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Looking ahead to Orioles' draft with Jim Callis

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Looking ahead to Orioles' draft with Jim Callis

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Jim Callis is a senior writer for MLB.com. He covers prospects and ahead of next month’s draft, spoke about the Orioles and what their strategy might be on July 13th.

This interview has been edited for brevity.

Question: How does this draft class look as compared with past years?

Jim Callis: “I think it’s a little down compared to past years. You don’t have the top-of-the-draft-type talents. The last couple of years we’ve had a bunch of guys that we’d say would be overall No. 1 picks in most years

“In 2023, it was Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews and Wyatt Langford, Max Clark and Walker Jenkins. Last year, it was even more: Travis Bazzana,  Charlie Condon and Chase Burns and Hagen Smith, Nick Kurtz, JJ Wetherholt and Jac Caglianone.

“This year, I don’t think anyone has separated themselves from the pack. The strength undoubtedly is that there are a lot of high school shortstops and high school infielders

Q: Is this a good year for the Orioles to have three picks in the top 31 and six in the top 100?

Callis: “I think it’s always good to have extra draft picks. They’re not picking at the top, so I actually think you could argue that the guy they get at 19 might not be that much different than the guy they get at No. 9. You have those extra picks at the end of the first round, and that helps, too.

“Any scout will tell you there’s always talent in the draft, and it’s the team’s job is to go out and find it, and the thing the Orioles have going for them is that they don’t pick before 19, but because of those extra picks, they have  the fifth-highest draft pool in baseball. It’s only $500,000 behind the number one team. They have as much spending power as any team in baseball and can do some damage with it.”

Q: The Orioles have to restock the farm system because so many prospects have either graduated to the major leagues or been traded. Do you think they’ll draft for specific need with those first three picks or for the best available player?

Callis: “I think they’ll probably go best available player the way their draft board is lined up. You know this regime has not spent very many early picks at all on pitchers. The flip side is that the team needs pitching more than anything at both the major league level and the minor league level,

“I’m not convinced that they’re necessarily going to change that. I would be kind of surprised if they took a pitcher with one of those three first picks, especially at 19, but I do think it’s probably best player available because I think the way they line up their boards.”

Q: But isn’t there pressure on them to take a pitcher because it’s such an obvious need?

Callis: “If you look at what the organization needs, they still have a bunch of young hitters, and they’re trying to figure out how to get them in the lineup at the same time. Samuel Basallo is still in Triple-A. The pitching staff is kind of old and not really effective. I don’t think they have that many guys on the pitching staff under 30 years old playing major roles at the big league level.

“I don’t know that the owner is saying: ‘Hey, go get some pitching.’ They haven’t drafted that way, so I don’t think the front office is going to say we have to get more pitching.

“I think the pressure is more on the outside, and people saying, ‘They need to get some pitching. I don’t think they feel some internal pressure, like, ‘hey, we need to draft some pitchers.’ If you look at their philosophy, it clearly is, ‘we’re not going to spend high picks on pitchers, and we’ll find out the ways to find them. All things being equal, it would make sense that two of those first three picks to be pitchers. This regime has just not drafted many pitchers in the first three rounds.”

Q: How would you rate the Orioles’ farm system?

Callis: “It’s not as strong as it used to be, and that’s natural. It’s very hard to sustain a top farm system when you’re winning at the big league level. Instead of picking in the top five and having those huge bonus pools, you’re picking around 20, and you have less international money. You’re making trades like the Corbin Burnes trade, and you’re giving up prospects.

“It’s very rare to see a team win at the big league level and continue to sustain a top-shelf farm system. Coming into the year, we had the Orioles ranked as our No. 15 farm system. I haven’t contemplated farm system rankings because the draft’s approaching but they’d probably be down a little bit.

“Coby Mayo, who was ranked in our top 15 prospects, has graduated, out of rookie status, out of prospect status. It’s a farm system with one top 100 prospect, and that’s Samuel Basallo, who is one of the best hitters in the minor leagues, and he’s interesting.

“There’s Enrique Bradfield. He’s interesting. We have him as the No. 2 prospect, and he’s kind of polarizing. He can definitely run, steal bases and play a good center field, but there’s mixed opinions of how much impact he has on the bat. Chayce McDermott is kind of a rough year. He has a good arm. Vance Honeycutt, last year’s No. 1 pick. He had probably the best tools on the college side of the draft, but he’s hitting .185 in High-A, and they were swing-and-miss concerns with him.

“The farm system isn’t at that level where it was the best farm system in baseball. There have been some positive developments. [Aberdeen right-hander] Michael Forret has pitched pretty well. That’s a positive development. They need more of them. They’re kind of in the contender status of farm systems.”

Q: Considering those last two drafts, was it that they were drafting lower or did the Orioles lose their touch?

Callis: “Nobody has a good draft year after year. When you’re picking No. 1 and you have a huge bonus pool, you can take Adley Rutschman and you can push Gunnar Henderson down to your second-round pick. You can’t do that at 19 or at 22 or wherever they’re picking.

“It’s early, but last year’s draft does not look great right now. Vance Honeycutt is really struggling, and to be honest, there were swing-and-miss concerns with him. [Second pick in 2024] Griff O’Ferrall isn’t really hitting, and he was a glove-first shortstop. I don’t think we thought he’d be hitting .207 in High-A.

“[Second rounder] Ethan Anderson had an OK year at Virginia, and he’s struggling a little bit in High-A, too. You could argue guys are being pushed aggressively, too. Coming out of the ACC, you should be able to handle High-A in your first year, also.

“I wouldn’t say that last year’s draft is in the books, and we know what it is, but it’s not looking very good right now. The guys who made the good picks in prior drafts. I wouldn’t say they’ve lost their mojo.

“If you want a positive development, there’s a guy they spent extra money on in the 16th round, Nate George, who’s a really athletic high school kid from Illinois. He’s played really well. He might be a nice late-round find. It’s still early, but you would hope that your ’24 draft class was looking better than it has been in ’25.”

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: [email protected].

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Men’s Track and Field Finishes Second in Season Opener

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December 7, 2025

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CHICAGO — The University of Chicago men’s track and field team took to the track on Friday afternoon at the Cougar Alumni Invite hosted by Chicago State. The Maroons finished second in a strong field of teams to open up the 2025-26 campaign with a strong start.

Quint Stein and Simon Dixon led the Maroons as the lone two individuals with first-place finishes. Dixon took home the wins in both the Shot Put and the Weight Throw, and Stein added the lone running event victory in the 800m Run. UChicago took the top three finishes in the 800m Run as Abraham Went and Tristan Louvard took second and third with a pair of finishes within two seconds of Stein. 

Nathaniel Stuit earned a personal best in the men’s 400m Run with a time of 49.04 en route to second-place finish.

Oluwaseyi Kadiri added a second-place finish in the Triple Jump, and Imran Serifovic added a third-place finish in the High Jump for the top two jumping performances on the day.

With the first meet of the season now complete, the Maroons will break for the holidays before returning to the Henry Crown Fieldhouse for the Phoenix Invite on January 10.

TOP-5 FINISHERS:

1) Quint Stein – 800m Run – 1:57.32
1) Simon Dixon – Weight Throw – 16.49m
1) Simon Dixon – Shot Put – 15.53m
2) Nathaniel Stuit – 400m Run – 49.04 (Collegiate Best)
2) Oluwaseyi Kadiri – Triple Jump – 13.75m
2) Abraham Went – 800m – 1:58.56
3) Tristan Louvard – 800m – 1:59.22
3) Paul Sackman – 200m Dash – 22.16
3) Imran Serifovic – High Jump – 1.95m
3) Ethan Hoffman – Shot Put – 14.36m
4) Karsten Kropp – High Jump – 1.95m
5) Daniel Hernandez – Triple Jump – 13.22m
5) Paul Sackman – 60m Dash – 6.95

COLLEGIATE BESTS:

* Jackson Giampa – 200m Dash – 22.43
* Nathaniel Stuit – 400m Run – 49.04

TEAM SCORES:

1) Chicago State – 127.5
2) UChicago – 98
3) Madonna – 97.5
4) Bradley – 58
5) UIC – 54
6) Wisconsin – 49
7) Olivet Nazarene – 32
8) Bradley – 14
9) Loyola-Chicago – 13
10) Judson – 12
11) St. Xavier – 10
12) Benedictine (IL) – 6
13) Olive Harvey – 1



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Women’s Track and Field Kicks Off 2026 Season With Impressive Performances at Springfield Season Opener Meet

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December 7, 2025

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Springfield, Mass. – December 6, 2025 – The Springfield College women’s track and field team had a number of strong performances as it hosted the Springfield College Season Opener for the first meet of the season on Saturday afternoon.

Katherine DeFosse (Worcester, Mass.) picked up right where she left off last indoor season as she took first in the 60-meter hurdles at 8.74 which is the third fastest time in NCAA Division III to date this season. DeFosse also picked up a second-place finish in both the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.84, which ranks eighth nationally and the 200-meter dash at 26.62 while Ella Couchon (Windsor Locks, Conn.) took the win in the 200-meter dash at 26.55, which ranks 16th nationally.

Kristina Kyle (Watertown, Conn.) won the one mile run, crossing the finish line at 5:19.76, ranking her fourth in the country early on, and Kami Wlodyka (Three Rivers, Mass.) finished third with a time of 5:29.72.

Natalia Marchand (Hubbardston, Mass.) took first place in the 400-meter dash in 58.51, ranking her fourth in Division III thus far, while first-year Sydney Meeks (Wynantskill, N.Y.) took second place with times of 58.51 and 1:02.80, respectively. Peyton Knott (Leicester, Mass.) won the 600-meter run with a time of 1:43.40. 

Springfield’s relay teams swept the top three spots in the 4×400-meter relay with the relay team of Knott, Meeks, Marchand, and Madison Mulas (Wilmington, Mass.) finishing at 4:14.77.

In the field events, Hannah Debian (West Springfield, Mass.) won both the weight throw and shot put with marks of 15.48-meters (50 feet, 9.00 inches) and 11.87-meters (38 feet, 11.25 inches), respectively. Debian’s weight throw toss ranks fourth in the country as of today.

Grace Flattery (Swansea, Mass.) and Autumn Bacik (Watertown, Conn.) tied for second place in the high jump with a 1.58-meter (5 feet, 2.25 inches) jump. The duo is tied for ninth in Division III with this mark so far this season. Flattery also finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 10.42-meters (34 feet, 2.25 inches) in her debut for the Pride. 

Springfield will await the new year and travel to Tufts on Saturday, January 17 for the Branwen Smith-King Invitational. 

Sign up for free today to receive the latest news about your favorite Springfield College Athletics program directly to your email here. 

For the latest on Springfield College Athletics, follow the Pride on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to tune into all Springfield College Athletic events by subscribing to FloSports.





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FLEMMER POSTS PROGRAM RECORD AT HOLIDAY OPEN

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December 7, 2025

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BROOKINGS, S.D. — South Dakota State opens its season with a 300-meter program record performance and over 20 podium finishes at the SDSU Holiday Open Friday evening. 

HEAD COACH ROD DEHAVEN

“It was a great opening meet for the Jackrabbits. We ahd a lot of very positive things like the 300-meter school record from Lucas Flemmer. Great finish. The men’s 4×400-meter relay. We saw a lot of great stuff across the board. There is some things we can build upon, but the coaching staff I think was pleased with our overall effort today.”

TRACK EVENTS

The highlight of the meet occurred during the 300-meter race as sophomore Lucas Flemmer bested fellow teammate James Pierce’s program record of 33.65 by nearly a tenth of a second at 33.54 to win the race. Carter Toews, Griffin Fischer, Gunnar Gunderson and Cael Woods competed alongside Flemmer. Toews finished runner-up with a time of 34.42. Fischer claimed bronzed in his collegiate debut, crossing the line at 34.45. Gunnar Gunderson placed in the top-five with a time of 34.89, and Woods took seventh at 35.38. 

Chloe Raw was a sight to see on the women’s side. Raw won the 60-meter dash in her collegiate debut, posting a time of 7.47. Later in the meet, Raw claimed bronze in the 200-meter with a time of 24.16. On the men’s side, Landen Matkins clutched runner-up in the 200-meter with a time of 22.22.

Freshman Story Rasby also won her first collegiate race during the night’s competition. Rasby won the 300-meter dash with a time of 39.52. Several Jackrabbits raced alongside Rasby, such as Erika Kuntz, who took bronze at 40.19. Jenna Johnson posted a top-five placement with a time of 40.36. Kyra Weiss clocked a time of 41.07 for sixth, while Vivian Dalton placed seventh with a time of 41.33. Alynna Henderson rounded out the Jackrabbit lineup in with a time of 43.84 to finish eighth overall. 

Kuntz and Johnson also competed together in the 4×400-meter relay race. The two seniors, alongside Ellie Harris and Maggie Madsen, posted a time of 3:50.15 to win the event. Another SDSU relay team, comprised of Rasby, Reese Luze, Dalton and Weiss, challenged the winning senior squad during the race as the two teams vied for primary position. Ultimately, Weiss crossed the line a second after Kuntz to claim silver for her squad. Flemmer led the team for the men’s 4×400-meter relay. Freshmen Tate Songstad and Griffin Fischer made up the middle legs of the race with Gunnar Gunderson as the anchor. The squad clocked a time of 3:16.01 to win the event. 

In distance events, Hannah Spoden won the 800-meter with a time of 2:13.30, while Lindsey Rotz crossed the line hot on Spoden’s tail in second at 2:13.50. Anna Sheriff and Marissa Garcia raced as well, finishing 11th and 12th, respectively. Sheriff posted a time of 2:21.58, while Garcia crossed at 2:23.42. On the men’s side, Joe Dustin finished fourth with a time of 1:53.79. 

Sean Murphy took gold in the mile with a time of 4:16.34. Ty Brouwer raced as well, finishing fourth at 4:19.30. In the 3000-meter race, Tyler O’Neill finished runner-up at 8:45.48 behind Jackrabbit alum, Daniel Burkhalter, who clocked a time of 8:43.51. On the women’s side, Nicole Swanson took third at 10:08.31. 

FIELD EVENTS

Ethan Fischer opened his senior season with a personal record in weight throw. Fischer hit a mark of 63-06.75 (19.37m) to win the event, while fellow Jackrabbit Ryan Hackbart took third with a throw of 58-01.25 (17.71m). 

Ty Nelson opened his collegiate career with a first-place finish in triple jump. Nelson landed a mark of 47-08.50 (14.54m) to become the seventh-best performer in program history. Fellow freshman Kincade Lehman competed as well, placing in the top-five with a mark of 45-05.00 (13.84m). While Lehman didn’t make podium in triple jump, the freshman posted an impressive performance in long jump as he won the event with a leap of 23-06.00 (7.16m). Long jump was a packed event for SDSU as six other Jackrabbits competed alongside Lehman. Rylan McDonnell took fourth with a mark of 21-10.75 (6.67m). Brett Fraker finished in the top-five after landing 21-10.00 (6.65m). Wyatt Melcher took seventh with a jump of 21-05.25 (6.53m). Ryan Benson claimed ninth with a leap of 21-03.50 (6.49m). Hudson Schroeder finished 11th at 21-02.50 (6.46m), and Ty Nelson rounded out the Jackrabbit lineup with a 12th-place finish and a leap of 20-10.50 (6.36m). 

Taylor Jochum had a solid showing in her season debut. Jochum cleared 5-04.25 (1.63m) in the high jump competition to take second. Hadley Carlson and Logan Bly competed as well, placing fourth and eighth, respectively. Carlson cleared 5-04.25 (1.63m) to receive her placement, while Bly jumped 5-00.25 (1.53m). 



UP NEXT

The Jackrabbits disperse for winter break before heading to Vermillion for the USD Alumni Meet on Jan. 17. 


-GoJacks.com-



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Sara Schermerhorn Tops Former Teammate to Win 400 Meters at GVSU Track and Field Holiday Open

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December 7, 2025

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Hope College sprinter Sara Schermerhorn raced past a former teammate to win the 400-meter run at the indoor season–opening Grand Valley State University Holiday Open on Friday in Allendale.

The senior from Traverse City, Michigan (Traverse City West), posted a first-place time of 55.45 seconds to race past a field of 58 on GVSU’s 300-meter track. The run also was the fastest in NCAA Division III so far this season.

Schermerhorn crossed the finish line ahead of runner-up Catherine Leahy ’25. Leahy, who now competes for NCAA Division I Oakland University as a graduate student, finished in 57.43.

The meet, which featured NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA competitors, was the first for head coach Jordan Bartolazzi coaching Schermerhorn, a four-time All-American over the past two indoor seasons.

“Sara is an exceptional worker, and she has all the intangibles,” Bartolazzi said. “She knows how to race and how to run with exceptional form.

“It was neat to see Catherine running. I would have loved to get her last year of eligibility this year, but I’m happy for her. She’s at a great school and will continue to do great things.”

The Flying Dutch delivered several more strong performances.

In the 1-mile run invite division, senior Molly Durow picked up where she left off after an All-American cross country season this fall.

Durow (Glenview, Illinois / Glenbrook South) clocked Division III’s top time with a runner-up effort of 4:58.97. Only Gabby Phelan of NCAA Division I Toledo University was faster, at 4:57.3.

Freshman Miranda Sawvel (Laramie, Colorado / Centennial) placed eighth in the event in 5:14.47.

The Flying Dutch posted Division III’s fifth-fastest 4×400 relay, with freshman Jaidyn Klimp (Galesburg, Michigan / Galesburg Augusta), senior Frances Cozzens (Lyman, New Hampshire / St. Johnsbury Academy), freshman Savana Monville (Auburn, Michigan / Bay City Western) and freshman Eliana Kotsonis (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin / Hamilton) going 4:03.50. The relay finished seventh in the race.

Junior Mary England (Kalamazoo, Michigan / Kalamazoo Central) outraced the field in Heat 2 of the 3,000-meter run, recording a time of 10:20.07 that was sixth-fastest in Division III. England finished ahead of runner-up Jadie Chavez of the Division I University of Illinois at Chicago, who ran 10:32.51.

Freshman Taylor Mitchell (Otsego, Michigan / Otsego) took fourth in the heat at 10:38.00.

In Heat 2 of the 5,000-meter run, freshman Dylan Ballin (Brookville, Ohio / Brookville) led the Flying Dutch with a third-place time of 18:08.83. Ballin ranked 17th in the nation after Friday.

“I was really pleased,” Bartolazzi said. “We had great energy, as the men did. It was a good day for Hope track and field.”

Hope next competes Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Aurora University (Illinois) Grand Prix near Chicago.



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Women’s Indoor Track and Field Starts Action at BU Sharon Colyear-Danvile Season Opener

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December 7, 2025

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BOSTON, MA (December 6, 2025) — The Tufts University women’s track and field team sent a small contingent of distance runners to the opening indoor track and field meet of the 2025-26 season, competing at the 2025 Boston University Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener at the BU Track and Tennis Center. 

Sophomore Phoebe Bryar competed in the women’s 1500 meter run Saturday, and finished 31st overall in a very deep meet with many Division I and II schools competing. Bryar ran a 4:56.36 in the event, while the race continued for a mile time as she chalked up a 5:15.48 for a New England Regional qualifying time and 30th place.

Sonia Olson also ran in the same event, taking 37th in the in the 1500m en route with a 4:59.02. She would close with a time of 5:19.57 in the mile run. 

First-year Zui Chinchalkar ran her first collegiate track race in the 3000 meter run, crossing the line in 10:02.06 for a Division III New England Regional qualifying time. 

Senior Elizabeth Donahue ran a 16:54.83 in the women’s 5000m run, and junior Katya Henisz finished with a 17:13.13. Both times were regional qualifying times, as well as personal-best times in the event. 

Tufts will have a few days off before heading to the Dartmouth College December Invitational Friday, December 12 in Hanover, NH. 


–JUMBOS–

 



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Wildcats Total 10 Blocks in Four-Set Win over [7] South Dakota State

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December 7, 2025

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STANFORD, Calif. – The Arizona Wildcats took down seven-seed South Dakota State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in four sets (25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 25-15) on Friday night in Maples Pavilion to advance to the second round. The win marks Arizona’s first win in the NCAA Tournament since 2016.
 
Arizona recorded 10 blocks and hit .317 to take down the Jackrabbits. Jordan Wilson led Arizona with five blocks and 24 kills with a .340 clip. Carlie Cisneros followed with 18 kills and Sydnie Vanek knocked down 10 kills to round out the offense. Journey Tucker led the Wildcats’ defense with six blocks and also added nine kills.

The Cats won the first set, 25-21. Arizona used multiple runs to hold the lead the entire set over South Dakota State and went on a 3-0 run to end the set. Wilson led the Cats with eight kills and a .353 hitting percentage while Cisneros followed with five kills to help the offense. Arizona totaled three blocks in the opening set to hold the Jackrabbits to a .200 hitting percentage.

 

South Dakota State took the second set, 25-22, to even the match. The Jackrabbits started the set on an 8-0 run to control the set. Cisneros had five kills while three Cats – Britt Carlson, Tucker, and Wilson – recorded two kills each. Tucker tallied four blocks and Wilson had three, but it wasn’t enough to overcome South Dakota State in the set.

 

Arizona took the third set, 25-15, to take a 2-1 lead in the match. The Cats took the lead at 7-6 and hit .405 to keep control for the entire set. Wilson led the attack with seven kills and Vanek followed with five kills and a .571 hitting percentage. Cisneros and Tucker rounded out the offense for Arizona with seven kills between the pair.

 

The Wildcats won the fourth set, 25-15, to secure the match win. Arizona’s offense hit .515 and the Cats used a 4-0 run in the middle of the set to pull away from the Jackrabbits. The offense was led by Wilson with seven kills while Cisneros and Vanek added four kills each. Arizona’s defense only had one block but was able to hold South Dakota State to a .118 hitting percentage in the set.

 

Arizona will face the winner of [2] Stanford vs. Utah Valley in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, December 6 at 7 p.m. MST in Maples Pavilion.

 



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