Law's updated mock draft.
17. Baltimore Orioles — Arjun Nimmala, SS, Strawberry Crest HS (FL)
DOB: 10-16-2005 | Height: 6-1 | Weight: 170
All the rumors here are bats, mostly high school, including Nimmala, Bryce Eldridge, and the very obvious Nolan Schanuel as a stats darling. One source threw out the possibility that they might go after Noble Meyer if he gets here, even with Mike Elias’ known disinclination to take pitching in the first round, because he’d represent unusual upside and value at pick 17 – exactly the spot where Elias took Forrest Whitley as Houston’s scouting director – and he has some excellent pitch characteristics.
Scouting Report: Nimmala is one of the youngest players in the entire draft class, as he won’t turn 18 until November, which will appeal to all the teams that value age in their draft models. But he’s also very talented and would still be a first-rounder even if he were 18 already. Nimmala is a lean 6-1 and already shows above-average power with a strong swing that makes excellent use of his hips to generate that contact quality. He’s a rangy shortstop with good hands and an easy plus arm, and although he’s probably just an average runner in the end, he’s certain to stay at the position long term. Where he falls short of the high school hitters above him in my rankings is in his present hit tool, as he’s shown more propensity to swing and miss than his peers (though he seems to hit velocity fine). If he didn’t have that, he’d be in that uppermost tier of players, since he’d have the hit tool, power and defense at a critical position. Instead, he offers the potential for that sort of player with a slightly longer timeframe, and greater risk around his ability to hit when he enters pro ball.