Sedlock, Akin, Dietz headline O’s instructs

With an instructional league roster comprised of 18 Top 30 prospects, the Orioles have no shortage of talent in camp this fall in Sarasota, Fla.

The group includes three of the team’s top picks from the 2016 Draft in first-rounder Cody Sedlock and second-rounders Keegan Akin and Matthias Dietz, all of whom spent their successful pro debuts pitching together at Class A Short Season Aberdeen.

“I think that was a huge, very productive time having that group together in Aberdeen,” Orioles director of player development Brian Graham said. “Good players feed off of each other, and it’s almost an internal competition in a good way. I think that’s what you saw with those guys this summer — a competition.”

Selected with the No. 27 overall pick out of Illinois, Sedlock, the Orioles’ top-ranked prospect, pitched as advertised during his time with the IronBirds, posting a 3.00 ERA over 27 innings (nine starts). The 6-foot-3, 190-pound right-hander’s impressive four-pitch mix allowed him to hold opposing hitters to a .158 average, while his heavy sinker, specifically, helped him to produced twice as many ground-ball outs fly outs.

“[Cody] has a good arm and body and, overall, he’s an extremely athletic pitcher,” Graham said. “It’s a plus fastball with plus life, especially to his arm side and down, and we think his slider has the potential to be a 70-grade pitch.”

Performance-wise, Akin (Orioles’ No. 8) was the most impressive of the group. After a dominant junior campaign at Western Michigan, the 21-year-old left-hander began his career by recording a 1.04 ERA over nine starts. He allowed just 15 hits in 26 innings, with 29 strikeouts and seven walks. Dietz (Orioles’ No. 7) didn’t fare as well, however, as the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder logged only 18 2/3 innings across seven starts and finished his pro debut with a 4.82 ERA.

“Both Akin and Dietz have looked really good. Specifically, Akin threw the ball extremely well in camp, much like he did during the season. Dietz was very impressive, too, and there’s a very high upside with him,” said Graham.

Also opening eyes this fall has been outfielder Austin Hays, the Orioles’ third-round pick in this year’s Draft. Playing on the same loaded Aberdeen squad as the aforementioned …

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