The previous week-plus has been massive for the Orioles’ farm system, in a number of methods.
On Monday, Baltimore finalized its 2022 draft class, including a contemporary wave of expertise to the system’s decrease rungs. The identical day, they traded Trey Mancini, lengthy the face of their main league group, to the Houston Astros in a three-team take care of the Tampa Bay Rays, getting a high-upside minor league pitcher from every group in return. They added extra pitching depth Tuesday after they acquired 4 minor league arms from the Minnesota Twins for nearer Jorge López, with left-hander Cade Povich being the obvious centerpiece.
“When we’re able to get four pitching prospects — particularly Cade Povich is somebody that we’re very, very high on internally. I think we got a possible front-of-the-rotation starter and a guy that’s going to be in the mid-minors here before the end of the year — we do it,” government vp and basic supervisor Mike Elias stated.
Of course, prospects already within the group performed final week, with some spectacular performances on the offensive facet specifically. The commerce deadline pushed this function again a few days, however every week, The Baltimore Sun finds a strategy to break down 5 of the highest performers within the Orioles’ prospect ranks and hand out some superlatives for individuals who didn’t make that reduce. Games already performed on this week’s collection should not included.
1. Double-A Bowie infielder Joey Ortiz
To say Ortiz had week can be discounting everything of his July. He closed a dominant month in grand vogue, along with his bases-loaded residence run Sunday marking his third of the week and fifth of the month. He ended June with 4 lengthy balls complete. Per week wherein Ortiz hit .519 and slugged 1.000 rounded out his .405/.438/.674 slash line for July as Baltimore’s No. 23 prospect lastly continued the offensive breakout he began final season with earlier than a season-ending shoulder damage.
After Ortiz shared Bowie’s infield with fellow high prospects Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg a lot of the yr, July marked the primary month all of his appearances within the area got here completely at shortstop.
2. Double-A Bowie outfielder Colton Cowser
Ortiz was not alone in his feasting on Altoona’s pitching employees this week at Prince George’s Stadium. Catching duo Cody Roberts and Maverick Handley every had massive weeks, as did infielders Connor Norby and Greg Cullen. But Cowser’s continuation of an uptick in efficiency since becoming a member of Bowie snags the headline.
Hitting .524 with a 1.529 OPS and even strikeout-to-walk ratio gave Baltimore’s sixth-ranked prospect a batting line of .342/.491/.683 with seven residence runs and 23 strikeouts towards 19 walks in his first 24 video games in Double-A. It’s an enormous leap from the comparatively pedestrian numbers he posted with High-A Aberdeen to open the yr and represents a greater reflection of the participant the Orioles believed they have been getting with final yr’s No. 5 total choose.
3. Triple-A Norfolk infielder Gunnar Henderson
Before the minor leagues’ midseason break, Henderson was off to an uncharacteristically gradual begin to July. Halfway via the month, Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect was hitting .171 with no residence runs and thrice as many strikeouts as walks. Consider his course corrected. Henderson hit .429 with a 1.310 OPS final week, doubling and homering twice every. The 21-year-old ended July on a 12-game hitting streak, ending a comparatively quiet month with a still-impressive .826 OPS.
4. Double-A Bowie right-hander Griffin McLarty
As the Orioles’ eighth-round choose in 2019, McLarty was the primary pitcher Baltimore drafted underneath Elias. The right-hander allowed runs in eight of his first 9 appearances with the Baysox, however he got here into this week having posted seven straight scoreless outings since mid-June. Last week, he retired all 12 batters he confronted, hanging out half of them, throughout two reduction appearances.
5. Low-A Delmarva infielder Isaac De Leon
After a few days closely dedicated to trades, it appears becoming to incorporate a participant acquired by one right here. The return from the Miami Marlins for reliever Richard Bleier, De Leon, 20, slugged .773 final week, with half of his 10 hits going for further bases. It’s been a comparatively quiet season as a complete for De Leon, who has gone from enjoying shortstop and third base to enjoying first and third. But July was his most constant month, along with his greatest common and slugging proportion this yr by a big margin.
The high prospect not featured thus far
Meeting with reporters after the commerce deadline Wednesday, Elias stated right-hander Grayson Rodriguez is throwing from 120 ft and is progressing towards sport motion earlier than the season is over. DL Hall, the Orioles’ high pitching prospect amongst those that are wholesome, has now had consecutive tough outings after hanging out half of the 80 batters he confronted in a four-start span.
“As expected, he’s had a real up-and-down experience in Triple-A, and I think that’s the type of talent he is,” Elias stated. “He’s been inconsistent, but he’s immensely gifted and mentally equipped to be a great big leaguer, and he’s right there. I do plan on and hope on him helping this team this year, but we need him to be consistent in Triple-A. He’s learning. He understands, and I think he’s going to be all the better for having these last two poor starts and adjusting to them.”
International acquisition of the week
Delmarva left-hander Deivy Cruz, a part of final yr’s worldwide signing class, didn’t permit an earned run over six innings in final week’s begin, his third straight doing so. In 4 July begins, he has allowed two runs in 18 1/3 innings, an 0.98 ERA, working round some stroll troubles by limiting opponents to a .203 common. The 18-year-old has but to face a batter youthful than him this season.
The greatest former top-30 prospect of the week
Without a selected standout right here, we’ll acknowledge Yusniel Diaz for reaching the majors. Deemed the Orioles’ high prospect when he was the centerpiece of the Manny Machado commerce with the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 2018, Diaz has handled a collection of accidents and struggles with efficiency within the 4 years since. But with the Orioles having an open roster spot after buying and selling Mancini, they referred to as him up for the primary time.
In his lone at-bat in Tuesday’s main league debut, Diaz struck out on 4 pitches earlier than being optioned again to Triple-A, the place he had a .506 OPS since getting back from a proper hamstring pressure.
“He’s not putting up the numbers in Triple-A that we’d like to see to really say, ‘Hey, you’re ready to go hit in the big leagues for a month and see what happens,’” Elias stated. “I’d like to see him perform better in Triple-A. I’m happy that he kind of got up here and made the major leagues. He’s a great kid, he’s been through a lot, and it’s been a disappointing couple of years for him. But we need to see somebody graduate Triple-A before we can just hand them a job in the majors.”
Time to provide some shine to …
High-A Aberdeen first baseman TT Bowens, an undrafted free agent after 2020′s shortened draft, had three doubles and two residence runs amongst his seven hits final week, ending with a 1.297 OPS. Bowens, 24, has been stable in a league the place he’s greater than a yr older than the typical hitter. Relatedly, he’s completed a lot of his injury towards pitchers youthful than him, with an OPS over .900 and about 250 factors larger than what he’s completed reverse those that are older.
Minors strikes
>> Right-handed pitching prospects Zach Peek, a part of the Orioles’ December 2019 return for buying and selling Dylan Bundy to the Los Angeles Angels, and Seth Johnson, who Baltimore acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays within the three-team Mancini deal, underwent profitable Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgical procedures Wednesday; the Orioles have been conscious Johnson would wish the surgical procedure after they made the commerce. Dr. Keith Meister carried out the procedures in Dallas, having additionally dealt with Orioles starter John Means’ Tommy John surgical procedure earlier this yr.
>> Outfielder Shayne Fontana, Baltimore’s Twenty third-round choose in 2019, was promoted to Norfolk this week after posting an .898 OPS with Bowie. Outfielder John Rhodes, final yr’s third-round choice, and right-hander Gregori Vasquez moved as much as Bowie in corresponding strikes.
PIRATES@ORIOLES
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Source: www.bostonherald.com