Baltimore Orioles select Vanderbilt baseball signee Eric Booth Jr. No. 7 overall in MLB draft

The Baltimore Orioles selected Oak Grove outfielder Eric Booth Jr. with the No. 7 overall pick in the firstround of the 2026 MLB Draft on July 11.

Booth must decide whether to sign with theOrioles or play for Vanderbilt baseball and coach Tim Corbin. The 6-foot, 207-pound Booth was rated as MLB.com’s No. 6 prospect entering the draft.

The MLB slot value for Booth’s pick is $7,327,200.

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Booth hit for .481 with a .922 slugging percentage and was credited with 31 RBIs, 23 stolen bases and five home runs. Booth was a 2026 Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen selection, the MHSAA 7A Mr. Baseball winner and was on the Clarion Ledger’s Large Class All-State team.

He also won the home run derby at the Perfect Game All-American Classic in July 2025.

With Booth’s selection, it makes three straight seasons that a high school player from the state of Mississippi has been chosen in the top 10, with Jackson Prep’s Konnor Griffin in 2024 (No. 9, Pittsburgh Pirates) and Purvis’ JoJo Parker in 2025 (No. 8, Toronto Blue Jays).

The 18-year-old is slotted as the highest high school prospect in the state, according to MLB.com and third-best in the country. Pro scouts have Booth tabbed as one of the fastest runners in the draft class and credited his impressive bat speed.

Scouts would like to see Booth’s arm strength improve as well as his reads on flyballs in the outfield.

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X @MikeSChavez or Facebook at Michael Chavez.