Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 60 | Run: 65 | Arm: 60 | Field: 70 | Overall: 50

After almost a half-decade of lottery picks, the Orioles picked lower in the Draft the past couple of years as they grew into contenders in the American League East, and they’ve used those mid-to-late first-round picks on athletic outfielders with big tools. Honeycutt, who Baltimore grabbed with the No. 22 overall pick in 2024, is the embodiment of that idea. A high school quarterback who won North Carolina state titles in football and baseball, Honeycutt then posted multiple 20-20 seasons at the University of North Carolina and left college with both the school single-season (28) and career (65) home run records. He didn’t perform nearly as well during a very brief pro debut after signing for a slightly over-slot $4 million.

A dynamic athlete with plus tools almost across the board, Honeycutt fell to the Orioles in the Draft because of concerns over his bat. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he generates enough bat speed, leverage and loft to create well-above-average raw power, though his armsy swing and pull-happy approach lead to serious contact issues that can make him too easy to pitch to. As it was, Honeycutt struck out in more than a quarter of his plate appearances in college and in 42.8 percent of his plate appearances during his 13-game pro debut.

In college, Honeycutt was a two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year and the first player from a Power Five conference to pair 60 career homers with 70 steals. His upside is providing similar impact at the highest level, where his well-above-average speed and plus arm make him a potential Gold Glover in center field. He simply needs to make more contact, enough for his big tools to play. How he develops in that area will determine if Honeycutt becomes a Drew Stubbs type or exceeds that production.

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 60 | Run: 65 | Arm: 60 | Field: 70 | Overall: 50

When the Orioles took Honeycutt with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, he became the tenth first-rounder from the University of North Carolina and quite possibly the most tooled up of all of them. A high school quarterback who won state 2-A titles in football and baseball in 2021 in North Carolina, Honeycutt hit a school-record 25 homers and stole 29 bases as a freshman and turned in another 20-20 performance this past spring (28 homers and steals), leaving the Tar Heels with both the single-season and career (65) home run marks. The Orioles went a bit over slot, giving him $4 million to add his tools to the system.

Honeycutt comes with at least plus tools across the board with one notable exception: his bat. 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 saw it shoot up over 27 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.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 60 | Run: 65 | Arm: 60 | Field: 70 | Overall: 50

North Carolina has produced nine first-round position players, including first (B.J. Surhoff) and second (Dustin Ackley) overall picks, but the Tar Heels may never have had anyone as tooled up as Honeycutt. He quarterbacked and hit Salisbury (N.C.) HS to state 2-A championships in football and baseball in 2021, but he was physically underdeveloped and mostly flew under scouting radars despite the Giants drafting him in the 20th round. He broke into college baseball by hitting a school-record 25 homers and stealing 29 bases as a freshman and has recorded similar numbers this spring, setting new Tar Heels marks for single-season (28) and career (65) homers while winning his second straight Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Honeycutt comes with at least plus tools across the board with one notable exception: his bat. 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.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/08/2025	CF Vance Honeycutt assigned to Baltimore Orioles.
	03/06/2025	activated OF Vance Honeycutt.
	09/03/2024	OF Vance Honeycutt assigned to Aberdeen IronBirds from Delmarva Shorebirds.
	08/22/2024	OF Vance Honeycutt assigned to Delmarva Shorebirds from FCL Orioles.
	08/05/2024	OF Vance Honeycutt assigned to FCL Orioles.
	08/01/2024	Baltimore Orioles signed OF Vance Honeycutt.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated OF Vance Honeycutt.
	03/24/2024	OF Vance Honeycutt assigned to North Carolina Tar Heels.
	05/26/2023	College Workout activated OF Vance Honeycutt.
	05/26/2023	College Workout activated OF Vance Honeycutt.
	05/24/2023	College Workout activated OF Vance Honeycutt.
	03/27/2023	OF Vance Honeycutt assigned to North Carolina Tar Heels.
	07/02/2022	USAB Stripes Team activated OF Vance Honeycutt.
	07/01/2022	OF Vance Honeycutt and assigned to College Workout.
	03/25/2022	OF Vance Honeycutt, , and assigned to North Carolina Tar Heels.