With their sixth round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, the Orioles picked a junior college lefty pitcher: Tanner Scott from Howard College in Texas. As the pick was announced on the MLB.com coverage, Jonathan Mayo described him as a "one-trick guy, but what a trick." I may have heard wrong, but I think he said something about a high-90s fastball. That sounds like a reliever waiting to happen.
A Perfect Game report from earlier in the spring noted Scott's velocity was 92-95 as a starter and that he touched 97 in relief. Wait a second, what kind of lefty is allowed to throw 97?
This is the fourth pitcher the Orioles have taken in the draft. They have only had four picks so far.
Scott is listed at 6'2" and 235 lbs. He is ranked as the #184 prospect on the Baseball America 500, meaning the O's have now picked three straight players who were ranked higher than their top overall pick. Scott had been planning to transfer to Texas Tech to join their baseball program in the fall, but perhaps those plans will be scuttled now in favor of joining the professional ranks.
The slot value for this pick is a cool $240,000.
In ancient Orioles draft history, the Orioles once picked Mike Boddicker in the sixth round in 1978. They picked the immortal Mark Brown in the sixth round in 1980. More recent sixth rounders include Erik Bedard (1999), two-time World Series champion Eli Whiteside (2001), and, uh, Jason Berken (2006).
Last year, they picked Calvert Hall catcher Alex Murphy in the sixth round.