Orioles select high school outfielder Eric Booth Jr. with 7th overall pick in draft

The Orioles on Saturday selected Mississippi high school outfielder Eric Booth Jr. with the seventh overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft. It’s the first time the Orioles have picked a high school player with the first pick since Jackson Holliday, who was chosen first overall in 2022.

The 18-year-old Booth attended Oak Grove High School. He bats and throws left. This year, Booth hit .481 with five home runs and 31 RBIs.

“We like a lot about him,” Orioles vice president of domestic scouting Will Robertson said. “He has a huge engine. He’s super powerful, running the bases and moving the bat. That leads to impact outcomes defensively in center field and offensively a power/speed combination. He’s always hit everywhere he’s gone. He really adjusts the barrel with pitches all over the strike zone and selective with what he wants to swing at.

“Eric has an up arrow next to a lot of tools. The arm does really stand out, makes really impressive plays throwing out baserunners.”

The Chicago White Sox selected UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky with the first pick. Tampa Bay picked Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson. Minnesota’s pick was Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. The fourth overall pick was UC-Santa Barbara right-handed pitcher Jackson Flora.

Pittsburgh picked LSU outfielder Derek Curiel with the fifth pick. Louisville outfielder Zion Rose was Kansas City’s pick at six, leaving Booth available at seven.

“It was moving very quickly for us,” Robertson said of the draft. “There was a lot of mayhem around the pick. We were prepared for all scenarios, but we’re certainly excited that it shook out in the way that it had.”

Manager Craig Albernaz got to witness Booth’s selection.

“I was up in the war room for the draft, which was a really cool experience,” Albernaz said. “Everyone’s really excited about the pick.

“Everything I know about him, he’s a great kid, really athletic, fast, twitchy. He’s performed wherever he’s [been], great bat-to-ball skills. He works the walk, and he plays a really good center field.

“It’s a fun pick. I know our [player development] group’s excited to get their hands on him.”

Albernaz watched the process with scouts and bench coach Donnie Ecker.

“I stood out as I walked in with baseball pants on,” he said. “It was cool to see everyone in the same room, invested in the future.”

In the second round, the Orioles chose left-handed hitting outfielder Ty Head from North Carolina State. The 21-year-old hit .291 with a 1.016 OPS, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs and 26 steals in 29 attempts.

“Even entering the season, we knew it was one that was going to be able to work for us,” Roberston said. “A season that was really impressive beneath the surface. We thought it was a rare collection of traits. His ability to control the strike zone and grind through plate appearances stand out among his peers in this class.”

The Orioles’ third-round selection was right-handed pitcher Dominic Voegele from the University of Kansas. Voegele was 6-4 with a 5.85 ERA in 17 starts this season. In 97 innings, he allowed 101 hits, struck out 120 and walked 35.

“He’s a really durable workhorse,” Robertson said. “We like the fast arm, producing mid-90s, sometimes in the upper 90s.”

Their fourth-round pick was another Mississippi high school outfielder, Kevin Roberts Jr., who’s just 17. Roberts, a right-handed hitter, is 6 feet 5, 22o pounds.

“His physical abilities stand out, really at the top of his class,” Robertson said.

Roberts has committed to the University of Florida and is a four-sport athlete.

“We think he has some of the highest upside in this class with huge power, speed, arm strength,” Robertson said. “He has a good track record hitting on the whole. It’s just an incredible blend of traits, and then only 17 years old.”

Robertson thinks they’ll be able to sign both Booth, who’s committed to Vanderbilt, and Roberts.

“We’ve definitely got our arms around both situations,” Roberts said. “Got to know the players and their camps.”

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