No matter how the ultimate month of the Orioles’ season performs out, at the least a few of Baltimore’s prospects will expertise playoff baseball.
The fast promotions of Dylan Beavers, Max Wagner and Jud Fabian have three 2022 Orioles draftees in place to characteristic for High-A Aberdeen because it begins its League Championship Series towards Brooklyn this week. Double-A Bowie has yet one more week of its season earlier than playoffs start.
The trio of Beavers, Wagner and Fabian — chosen with Baltimore’s second via fourth picks — arrived with the IronBirds this month after rolling via the Florida Complex League and Low-A Delmarva. The rise in ranges has challenged the group, with Beavers’ .661 OPS one of the best of the bunch, however the promotions give them an additional week {of professional} expertise — the Shorebirds ended their marketing campaign Saturday as Sunday’s sport was rained out.
Their performances weren’t sufficient to crack into the penultimate version of The Baltimore Sun’s minor league report. Each week, The Sun breaks down 5 of the highest performers within the Orioles’ prospect ranks and hand out some superlatives for many who didn’t make the reduce.
1. Triple-A Norfolk infielder Joey Ortiz
Another week, one other string of sturdy performances for Ortiz, who hasn’t missed a beat since his promotion to Triple-A on the finish of final month. In that point, Ortiz is hitting .392 with a 1.074 OPS for the Tides, and his .282 common throughout all ranges this yr is the fifth-best mark amongst Orioles minor leaguers with at the least 200 plate appearances.
Last week for Norfolk, Ortiz recorded 10 hits in seven video games. The fourth-round decide in 2019 out of New Mexico State drove in 5 runs and walked 3 times in comparison with six strikeouts.
2. Low-A Aberdeen infielder Jackson Holliday
The starting of Holliday’s first stint with a full-season affiliate was sluggish — till final week. In the ultimate week of Delmarva’s season, the primary total choice within the 2022 draft hit .364 with a 1.268 OPS in 4 video games. The 18-year-old walked eight instances whereas putting out twice.
Holliday has but to hit a homer with an affiliate, however the small pattern dimension has yielded a formidable stroll price. Among Orioles minor leaguers with at the least 80 plate appearances, none have a greater stroll price than Holliday’s 27.8% — and it isn’t notably shut.
3. Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Drew Rom
Rom, a 22-year-old fourth-round decide from 2018, is pushing for a task in Baltimore. And his begin final week for Norfolk added to a string of stable outings for the Tides. Rom pitched seven scoreless innings whereas permitting three hits and putting out seven batters.
4. Low-A Delmarva outfielder Isaac Bellony
The solely Shorebirds participant with a better OPS than Holliday final week was Bellony, who got here in at 1.269 after hitting .600 in 5 video games. Only one in all his 12 hits went for additional bases, however the 20-year-old additionally recorded 4 RBIs. Bellony was demoted from High-A to Low-A final week, one in all his three strikes between these ranges this season. He struggled to stay with Aberdeen — hitting .169 in 51 video games — however proved effectively adept with the Shorebirds.
5. Double-A Bowie right-hander Chayce McDermott
McDermott was acquired from the Astros as a part of the three-team commerce that despatched first baseman Trey Mancini to Houston. Now in Double-A, the very best affiliate of McDermott’s profession, the previous fourth-round decide is settling to the extent. He gave up a mixed 14 runs between his first two begins for the Baysox, however gave up one run in every of his subsequent three, together with a one-hit, nine-strikeout show in 4 2/3 innings final week.
The high prospect not featured up to now
There was loads to love about Grayson Rodriguez’s second begin for Bowie final week. He struck out 5 of the primary six batters he confronted, together with all three within the second inning. But like his earlier two appearances since getting back from a Grade 2 proper lat muscle pressure, Rodriguez’s command ultimately wavered. He walked the bases loaded within the third inning, struck out the following two after which allowed a two-run single.
Rodriguez completed with 4 runs towards him, however with 56 pitches, it’s one other step within the restoration course of that may subsequent take him to Norfolk this week — promoted to the extent he was at when he suffered the damage.
International acquisition of the week
Across the primary 15 video games of Luis Valdez’s time with Aberdeen, he hit .174. But the second baseman from the Dominican Republic righted the ship final week, recording six hits in 5 video games, together with a homer and three stolen bases.
The finest former top-30 prospect of the week
September has been good to right-hander Brenan Hanifee, a 2016 fourth-round decide. In his 9 innings throughout two begins for Bowie, Hanifee hasn’t allowed a run and has mixed to surrender 4 hits with no walks and 7 strikeouts. In his newest look, Hanifee wanted simply 59 pitches in 5 innings.
Time to offer some shine to …
Low-A Delmarva right-hander Moisés Chace accomplished the 2 longest outings of his profession in consecutive begins, and his closing one of many season final week for Delmarva was the 19-year-old’s finest but. Chace didn’t enable a run on his 74 pitches, giving up simply two hits and a stroll. He additionally tied his profession excessive with seven strikeouts.
ORIOLES@NATIONALS
Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.
TV: MASN2
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
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Source: www.bostonherald.com