Orioles add to arsenal with another power arm
The Orioles are stockpiling power arms.
That process continued Thursday evening, as Baltimore selected North Carolina high school hurler Hunter Harvey in the draft.
The 18-year-old is the son of former big league closer Bryan Harvey. He started in the 2012 Under Armour All-American game after going 7-0 with 106 strikeouts in 54 innings as a junior. In his senior season, he was 8-0 with 116 strikeouts and just three earned runs allowed, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Harvey follows Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman as a third consecutive pitcher drafted in the first round. Like Harvey, Bundy was a high schooler. Both Gausman and Bundy have appeared in Baltimore. Harvey likely is on a slower track.
It was just the second first-round pick by Orioles scouting director Gary Rajsich, who selected Gausman out of LSU last season. It was the first time the Orioles selected outside of the top five since 2006, and the club's deepest initial selection since 1998.
But the thin, 6-foot-3, 175-pounder is armed with a big league fastball and was the fourth high schooler selected Thursday. He's projected as a starter, according to many draft analysts.
