General manager Mike Rizzo and assistant GM & vice president of scouting operations Kris Kline spoke with reporters via Zoom conference call on Wednesday after selecting right-hander Cade Cavalli with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.

The Orioles made the first round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft a breeze for the beat crew. They didn't pull any surprises. They didn't choose a player who required a hasty Google search or leave us frantically tearing through the pages of Baseball America's preview issue. Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman was the obvious choice two years ago as the first overall selection, though prep shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had the endorsement of at least one former scout in the organization....

When they gathered Wednesday night - each individual secluded in his own home - for the first night of this year's draft, Mike Rizzo, Kris Kline and the Nationals scouting department would have been excused if they felt less prepared than they had any previous year they gathered for the first night of the draft. Nobody had been able to scout anybody in person in three months, which under normal circumstances would be a ludicrous way to try to create a draft board. Instead, these men insist,...

On night one of the First-Year Player Draft the Orioles got two Southeastern Conference players from Texas to add to their farm system. They selected an outfielder and an infielder. They added Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad (pronounced KERR-stad) with the No. 2 overall pick and they selected Mississippi State infielder Jordan Westburg at No. 30. Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias made it clear last night Kjerstad was the player the club liked the most at No. 2,...

The Orioles knew fairly early in the draft process that they were taking a position player. Executive vice president Mike Elias especially liked one pitcher, but not with the second overall pick. Not with so many intriguing hitters. Elias didn't meet in person with Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who in the executive's words was more of a dark horse candidate to join the organization. Their Zoom call proved to be an important step in solidifying the decision. The player that they liked...

Oklahoma right-hander Cade Cavalli spoke with reporters via Zoom conference call on Wednesday after being selected by the Nationals with the No. 22 overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft.

The Baltimore Orioles tonight selected outfielder Heston Kjerstad from the University of Arkansas with the second overall selection of the 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The Orioles also selected infielder Jordan Westburg at No. 30 overall from Mississippi State University. Kjerstad, 21, hit .448/.513/.791 (30-for-67) with five doubles, six home runs, 19 runs, and 20 RBI in 16 games during his junior season, which was shortened due to COVID-19. He led the Razorbacks in...

The Washington Nationals selected right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli out of the University of Oklahoma with the No. 22 selection in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo, Assistant General Manager & Vice President of Scouting Operations Kris Kline and Director of Scouting Operations Eddie Longosz made the joint announcement. Cavalli, a 6-foot-4, 226-pound junior went 1-2 with a 4.18 ERA (11 ER/23.2 IP) and 37 strikeouts...

The Nationals continued a draft strategy that has worked well in the past by selecting a pitcher with their first pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft. Their first selection at No. 22 was right-hander Cade Cavalli of Oklahoma. Cavalli features a solid fastball, clocked at upwards of 98 mph, with a power curveball and a consistent slider. Cavalli was thrilled to see his name come up as a Nats selection. "It was awesome," Cavalli said on a Zoom call with local media. "I was grateful to...

New Oriole Heston Kjerstad, taken by the club with the No. 2 pick tonight in the First-Year Player Draft, showed some confidence when he talked to reporters during a Zoom interview. After Detroit took Spencer Torkelson as expected, the Orioles pulled a surprise with the selection of the lefty-hitting outfielder from the University of Arkansas. "I'm just excited to be a part of Birdland now and embark on my next journey of professional baseball," Kjerstad said. "Right now, I'm just stoked...