The Orioles agreed to terms with their first three undrafted free agents, with right-handers Ryan Watson and Brandon Young and first baseman JD Mundy each receiving the maximum $20,000 bonus.
A senior reliever from Auburn University, Watson was originally selected by the Dodgers in the 36th round out of high school in 2016. But he elected to attend his hometown university, pitching to a 4.67 ERA across 58 appearances in four years for the Tigers. The coronavirus pandemic limited Watson to five games this spring, in which he pitched to a 1.23 ERA with seven strikeouts.
Young, 21, chose to forgo his final year of eligibility at University of Louisiana Lafayette, where he starred after transferring from Howard Community College. A 6-foot-6 starter, Young piled up 109 strikeouts in 79 innings over parts of two seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns, and pitched to a 1.09 ERA over 24 2/3 innings this spring.
A left-handed hitter with power, Mundy hit .323 with a .425 on-base percentage and 17 homers across parts of two seasons at Radford University after two seasons playing for Virginia Tech. He hit .385 with four homers this spring, playing both first base and designated hitter.
“I spent some time [Sunday] morning talking with the Orioles, and what their hitting coaches and instructors presented to me was appealing,” Munday told Radford Athletics in a press release. “I liked the coaches and their approach, and I thought this organization was the best fit for me in trying to advance through the Minor League system and achieve my goals.”
After drafting position players with five of their six selections in last week’s Draft, the Orioles are expected to target more arms in this year’s unique undrafted free-agent market. They will be able to present prospective talent with a several-pronged recruiting pitch, centered on their data-driven approach to player development and the opportunity that comes with playing for a rebuilding organization.
The Orioles have also agreed to pay their Minor Leaguers stipends through what would have been the end of their season, a distinction they believe separates them from other clubs.
“We’re going to target guys we think would be significant impact players even though they were not considered Draft selections,” Orioles scouting supervisor Brad Ciolek said last week. “We will make every effort to recruit those guys and try to sell them the benefits of joining the Orioles’ organization.”