch. There have been control issues during his time at Ole Miss and Georgia, but in 14 innings this season in the Cape Cod league, Quinn has 24 strikeouts and a grand total of 2 walks. His injury issues in college weren’t elbow or shoulder related. He’s another powerful arm with big league rotation upside.
3.93- Vanderbilt OF RJ Austin
A Gold Glove winner this season at Vanderbilt, Austin excels defensively up the middle in centerfield and has experience at second base and even first base during his college career. He has a strong record of success with Team USA and in the Cape Cod League and tests very well athletically. The results may not show up in his Vanderbilt stat line, but Austin brings a solid hit tool without a ton of swing and miss or chase, he’s a plus defender with standout speed as well. All the pieces are here, the question will be whether the Orioles can help put them all together.
4.124- UC-Irvine SS Colin Yeaman
One of my favorite picks in this class, Yeaman hit 13 home runs with an OPS over 1.000 this year at UC-Irvine after transferring in from the JUCO ranks. He posted a hard-hit rate north of 50% with 110+ max EVs, strong barrel control, an above-average hit tool (80% contact rate), and little chase in his game. Some believe he can stick at SS, others think he can be a second baseman who hits for average and pops 15+ home runs a year. Either way, the Orioles have brought in another strong hit tool and base to build from.
5.154- Corona Del Sol HS SS Jaden Lo Re
A BYU commit, Lo Re was supposedly a target of many teams, but the Orioles pounced in the fifth round to make sure they got their guy. There’s high praise for his hit tool, very low strikeout totals in his high school career, and as Joe Doyle puts it in his report on Future Stars Series, “the twitch and quick bounce scouts look for.” The MLB broadcast seemed mixed on his offensive potential and passed along belief by some scouts that he should go to college and develop the hit tool. With the Orioles prioritizing strong hit tools in this year’s class, I’m buying the Orioles belief in him.
6.184- USC LHP Caden Hunter
There was zero talk about Hunter at the beginning of the year, trust me, I spent hours looking. So I did the talking myself after watching an early season outing against Rice. Hunter went from JUCO arm to USC’s Friday night arm after a dominant fall season. He sits in the low-90s but can run it up into the mid-90s and his changeup was effective against righties. It’s a solid three-pitch mix to build from with plenty of projection. He will need to throw more strikes, but Hunter has rotation upside.
7.214- Ashland University RHP Hunter Allen
Allen is a 6’4” DII arm who has touched 100 mph and as pointed out by the draft broadcast, has flashed three potential plus pitches at times. Many who went to Ashland to watch Allen this year, including Burke Granger, former of Prospects Live, love Allen’s potential. Granger’s response to us after the Allen pick- “I love this pick for the Orioles.” There seems to be some low-hanging fruit to clean up that hopefully leads to better control and a shot to start, but the floor of a high-power reliever is enticing.
8.244- University of the Cumberlands LHP Kailen Hamson
Once again, the Orioles dipped into the Kentucky NAIA ranks, grabbing the 6’1” Australian arm in Kailen Hamson. Hamson posted a 64% strike percentage and 67% first-strike percentage this year and is armed with a five-pitch mix, including a 91-94 mph fastball with plus IVB numbers. To reference Joe Doyle’s report again, he believes Hamson’s stuff can get big leaguers out now, calls him a data darling to dream on, and comps him to a Gabe Spier.
9.274- Mineral Area JUCO OF Cam Lee
Just 19 years old, Lee hit .444 last season with 13 home runs, showcasing his strong hit tool and plus speed. Some reports question how much power will come at the next level, but the belief in his bat and defensive abilities in centerfield are strong.
10.304- West Florida RHP Dalton Neuschwander
A three-year starter at West Florida, Neuschwander struck out 80 with 14 walks in 81 innings this season, owning a 2.5 BB/9 mark across his entire college career. He has a five-pitch mix with a fastball that tops out at 97 mph. He just turned 23 years old, but with his control, polish, and experience, he could be an arm among the day two picks that moves more quickly.
11.334- New Jersey Institute of Technology LHP Holden deJong
The American East preseason Pitcher of the Year, deJong is a 6’4” lefty who added weight and strength coming into the 2025 season, getting his fastball up to 95 mph. From an eye-witness report by Brian Recca earlier this season, deJong’s secondaries have taken a big jump forward, showing much better feel for spin and command. His season was cut short after 29 innings due to Tommy John surgery, so best case scenario, we see him mid-2026 in the FCL.
12.364- Odessa College RHP Daniel Lopez
A 6’1” righty, Lopez had 81 strikeouts in 49 innings this season, with a fastball that tops out at 98 mph. There’s a lot of juice and arm speed behind his pitches and the fastball feasts at the top of the zone.
13.394- Oklahoma State 2B Brayden Smith
Smith hit .402 with 22 home runs in the JUCO ranks before transferring to Oklahoma State where he hit 11 home runs, 16 doubles, and posted a .936 OPS this season. He played mostly second base with some centerfield as well. It’s quick bat speed and good pull-side juice and he’s able to use the entire field. With a strong hit tool and a plethora of average tools, Smith is a high-floor pick who profiles as an offensive utility player with pop.
14.424- New Mexico Junior College RHP Brayan Orrantia
Orrantia brings a four pitch mix with a fastball up to 98 mph, cutter, slider and changeup. He hides the ball well and his delivery reminds me of current Orioles prospect Nestor German. He struck out 83 in 85 IP this season and is committed to Oklahoma. There’s a trend here with all of the JUCO arms drafted by the Orioles this year- they have commitments to big college programs and have fastballs that touch 98 mph.
15.454- Pearl River Community College RHP Kirkland “KK” Clark
Originally at Mississippi State, the 5’11” Clark just put up one of the most dominant seasons in Pearl River history. With a four-pitch mix, Clark recorded 116 strikeouts in 88 innings, while walking just 22. Regardless of level, sometimes numbers are so high/extreme you have to pay attention to them and listen to the story they are telling.
16.484- Johnson County Community College RHP Denton Biller
Standing 6’4” at 20 years old, Biller is an Arkansas commit and spent some time this summer in the MLB Draft League. It’s a deep pitch mix with a fastball that sits 94 mph and can get into the upper-90s. In his very small Draft League sample, Biller was able to post strong called-strike plus whiff rates with his fastball and curveball, specifically. There may be some effort in his delivery, but the fastball sings at the top of the zone.
17.514- TCU LHP Braeden Sloan
The 6’4” lefty has spent the last three seasons at TCU, beginning his career as a starter but then eventually transitioning to the bullpen. He logged 58 innings this season, averaging more than 3 innings per outing, so used in a bulk role. He posted a 30% strikeout rate with a .197 average against. His primary pitch is his changeup which is a plus offering featuring 20 inches of movement and a 54% whiff rate. He has a couple of different fastball variants and typically sits in the upper-80s, touching 91 mph, with a curveball in the mix as well. I have no doubt that the Orioles will look to add some velo and attempt to deploy him as a starter, at least early on in his career. Relative to draft slot, Sloan has the potential to return fantastic value if he can stick as a starter.
18.544- Oconee County High School OF Cole Johnson
A 6’2” left-handed hitter, Johnson is committed to Georgia and may end up being the toughest sign in this class. His contact and on-base skills are prominant in scouting reports, with belief that there’s real power potential in the tank.
19.574- Heartland Community College SS Jimmy Anderson
Fun fact we learned after the draft- Jimmy Anderson and Nate George were travel ball teammates. Are we getting the band back together? I hope so. Anderson is my late-round pick to click. Why? He hit .439 with 10 home runs, 18 doubles, and 31 walks to 12 strikeouts this season at Heartland. He then went to the Northwoods League, a college wooden bat league, where he hit .340 with 4 home runs and 18 walks to 12 strikeouts leading up to the draft. Success at this level for a young JUCO bat like Anderson is telling. He wasn’t ranked on Baseball America’s top 500 or Joe Doyle’s top 615 draft list. Did they miss?
20.604- Meridian Community College RHP Connor Gehr
Gehr is a 6’1” arm who struck out 83 hitters in 62 innings this season and his signing scout is one of the best in the industry in David Jennings (another one of his guys in this class- Ike Irish). We also immediately received some feedback after the pick was made from someone outside the organization, but familiar with Gehr, to pay attention. My ears are perked.
UDFA- Augustana University RHP J.D. Hennen
Another DII arm, Hennen was committed to Nebraska but has officially signed a free agent deal with the Orioles. He has a five-pitch mix with a fastball that touches 97 and feel for multiple breaking balls. He had 74 strikeouts in 56 innings this season at Augustana.
UDFA- Robert Shoemaker High School IF Joephilip Guzman
Guzman is committed to San Jacinto College but will forego his college commitment and sign with the Orioles. He’s shown good doubles power at this point and I’ve seen good exit velos for a smaller high school bat.
Subscribe to the Orioles On The Verge podcast here. Find us on YouTube here. Want extra perks including exclusive podcast episodes every week and monthly updates to our Top 50 list? Join our Patreon here for as little as $3/month (discounts available if you sign up for a full year)