The first four picks in the 2026 draft were chalk. They lined up with the pre-selection talk.

It all began with Roch while the Orioles waited their turn at No. 7.

In “war rooms” across the majors, as they’re known in sports, teams anticipated the top four of UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Fort Worth Christian High School shortstop Grady Emerson, Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey and UC Santa Barbara right-hander Jackson Flora. It wasn’t until pick No. 5 that the wheels really began to spin for the Orioles.

The Pirates selected LSU outfielder Derek Curiel, a favorite of former Orioles pitcher and current MASN analyst Ben McDonald – the first-overall pick in 1989 – and a player who’s got Nick Markakis as a comp. And the Royals snapped the first curveball of the day with Louisville outfielder Zion Rose.

The first “truly wow moment,” as MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo wrote.

The Orioles appeared to prefer an outfielder but expected Eric Booth Jr. or Drew Burress to be off the board. There was a chance that they’d both be gone and the front office would have to pivot.

Miami prep shortstop Jacob Lombard also was in the discussion, and I’ve heard, despite the organization passing on pitching in the first round since Mike Elias arrived in November 2018, that Flora was a real possibility if he fell to them.

Scout Dave Jennings is used to sweating out the pick, hoping that a player he’s tracked for years is available and the name is called. He’s based in Alabama and also covers the Florida Panhandle, Mississippi and Louisiana, and he was sold on Booth.

The Oak Grove (Miss.) High outfielder proved to be the preference because the Orioles chose him over Burress. They passed on the college player with limited size – he’s listed at 5 feet 9 and the buzz is that he’s really 5-8 – and big power and potential. They fell in love with Booth’s tools and his makeup, and were thrilled that he fell to them.

“It’s always fun when you get the first one,” Jennings said.

“Coming into it, I was really worried about four, the Giants. I thought that was it, that’s where he was going. He got by that, and when they (Pirates) took Curiel at five, I was really surprised. I like him, obviously, because I’ve got LSU, and I knew Kansas City was really on him quite a bit. And then I heard earlier that they had a little pressure to take a college bat, and I was like, ‘Well, maybe. Maybe.’

“When I heard Zion, I was like, ‘Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,’ because it just fell right there. And it was like, ‘I think this is it.’”

Draft rooms aren’t always unanimous in its opinions on picks, but Booth was an easy sell. Elias also watched Booth play and attended a workout in Sarasota, which attracted other members of the organization.

“There were a lot of eyes on him,” Jennings said. “Player development kind of ran everything with the workout and I was like, ‘Man, I feel good about this.’”

Jennings just completed his 35th draft and he’s has been with the Orioles since 2001. He’s also signed Markakis, Matt Wieters, Gunnar Henderson, Brandon Young, Jordan Westburg, Kevin Gausman and Adam Loewen, along with a host of others.  

The process of landing Booth began about two weeks after last year’s draft, at a high school event in Birmingham.

“That’s when he really got on the radar,” Jennings said.

Jennings followed up with an in-home visit in December and started back up the next month at practices and eventually games.

“The athleticism, it goes without saying,” Jennings said. “The speed and the power combo, that was the big thing. It’s almost an 80. You’d probably put an 80 on it speed-wise. Really good power, bat speeds there. It’s just a lot to like.

“The body, at the time he was 17, and it was really physical. You didn’t have to dream on the body. Yeah, he was a physical guy, still is. We had a great in-house visit over the winter and really liked some things that he was trying to work on and things that he’s done. And then getting to see him in the spring really solidified some things.

“Speed, there’s no question on that one. He’s gonna bring that every day.”

The Orioles also held no concerns about Booth’s maturity and how he’d handle the pressure and attention.  

“Just knowing what these guys go through, the grind every day,” Jennings said. “And especially for a high school kid. It’s such a difference when you’re the big man on the campus and can kind of get away from some things. But in pro ball, it just makes such a big difference that you’re actually gonna do your work. You’re gonna lift, you’re gonna run, you’re gonna stay in shape. The early work, those were things that he was doing.

“Especially for a 17 year old, he was a little advanced in all that.”

Vice president of domestic scouting Will Robertson said the organization hasn’t gotten to the point where it possesses a concrete expectation on whether Booth will make his professional debut this year.

“We’re gonna start our player development intact process,” he said. “There are a lot of tests and basically you have to develop a plan from there. Don’t have an idea yet. We’re just kind of going to see what the information we’re gathering tells us is the best for his development long-term.”

The Orioles completed the draft with 10 right-handed pitchers in the fold, one left-hander, four outfielders, three infielders, one catcher and one utility player.

LSU Shreveport’s Carlos Sanchez (10th round), also scouted by Jennings, has catching on his resume but is the utility pick. Hardee (Fla.) High School’s Leo Marrero (12th) is the listed catcher.

“Marrero, we definitely want to send out there as a catcher and expect him to be able to catch,” Robertson said. “He’s bilingual, he has soft hands and kind of the mental traits that you look for in a young catcher.

“Sanchez, as well, we kind of see him as a Swiss army knife that can do everything. So that was a big part of his appeal, as well as his track record of hitting everywhere he goes. So yeah, we’ll explore that and kind of leave it in (player development’s) hands about what’s taking shape and leading to the most value.”

“The ability to play everywhere,” Jennings said. “He played in the (MLB) Draft League and he did really well there. So that just kind of bumped him up. He came to one of our workouts over Dallas and bounced around the infield, outfield, catching. Had some good exit velos and bat speed. He can run a little bit. There were definitely some tools there that you liked, especially coming from a small school like that. He was impressive for us.”