Orioles vice president of domestic scouting Will Robertson ran his first draft today, making four selections in four rounds and happy to wade through the “mayhem.”

“It was a lot of fun,” he said on a video call. “The endorphins were going. It definitely started moving quickly. But had a lot of good people in the room around me, a lot of people with experience leading drafts.”

Prep outfielder Eric Booth Jr. led the pack of newcomers to the organization as the No. 7 selection.

“We like a lot about Booth,” Robertson said. “He has a huge engine, as we call it. He’s super powerful, both running the bases and moving the bat. So that leads to impact outcomes both defensively and in center field and offensively with the power-speed combination. Super young for his class and has always hit everywhere he’s gone. He really can adjust the barrel and get to pitches all over the strike zone. He’s very selective with what he wants to swing at. And he’s always been an offensive producer.”

The Orioles wanted to see improved arm strength from Booth and he displayed it during a one-on-one workout in Sarasota.

“E.J.’s had an up arrow next to a lot of tools, but the arm does really stand out,” Robertson said. “We had him throw to bases and it was by far the strongest we’ve seen his arm, so that last little bit of comfort at the end on the arm strength went a long way. So yeah, we think it’s gonna be a strength to his game.”

Robertson also broke down the appealing qualities of the other three selections: North Carolina State outfielder Ty Head, Kansas right-hander Dominic Voegele and Jackson Prep outfielder Kevin Roberts Jr.

*“Ty Head, we’ve been attracted to. Even entering the season we knew he was one of that was going to be important for us, with what he did his freshman year at N.C. State. And then he backed it up with a season that’s particularly impressive beneath the surface when you see his ability to walk relative to his ability to strike out. That was an extremely, extremely rare territory for that ratio, especially for a 6-3 center fielder, legitimate center field ballhawk defender who can get to some pull-side power.

“We just thought it was a rare collection of traits. And really, his ability to control the strike zone and grind through plate appearances stands out amongst his peers in this class and any class.

*“Voegele has been a really durable workhorse pitcher, throwing 96 and 97 innings the last two seasons at Kansas with really good strikeout-to-walk numbers. We like the fast arm, producing mid-90s up into the upper 90s fastball while providing that length, and then a really high-spin breaking ball. We reviewed him with all manner of people in the organization, scouting department, office analysts and pitching player development, and we’re pretty confident in the development path further to take advantage of his strengths.”

*“Kevin’s one that I’m really proud of the work that our entire department’s done, analytics team. We put in a lot of work to have that one come together. Stayed on him throughout the spring. Really got to know him as a human being and get comfortable once again getting up close with him in an individual workout in Sarasota. And his physical abilities stand out really at the top of the class.

“We think he has some of the highest upside in this class with huge power, speed, arm strength. He has a good track record of hitting on the whole. It’s just an incredible blend of traits and at only 17 years old. We’re really excited to get our hands on him and see what he can develop into.”

The Orioles seem confident in signing the high school picks with college commitments – Booth to Vanderbilt and Roberts to Florida.

“We definitely got our arms around both situations, got to know the players and their camps,” Robertson said. “Won’t get into the negotiations, obviously, but we intend to bring them in.”