Jordan has had a pretty stable pattern of going half college half high school IIRC, even from his days in FLA, though I’m not sure if Jordan’s philosophy enters the thinking here.

I hate to think about drafting for need, but I wonder if Jordan is going to emphasize positional talent given all the pitching talent in Frederick and above. Maybe after round 5 go for need? Or not at all?

As for #4 pick, I’d love Alvarez or T Beckham. I think Beckham will be for sure gone by #3 though (too bad Moore won’t go all hometown and pick Crow).

Probably wont be there, same with Beckham. Brian Matusz would not be a bad pick here, even with the glut of pitching in the O’s farm system. A lefty with ace potential is always a good addition.

I would look for one of the other 1B prospects in the second round, picking one of them in the first round doesn’t seem like that great of an idea since its fairly easy to get a 1B elsewhere.

The main rule will be to pick the best player available, regardless of age or position, because i feel like thats what the Orioles will be doing.

Even if Alvarez is still available I think the O’s should stay away. He’s a Boras guy so the price tag will be huge, furthermore the hand injury still concerns me.

There are good arguments for taking each of the three guys I mentioned in the subject title: Smoak, Matusz, and T Beckham.

Smoak works because he should rise through the minors quickly, and with Millar aging and becoming ineffective the Orioles will have a glaring hole at first. Can you imagine a possible lineup in a couple years of Markakis 3, Wieters 4, Smoak 5, and Adam Jones 6!
A problem with picking Smoak is that Rowell might have to move off of third and go to first. Brandon Snyder is also most likely destined for first. Unfortunately most of the organizations position player depth is already at first base. Of course there is the DH.

Matusz works for several reasons. First and foremost is the old adage: you can never have enough pitching. The Orioles system is crowded with arms, but unfortunately the chances are very high that half will not pan out. Adding a polished lefty who can move through the system quickly would be a very nice addition. Pitching wins championships and to beat the Red Sox, Yankees, and Devil Rays the Orioles will need to have strong starting pitching.

T Beckham is the riskiest of the three but also offers the most upside. There is very little middle infield talent in both the Orioles system and across the minor leagues making Beckham all the more valuable. The Orioles have a huge gap at SS right now, but best case scenario it will probably take Beckham, who needs to work on some mechanical flaws in his swing, 3 years in the minor leagues before he is ready to make a contribution a the major league level, probably 4.

I like Smoak the best, the possible lineup of Markakis, Wieters, Smoak, and Jones is too much for me too ignore. Furthermore I think that Smoak is the safest of the 3. High School bats are by definition risky, as our pitchers.

Agreed with most of what everyone is putting in here. I think with a pick as high as what the O’s have in the first round, it’s best used to get the best guy regardless of price, there’s no use rewarding a team with a lower pick on a talent that’s regarded as better based entirely on the player demanding above slot money. Someone will pay, and the O’s have shown in previous drafts that they will pay to get the guy they want.

Also, I think it’s crucial for the team’s success not to take a high risk player with a slot this good in the draft, which means a lot of precaution has to be done when evaluating the high school guys, and any arms, including college arms.

Ultimately, it’s going to come down to who gets nabbed with the top 3, but there should be some great names that will be bandied about with the #4 pick.

He seems like a big time reach at 4. He fills the middle infield need, and he should become a good major league player who rises quickly through the minors he is not an impact player that you expect to get at 4.

I still say that Smoak is the best pick here: impact bat, relatively safe, fills a need, and should rise quickly.

I don’t like Alvarez. The wrist injury still scares me, and I don’t believe that the difference between Smoak and Alvarez is large enough to justify the hassle of dealing with Boras and his huge price demands.

I know that a lot of what happens here will be determined by who is on the board, something very difficult to predict at this early juncture, but who do you think we should target at 50?

I like the California prep outfielder Isaac Galloway. He is less toolsy than Gose or Hicks, but he has more polished. To me he seems like a guy with Aaron Rowand type tool set. If Galloway is off the board I like Tyler Ladendorf, a SS from Howard Community College. Here is what mlb.com says about him:
Twice drafted previously, Ladendorf has had a monster season at Howard, one of the higher-ranked junior colleges in the nation. He’s hit .542 and driven in 82 runs in 53 games, thanks to 29 doubles and 16 homers. He’s also got 31 steals to give you an idea of his package of tools. He’s big - some think he may eventually be too big for shortstop - but he’s athletic enough that he probably can stay there for the time being, making him a very attractive possibility in the first few rounds.

The O’s are completely blank of middle infield prospects at any level in the organization and adding an athletic SS should be a priority at 50.