With their first pick in the 2016 draft, the Orioles selected Cody Sedlock, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Illinois.
Although the Orioles went 81-81 last season, they gave up their first round pick in order to sign Yovani Gallardo, so this pick, at #27 overall, was the first time they had the chance to take a player. They received this pick when the Marlins signed Wei-Yin Chen.
Since the Orioles were so far down the draft board with their top pick, the various draft prognosticators like Keith Law, Baseball America, and others didn’t have a strong idea of who the Orioles might hone in on.
All indications seemed to be that the Orioles were looking for best player available but there wasn’t any real clue who might get to them to deem them the best.
In Sedlock, the Orioles get a player who has some strengths. He's a first round pick for a reason. The good news, according to MLB.com, is that the righty, who converted to become a starter this year:
...throws four pitches, fills the strike zone, generates a lot of groundouts and has a strong 6’4" 210 lb. frame. ... His best pitch is his heavy sinker, which sits 91-93mph when he starts.
But there’s a reason why he lasted until the end of the round, too, as there were some concerns about him as well, with Law’s evaluation noting:
Sedlock’s curveball and changeup are works in progress ... so he hasn’t had enough reps to expect a starter's repertoire from him just yet.
Law is actually one of the bigger fans of Sedlock among the various evaluators, ranking him as the 17th best prospect in the draft. That's a guy you want to get at #27.
Others believe in him less. Baseball Prospectus puts him at 24th, while MLB.com rates him as the 28th best prospect. Baseball America is the most pessimistic of the lot, rating Sedlock as the 42nd best prospect of the draft.
The slot value for this pick is $2,097,000. The Orioles will make two more picks tonight, at #54 and #69 overall.