Although he was intrigued by slugging phenom Bryce Harper and flame-throwing right-hander Jameson Taillon, Orioles scouting director Joe Jordan had a feeling that Florida high school shortstop Manny Machado would be talking to the Baltimore media Monday night.
When Harper went to the Washington Nationals with the first pick in Monday's first-year player draft and the Pittsburgh Pirates followed by selecting Taillon, Jordan and his crew didn't hesitate to snag Machado, who was considered the best prep hitter available.
"We felt, knowing what was going to happen in front of us, that he was going to be our guy. Today has been very easy for me, to be honest," Jordan said. "I knew I was going to get a good player when I went to bed [Sunday] night. It's been a good day, and I am just very excited for this kid and his family."
Machado, who hit .639 with 12 homers and 68 RBIs in 29 games for Brito Miami Private, becomes the highest Orioles draft pick since LSU's Ben McDonald was taken first overall in 1989.
"I was just here hanging out with family, sitting around waiting for my name to be pronounced over the TV. It was just a great feeling once I heard my name," said Machado, who watched the MLB Network prime-time event with about 25 family members. "My heart dropped, all the nervousness went away. It's a great feeling, an opportunity, a one-time thing that happens, to get drafted."
He has been compared to New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, also a top high school shortstop out of Miami. Although Machado said "it's a great honor" and "delightful" to be compared to Rodriguez, he said he doesn't compare himself to anyone.
"I'm Manny Machado," he said. "You can't be like anybody else. You've got to be yourself."
Machado immediately becomes the Orioles' top middle infield prospect, joining last year's second-round pick, 20-year-old Mychal Givens, at an organizational weak spot. Givens, also projected as a shortstop, was the club's ninth-best prospect according to 2010 Baseball America rankings. No other middle infielder was listed in the Orioles' top 20.
Machado is a lanky 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, and there are questions as to whether his best position long term is shortstop or third base.
"The question with him is: Does he put on enough muscle and outgrow shortstop?" said Jim Callis, Baseball America's executive editor. "But I think he has a chance to be .300 guy with 20 home runs and an average defender. I still think you project him as an All-Star at third base, too."
Machado, who has played baseball since he was 6, said he has always been a shortstop. And that is where the Orioles see his future.
"I think [he has] all the ingredients that you look for in a shortstop, and in a shortstop that's hopefully going to impact a game offensively," Jordan said. "And we feel like he is going to be able to contribute to a game every night in some way. That's really what it boils down to."
The next step is to sign Machado, who is represented by shrewd negotiator Scott Boras and has signed a letter of intent to play for Florida International. The Orioles will have until midnight Aug.16 to sign him or lose his rights.
"It's not any more significant than it should be or it would be with any other player," Jordan said. "He is going to be a Baltimore Oriole. I have no doubt about that."
The club will have to spend more than the $2.42 million they gave last year's top pick, California high school pitcher Matt Hobgood, the fifth selection overall. It was less than the commissioner's suggested slot bonus of $2.52 million.
Last year's No. 3 overall pick, San Diego Padres outfielder Donavan Tate, received a $6.25 million bonus, much higher than the slot of $2.93 million. But Tate, who could have played football at North Carolina, had his bonus spread over several years because it was considered a "two-sport contract."
In 2008, the Kansas City Royals paid third overall selection Eric Hosmer $6 million; the Chicago Cubs' Josh Vitters received $3.2 million in 2007.
The Orioles will have some extra room in their budget, since they won't select again until the 85th overall pick in today's third round. They surrendered their second-round pick as compensation for signing free-agent reliever Michael Gonzalez, who blew two of three save opportunities before going on the disabled list.
Machado is the first position player Jordan has drafted in the first round since he selected catcher Matt Wieters with the fifth overall pick in 2007. He is the first shortstop the Orioles have selected in the first round since 1974, when they took Rich Dauer, who played second base in the big leagues.
"We are very, very excited with [Monday's] selection. He has been a target guy for us all spring," Jordan said. "We've just seen him countless times, and we feel very fortunate. He is going to be automatically one of our premier prospects in our organization."
NOTE: Injured second baseman Brian Roberts (herniated disk) was unable to play in a third consecutive extended spring training game as a result of back soreness. Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said Roberts will see a back specialist Tuesday in Florida. "We're just being careful," MacPhail said in a text message. Roberts was eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list Wednesday, but his inability to get onto the field in game situations continues to push back his return to the club.
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