Baltimore Orioles select North Carolina OF Vance Honeycutt in 2024 MLB Draft

The Baltimore Orioles have selected North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Honeycutt spent three seasons with the Tar Heels.

In the 2024 campaign, Honeycutt recorded a career-high .318 batting average, 28 home runs and 70 RBIs. Additionally, he boasted a .410 on-base percentage and a .714 slugging percentage.

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Fueled by Honeycutt’s fantastic play, North Carolina reached the College World Series in 2024 for the first time since 2018. Honeycutt made numerous pivotal plays in the Tar Heels’ postseason run, including a two-run walk-off homer against West Virginia in Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regional.

While Honeycutt excelled at the plate, his true appeal at the professional level is his fielding ability. Honeycutt was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

This past season, Honeycutt posted a .987 fielding percentage, highlighted by countless jaw-dropping catches. Moreover, Honeycutt added four outfield assists throughout the season while tallying 148 putouts.

In three seasons at UNC, Honeycutt notched a .293 batting average, 65 home runs and 170 RBIs in 693 at-bats. He was a three-time All-ACC honoree and two-time All-American.

Honeycutt played high school baseball at Salisbury High School (NC), where he was the No. 500 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, according to Perfect Game. Honeycutt played shortstop in high school before becoming an outfielder at the collegiate level.

Despite Vance Honeycutt’s immense success at UNC, MLB experts still have questions about how his game will translate at the next level.

“Honeycutt comes with at least plus tools across the board with one notable exception: his bat,” MLB.com wrote. “He carried a 30 percent strikeout rate as a freshman, cut it to 20 percent as a sophomore (when he wasn’t nearly as productive) and has seen it shoot back up to 28 percent as a junior. He has a decent right-handed swing but needs to refine his pull-heavy approach, do a better job of making in-zone contact and cut down on his chases.

“How much Honeycutt hits will determine if he becomes Drew Stubbs or better than that. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he creates well-above-average raw power with bat speed, strength, leverage and loft. He has similar speed and fine instincts, making him a basestealing threat and a potential Gold Glover in center field, where his plus arm is stronger than most at the position.”