The Baltimore Orioles selected Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad with the second overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.
Baltimore follows the 2019 first overall selection of catcher Adley Rutschman from last year’s draft, giving Baltimore two of the top advanced offensive prospects in the game.
The signing bonus for the second overall pick is $7,789,900 for the soon to be very wealthy Kjerstad.
The 21-year-old Arkansas Razorback outfielder is a strong, powerful hitter that could find himself moving quickly through the Orioles organization. Kjerstad, a native of Amarillo, Tex., provides power to all fields that could lead to him finding himself a middle-of-the-order big league hitter. Standing at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, the left-handed Kjerstad slashed .331/.412/.563 in three seasons for the Razorbacks, slugging 29 doubles and 30 home runs in 520 college at-bats.
Kjerstad will find himself defensively playing one of the two corner outfield positions for the Orioles.
Kjerstad was originally drafted by Seattle in the 36th round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Randall High School in Amarillo. As a freshman at Arkansas, Kjerstad hit .332 with 14 home runs and was named SEC Freshman of the Year. His unusual swing could be something that will require some adjustment at the professional level and his power swing approach does lead to swing-and-miss issues.
He will require developing more plate discipline in the Baltimore organization, but there is no doubt his power and bat are what will eventually lead him to the majors one day.
