Within a day after the primary half of the minor league season ending, Jackson Holliday reached the highest of 1 rating of baseball’s prime prospects, Jordan Westburg ascended to the majors, and Holliday and Heston Kjerstad had been named as members within the MLB All-Star Futures Game.
Such is the state of the Orioles’ top-ranked minor league system, the place accolades can are available fast succession. Holliday is MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 total prospect, Westburg is a serious leaguer, Kjerstad has reestablished himself as a rising expertise and plenty of others be part of them in marching towards Camden Yards, the place the Orioles maintain the American League’s second-best file.
“This is what healthy organizations do,” supervisor Brandon Hyde mentioned. “They haven’t only a proficient main league group, however they’ve guys competing within the minor leagues, additionally.
“We have a lot of fun guys to watch right now and more guys who will be making their debuts for the next couple years.”
To Hyde’s level, Westburg’s promotion invitations a easy query: Who’s subsequent? A take a look at the Triple-A roster he left behind presents a number of attainable solutions, lots of whom, like him, performed key roles in Norfolk securing the International League’s first-half title.
“Obviously, this is where everybody wants to be, so I was excited to leave, but not excited to leave my buddies and teammates,” Westburg mentioned. “Especially with how well we were playing down there. Clinching last week was a lot of fun. You don’t know how many times you’re going to get to celebrate that in a career.”
The Orioles hope Westburg and his new teammates could have loads of such events sooner or later. Those, too, may include these he left behind in Norfolk.
Many of them additionally be part of Westburg right here, on The Baltimore Sun’s checklist of the highest performers amongst prospects within the Orioles’ system all through the primary half of the minor league season.
Catcher
Low-A Delmarva’s Samuel Basallo: The first product of the Orioles’ worldwide pipeline to be ranked a prime 100 prospect, Basallo has hit .301 with an .845 OPS as an 18-year-old.
First base
High-A Aberdeen’s Creed Willems: This is a machination of the train, provided that Willems is primarily a catcher, however with him and Basallo each opening the yr in Delmarva, each have seen time at first. After hitting beneath .200 with a .586 OPS at Low-A final yr, he had an OPS above 1.000 this season earlier than becoming a member of Aberdeen, the place he’s slugging .466 up to now.
Second base
Triple-A Norfolk’s César Prieto: The 2021 batting champion in his native Cuba, Prieto flirted with a .400 batting common into mid-May with Bowie. He ended his tenure there hitting .364 and is off to .316/.333/.526 begin with Norfolk.
Third base
Double-A Bowie’s Coby Mayo: Known for his energy since being drafted in 2020′s fourth spherical, Mayo has routinely put it on show for the Baysox. His 26 doubles, .609 slugging share and 1.041 OPS lead all Orioles minor leaguers with at the least 100 plate appearances, whereas solely Westburg and Kjerstad have extra house runs than his 14.
Shortstop
High-A Aberdeen’s Jackson Holliday: The enhancements Holliday made between his junior and senior years of highschool performed a key function in persuading the Orioles to make him the primary total decide in final summer time’s draft, and he’s simply stored getting higher since. After hitting virtually .400 at Low-A Delmarva, the 19-year-old has continued to thrive at Aberdeen. Overall, he’s hitting .325 with a .994 OPS, 14 doubles, six triples, seven house runs, 20 steals and a balanced strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Outfield
Triple-A Norfolk’s Colton Cowser: Cowser appears greatest positioned to comply with Westburg as the subsequent Orioles debutant. Drafted fifth total in 2021, Cowser has a .451 on-base share that ranks fourth amongst certified Triple-A hitters. After putting out practically twice as a lot as he walked in 2022, he’s significantly improved this yr, along with his 18.3% stroll fee inserting him second behind solely Holliday amongst gamers within the system.
Triple-A Norfolk’s Heston Kjerstad: Two years to the day after Baltimore drafted him second total in 2020, Kjerstad, delayed by coronary heart and hamstring illnesses, made his skilled debut. It took him lower than a yr to achieve Triple-A, and between there and Bowie, he’s hit .304 and slugged .579 with 15 house runs, trailing solely Westburg.
Double-A Bowie’s Jud Fabian: In the primary dozen video games of his first full skilled season, Fabian hit .191 with a .536 OPS. In 50 video games since, he’s slashed .294/.405/.559 with 14 doubles and 11 house runs. The 67th total decide in final yr’s draft went 6-for-27 with 9 strikeouts in his first week with Bowie, however half of his hits had been house runs.
Utility
Triple-A Norfolk’s Jordan Westburg: Westburg’s 18 house runs led all Orioles minor leaguers, and he doubtless would favor to not add to that whole, given that may imply sticking within the majors. Making appearances at three infield spots and dabbling within the outfield, he hit .295 with .939 OPS for the Tides to earn his promotion.
Starting pitchers
Triple-A Norfolk’s Justin Armbruester: In a corporation that hasn’t invested a lot draft capital in pitching lately, Armbruester stands out as a mid-round success story. Baltimore’s Twelfth-round decide in 2021, the 24-year-old right-hander posted a 2.47 ERA in 12 begins with Bowie earlier than pitching 5 scoreless innings in his Triple-A debut.
Double-A Bowie’s Alex Pham: Taken seven rounds after Armbruester with the Orioles’ penultimate decide in 2021, Pham had a 4.23 ERA in 26 Rookie-level and A-ball aid appearances in his first two seasons with the group. Starting 11 of his 13 outings this yr, he has a 2.24 ERA between Aberdeen and Bowie, with 35.1% strikeout fee the very best of any Orioles minor leaguer with at the least 30 innings pitched.
Double-A Bowie’s Chayce McDermott: One of two pitchers the Orioles acquired for buying and selling away fan favourite Trey Mancini final summer time, McDermott struggled in Bowie after the commerce however has carried out properly there this yr. He has a 2.90 ERA with 77 strikeouts in 59 innings.
High-A Aberdeen’s Ryan Long: After pitching for Great Britain within the World Baseball Classic, Long has a 2.31 ERA in 50 2/3 innings whereas working as a starter and bulk reliever for the IronBirds. His strikeout fee is 25.3% above his stroll fee, one of the best differential within the system amongst pitchers who’ve thrown at the least 20 innings.
Double-A Bowie’s Jean Pinto: Pinto had a stable 2022 season in High-A, and again on the stage this yr, he constructed on it, growing his strikeout fee and dipping his stroll fee to drop his ERA by practically a run to earn a promotion to Double-A. A right-hander acquired from the Los Angeles Angels for infielder José Iglesias, Pinto has a 2.93 ERA total.
Relief pitchers
Low-A Delmarva’s Yaqui Rivera: Like the draft decide that produced Fabian, Rivera is a byproduct of the commerce that despatched relievers Tanner Scott and Cole Sulser to the Miami Marlins final spring. The 19-year-old has 1.69 ERA in 18 appearances, with 39 strikeouts and no house runs allowed in 26 2/3 innings.
Triple-A Norfolk’s Easton Lucas: Another pitching prospect acquired from Miami — 2019′s swap for infielder Jonathan Villar — Lucas struck out 38.7% of batters he confronted in 11 outings with Bowie earlier than becoming a member of Norfolk. His 4 appearances with the Tides have included one dud, however his total numbers are nonetheless sturdy.
Triple-A Norfolk’s Wandisson Charles: In the Oakland Athletics’ system, Charles was seen as having spectacular stuff however an lack of ability to command it. He’s seemingly honed it since signing a minor league cope with Baltimore. In 15 higher minors aid appearances, Charles has struck out 29 of the 70 batters he’s confronted whereas strolling 5. His 0.74 WHIP is greater than a full base runner under his profession mark coming into this yr.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com