Connor Norby knew how deep the Orioles’ infield is. Then, he obtained reassurance from Darell Hernaiz.
Traded from the Orioles to Oakland in January for beginning pitcher Cole Irvin and a pitching prospect, Hernaiz was amongst Baltimore’s prime 15 or so prospects on the time of the deal. But he ranked seventh amongst infielders, and every of the six in entrance of him have appeared in a number of publications’ offseason lists of baseball’s prime 100 prospects.
“He’s like, ‘It’s completely different there,’” Norby stated. “We had been simply speaking about how loaded we’re.
“You look around, and you’re like, ‘Wow.’ … You could build a pretty darn good starting nine with just infielders in this [organization].”
What if, as a substitute, you took six of the highest younger infielders in baseball and tried to construct the proper Orioles infield prospect? Each has a case to be seen as a five-tool participant in his personal proper, however who do they view as one of the best at every of these traits?
On the infield alone, the Orioles’ farm system consists of Gunnar Henderson, the near-unanimous No. 1 general prospect and American League Rookie of the Year favourite; Jackson Holliday, the primary general decide in final yr’s draft; Norby, Jordan Westburg and Joey Ortiz, all of whom ended final yr at Triple-A; and Coby Mayo, a 3rd baseman with prodigious energy who reached Double-A as a 20-year-old.
The Baltimore Sun requested every of the six prospects to select which ones they might select to signify the group in every of baseball’s 5 instruments: hitting, hitting for energy, fielding, throwing and operating. The gamers had been allowed to vote for themselves in the event that they felt they had been really the highest participant in that device, and so they had been additionally in a position to title the identical participant to a number of instruments.
“It should be hard,” Mayo stated. “Any one of our guys would be in any other [organization’s] top three prospects.”
Hitting: Norby (3.5)
Also obtained votes: Henderson (2.5)
This device’s two traits — contact and plate self-discipline — summed up the divide right here, actually in a single case. Holliday break up his vote, choosing Norby for his bat-to-ball expertise whereas crediting Henderson for his eye. He gave Westburg some reward, too.
“The way the ball comes off Westburg’s bat and how it sounds, it’s pretty special,” Holliday stated.
The others picked both Henderson or Norby. Mayo initially named Henderson, briefly settled on Westburg, then landed on Norby. Both Norby and Henderson voted for themselves.
“I think I’m the best all-around hitter,” Norby stated.
Norby began sluggish at High-A Aberdeen, however within the uppers minors, he topped Henderson, Westburg and Ortiz in batting common (.306), slugging proportion (.591) and weighted runs created plus (161, the place 100 is league common). Only Ortiz posted a decrease strikeout fee within the higher minors, whereas solely Henderson, showcasing his plate self-discipline, had a greater strikeout-to-walk ratio than Norby.
“He never seems overmatched,” Westburg stated. “It actually does seem to be that barrel is rather a lot bigger than it seems.
“He just makes it look easy. It’s something that a lot of guys are searching for, if not everybody in the game of baseball is searching for. It comes to him pretty naturally, it seems, so it’s what makes him special.”
Holliday’s lack of time across the others doubtless counted in opposition to him right here. Last yr, he hit .685 with seven strikeouts in 40 video games as a senior at Stillwater High School in Oklahoma, then batted .297 with greater than twice as many walks as strikeouts in his first 20 video games as knowledgeable.
“That’s just another guy that’s gonna be the animal as he grows and gets better,” Norby stated.
Power: Mayo (4)
Also obtained votes: Henderson (1), Norby (0.5) and Westburg (0.5)
When Mayo first heard about this train, he requested whether or not he might embody himself.
“Power, we know,” he stated after affirmation. “Me.”
It’s been his calling card. After Baltimore drafted him in 2020′s fourth spherical, director of draft operations Brad Ciolek stated Mayo had proven 70-grade uncooked energy, that means plus-plus on the 20-80 scouting scale.
“Him and Heston [Kjerstad], their mishits still go further than a lot of people’s squaring it up,” Norby stated. “Coby hits the ball farther and harder than anyone I’ve seen consistently.”
Ortiz break up his vote between Norby and Westburg, who led Orioles minor leaguers in house runs with 29 and 27, respectively. Westburg went with Henderson, Holliday’s preliminary alternative earlier than altering to Mayo to attempt to embody everybody on his poll.
“Gunnar’s got dumb juice,” Westburg stated.
That vote prompted one other query from Mayo.
“So I wasn’t unanimous?” he stated with fun.
Fielding: Ortiz (6)
This sweep was seemingly the simplest class for all six.
“It’s self-explanatory,” Norby stated.
Ortiz is “the magician,” Westburg stated, and has lengthy been seen that method. Last yr, he rounded out his recreation with offense, posting an OPS above 1.000 from July on. That output didn’t land him a vote in every other class, however those that have performed alongside him — and Ortiz himself — didn’t hesitate to call him one of the best fielder of the group.
“Every [play] that you think that can’t be made, he’ll make,” Henderson stated.
Ortiz stated if he couldn’t decide himself, he would choose Westburg or Henderson, giving baseball’s No. 1 prospect not less than partial recognition in every of the 5 instruments.
Throwing: Henderson and Mayo (3)
Henderson didn’t need to come off as egotistical. Having already self-voted in a pair instruments and torn between himself and Mayo, he went with the latter.
“Coby by default,” Henderson stated. “I don’t want to sit there and put my name on everything.”
Mayo’s alternative got here right down to the definition of the device. He requested whether or not it was a matter of throwing power or throwing accuracy. He might need gained out if the main target was the previous.
“Gunnar, just for all around,” Mayo stated.
Their fellow prospects had been additionally break up. Holliday and Norby thought-about Mayo however caught with Henderson, with Norby describing the selection as “very close.” Westburg and Ortiz went with Mayo.
“He’s got an absolute weapon,” Westburg stated.
Running: Henderson and Holliday (3)
This was the one class Holliday obtained votes. This spring marks the primary time the Orioles’ different infield prospects have seen him play, and though they’ve come away impressed, the small pattern measurement wasn’t sufficient to push him into the opposite 4 instruments.
Along along with his personal, Holliday obtained votes from Norby and Westburg.
“He’s a fast guy,” Westburg stated. “He’s only gonna get faster, too.”
Westburg’s alternative rounded out a novel poll: He was the one participant to not decide himself in any class, naming every of the opposite 5 in a single class. The group’s 2022 minor league participant of the yr, Westburg was additionally the one prospect to not win a device, chatting with the actual fact he’s thought to be strong however not spectacular in all of them.
In this one, Holliday tied the participant he may sooner or later comply with as the sport’s prime prospect. Alongside Mayo and the person himself, Ortiz begrudgingly voted for Henderson.
“I hate to say Gunnar,” Ortiz stated, “because we race all the time.”
The same ballot this time subsequent yr, after Holliday’s first full professional season, might elicit completely different outcomes, although Henderson will now not have prospect standing and every of the opposite 4 might plausibly be a part of him in that regard. Holliday, although, is appreciative of the prospect to study from them.
“It’s really neat to be part of and be surrounded with so many talented players and guys that are good at every part of the game,” he stated. “It’s impossible to make a perfect player out of this group of guys because you don’t want leave anyone out. They can’t all just be good at one thing or else you wouldn’t be here, right? They’re all good at everything.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com