Later this month, Jordan Westburg will not be a prospect.
The Orioles’ younger infielder, who made his MLB debut June 26, will graduate from such standing on Baseball America’s checklist as soon as he takes his one hundred and thirtieth large league at-bat — he’s 14 away. When he does, Westburg would be the Orioles’ third top-100 prospect to graduate this 12 months, becoming a member of Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez.
Westburg is ranked as Baltimore’s No. 4 prospect within the sport’s top-ranked farm system that’s headlined by its infield stockpile. That checklist of infielders is about 5 names lengthy, topped by No. 1 general prospect Jackson Holliday. The final identify on the checklist, nevertheless, is a 23-year-old who’s placing up good numbers in his first full season at Triple-A, but has fallen considerably in prospect rankings.
Connor Norby entered the season as certainly one of eight Baltimore prospects inside Baseball America’s high 100. At No. 93 general, he was ranked forward of infielders Joey Ortiz and Coby Mayo, catcher Samuel Basallo, left-handed pitcher Cade Povich and outfielders Heston Kjerstad and Jud Fabian — a gaggle of gamers who all now rank increased than Norby. The second baseman is not a top-100 prospect and is at present No. 12 on Baltimore’s checklist.
Norby, who progressed from High-A to Triple-A in 2022 and led all Orioles minor leaguers with 29 dwelling runs, obtained off to a gradual begin this spring with a .658 OPS in April and simply three homers in his first 41 video games. Westburg, who turned teammates with Norby final season when the latter was promoted to Triple-A in September, mentioned Norby has excessive expectations for himself — a results of being somebody who “lives for baseball.”
“He puts a lot of pressure on himself to do well,” Westburg mentioned of Norby. “It’s a double-edged sword. If issues are going unhealthy, he can get down on himself and battle. But he’s going to proceed to push by way of and grind and grind and grind till it will get proper. And now he’s heating up and placing up good numbers.
“He loves baseball. He wants to be a big leaguer for a long time and he certainly has the talent to do so. The sky’s the limit for him.”
Since his early struggles, which aren’t unusual for a participant adjusting to a brand new degree contemplating he performed simply 9 video games with Norfolk final season, Norby is placing up wonderful offensive numbers just like those Westburg, Henderson and Adley Rutschman compiled earlier than their promotions. Since mid-May, Norby is slashing .302/.367/.528 — good for a .895 OPS — with 20 doubles and 12 dwelling runs in 67 video games.
For the season, Norby is hitting .286 with an .813 OPS — good numbers, however his slugging is down in contrast with final 12 months. While the numbers are strong, his profile isn’t flawless. He’s not a plus defender and is especially a second baseman, though he’s periodically performed left subject. And his 22.7% strikeout fee is about thrice increased than his stroll fee and two proportion factors worse than in 2022.
Given the Orioles’ infield pileup — not simply within the minors, however within the majors, too, with Westburg, Henderson, Adam Frazier, Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías — it seems unlikely that Norby will make it to the present this season. The wait is one thing Westburg, who performed 158 video games in Triple-A earlier than his call-up, is conversant in.
“Don’t focus on that. Focus on what you need to do every day to keep improving,” Westburg mentioned his recommendation could be to gamers ready within the wings. “There’s eyes on you always. People up right here see every thing that guys down there are doing. You’re by no means not being seen. As lengthy as you’re going about your enterprise in an expert method and also you’re actually working to enhance in each facet day by day, anyone’s going to see that, anyone’s going to wish to use that. That could be my recommendation: Stick with it, and issues will work out.
“If you have confidence in yourself and if you go about your work in a professional manner, people are going to notice that.”
Norby is much from the one prospect biding his time within the minors. That’s why every week, The Baltimore Sun will break down 5 of the highest performers within the Orioles’ prospect ranks and hand out some superlatives for many who didn’t make that minimize.
1. Double-A Bowie shortstop Jackson Holliday
For the third time this season, Holliday recorded 5 hits in a recreation. The 19-year-old went 5-for-6 on Friday with a triple and two RBIs. It was the most recent in an extended checklist of video games this season that has earned the wunderkind the standing of Baseball America’s No. 1 prospect. The 2022 No. 1 general choose hit .396 with a 1.183 OPS in 14 video games with Low-A Delmarva. He hit .314 with a .940 OPS in 57 video games with High-A Aberdeen. In 19 video games with the Baysox, he’s hitting .380 with a 1.026 OPS.
2. Triple-A Norfolk nook infielder Coby Mayo
Mayo opened the season outdoors Baseball America’s high 100 checklist and ranked as Baltimore’s Tenth-best prospect. Four months later, he’s rated because the Twenty seventh-best prospect within the sport and third within the Orioles’ system. The 21-year-old went 5-for-17 with three doubles, one homer and 4 walks final week for the Tides. After posting a .307 common and a 1.026 OPS in Double-A, Mayo is hitting .205 with a .421 slugging proportion in 26 Triple-A video games.
3. Low-A Delmarva outfielder Matthew Etzel
Etzel was amongst a handful of 2023 draftees who have been promoted to Delmarva every week in the past. The Tenth-round pick of Southern Miss didn’t want time to regulate to the brand new degree, going 8-for-22 with two dwelling runs, 9 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Jalen Vasquez, a shortstop taken within the twentieth spherical, went 4-for-12 with seven walks. First-round choose Enrique Bradfield Jr. was 2-for-10 with an eye-popping 9 walks and eight stolen bases in 4 video games.
4. Triple-A Norfolk right-hander Chayce McDermott
McDermott was promoted to Triple-A after MLB’s All-Star break and has since maybe pitched one of the best of his three-year profession. The 6-foot-3 right-hander is 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings with the Tides, permitting simply 9 hits whereas putting out 31 in 24 innings. On Wednesday, the Orioles’ No. 14 prospect gave up one run in 5 innings with six punchouts.
5. Double-A Bowie outfielder Jud Fabian
Holliday’s five-hit efficiency was the spotlight on the farm final week, however Fabian really put up one of the best numbers of any Bowie participant. Fabian, ranked No. 10 in Baltimore’s system, went 5-for-15 with two dwelling runs, three RBIs, three walks and a stolen base. After hitting .281 with a .882 OPS in High-A, Fabian has a .173 common and .699 OPS in 39 video games with the Baysox.
The high prospect not featured to date
Technically, the participant who fills this description is Colton Cowser, however the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect spent final week within the main leagues earlier than being optioned again to Triple-A when Aaron Hicks was activated off the injured checklist. The subsequent in line could be Westburg, who’s beginning nearly all of the Orioles’ video games. So that brings up Basallo, Baltimore’s No. 5 prospect who continued his wonderful season final week with Aberdeen. Basallo, who turned 19 on Sunday, went 7-for-20 with two doubles, a homer and 4 RBIs. After hitting .299 with a .887 OPS with the Shorebirds, the catcher is hitting .214 with a .646 OPS in 11 video games with the IronBirds.
International acquisition of the week
At 19 years outdated, Deivy Cruz is 2.6 years youthful than the typical participant in Low-A’s Carolina League. The Delmarva Shorebirds left-hander isn’t pitching prefer it. On Friday, Cruz went 5 shutout innings, permitting simply two hits and putting out three. Since June 15, the Dominican Republic native, who the Orioles signed in January 2021, has a 1.55 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings. He’s 8-2 with a 3.36 ERA this season, permitting 6.7 hits per 9 innings and putting out 9.7.
Time to provide a shoutout to
Cole Irvin wasn’t the one beginning pitcher the Orioles acquired from the Oakland Athletics to pitch effectively final week. Aberdeen right-hander Kyle Virbitsky, who Baltimore additionally obtained again within the Irvin commerce in January for infield prospect Darell Hernaiz, pitched 5 shutout innings for the IronBirds on Thursday. He scattered three hits and one stroll whereas putting out 5. For the season, the 6-foot-7 24-year-old has a 4.25 ERA.
Short-season snippets
The Florida Complex League featured a number of skilled debuts from the Orioles’ 2023 draft class final week. Right-hander Kiefer Lord, a third-round choose who was a part of Baltimore’s largest pitching funding within the draft since Mike Elias took over as normal supervisor in November 2018, pitched two scoreless, hitless innings, putting out one and strolling one. Right-hander Blake Money, who the Orioles took within the twelfth spherical out of LSU, allowed three hits and one run in 1 2/3 innings with three punchouts. Undrafted free brokers Jack Maruskin and Ty Weatherly additionally made their debuts. Maruskin, a right-hander out of Frostburg State, surrendered eight runs in one-third of an inning. Weatherly, a right-hander out of Ball State, tossed 2 1/3 scoreless frames.
Orioles at Padres
Tuesday, 9:40 p.m.
TV: MASN2, MLB Network (out of market solely)
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Orioles at Padres
Wednesday, 8:40 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com