The Orioles bought their first have a look at Trey Mancini in one other uniform Friday night time. It’s potential that when he wears it at Camden Yards a few month from now, he and the Houston Astros might face a Baltimore workforce stocked with its prime prospects.
Executive vice chairman and normal supervisor Mike Elias laid out that chance Friday, providing assessments of the place infielder Gunnar Henderson, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and left-hander DL Hall match within the membership’s plans for the season’s last month. After Friday’s victory, the Orioles (66-59) are 2 1/2 video games again of an American League wild-card spot.
Hall, Baltimore’s No. 4 prospect based on Baseball America, has already reached the majors, making a begin towards the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month earlier than the Orioles returned him to the minors to transition to relieving, although Elias stated the membership plans to arrange him as a starter at spring coaching subsequent 12 months.
Featuring a blazing repertoire however inconsistent command, Hall is coming off a 2021 season by which he threw solely 31 2/3 innings earlier than struggling a stress fracture in his pitching elbow, prompting the Orioles to watch out together with his workload. When rosters increase by two Sept. 1, Elias stated Hall will possible be the pitcher they promote.
“Things change, but that’s kind of the plan,” Elias stated. “I think we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do out of the bullpen. … I just think it’ll be a really good way for him to get big league experience, but also, this is a ’pen that’s had a huge workload this year. They’ve been unbelievable. We traded our closer [All-Star Jorge López] at the deadline, and these guys are getting tired. Having a reinforcement of that type of talent, I think, will be nice.”
Elias stated Henderson, a 21-year-old ranked as the sport’s prime prospect, is “certainly a candidate” to be the place participant the Orioles promote subsequent week, with the likelihood he arrives quickly. There was some pondering Henderson might be part of Baltimore this week, particularly with the cutoff for him to retain rookie eligibility for subsequent season passing, however though Elias stated Henderson is “in a daily conversation for possibly coming and helping a team down a wild-card stretch,” he additionally famous there are features of his recreation that may very well be refined to make sure a promotion.
Henderson’s efficiency has dipped of late, and his strikeout price has spiked from 18.3% with Double-A Bowie to 26.7% with Triple-A Norfolk. He’s improved in left-on-left matchups because the promotion, however his total platoon splits are a trigger for concern for an Orioles workforce that desires him to be an on a regular basis participant as soon as he’s promoted.
“It’s kind of a tough thing to be too critical about with him because he’s doing so well at his age and being by far the youngest player in Triple-A and not starting the year in Triple-A, that I don’t want to nitpick aspects of his performance from that,” Elias stated. “What he’s doing in Triple-A right now bodes very, very well for his future, but if you’re talking about calling him up, and his immediate ability to hit the ground running in a 2022 season, his strikeout rate in Triple-A’s a little bit high. His numbers righties versus lefties are not ideal for his long-term development. And he’s still learning some things out in the field.”
The Orioles not too long ago deployed Henderson on the precise aspect of the infield after he beforehand made all of his skilled begins within the discipline on the left aspect. Henderson performed two straight video games at first base then 4 straight at second earlier than returning to 3rd and shortstop in his previous two video games.
“We want him, if he is called up, whether that’s this season, or maybe next year out of spring training, we want him to be as versatile as possible,” Elias stated. “He’s a guy that can play shortstop, and he’s a guy that can really play third base. And obviously, I think his long-term career over the next 10 or 15 years, it’s going to be on the left side of the infield, but with the way that this team is presently composed, with us having a right-handed-hitting first baseman [in Ryan Mountcastle], there’s just a lot of things that in the very, very short term, I think would benefit him and us if he’s able to play a little bit on the right side of the infield, so we’re giving him that footage as quickly as possible.”
Elias additionally referenced the struggles No. 11 prospect Kyle Stowers initially had after his promotion, going hitless in 13 straight at-bats earlier than hitting a game-tying dwelling run in Thursday’s ninth inning. Terrin Vavra, one other Elias acquisition who ranks as Baltimore’s No. 14 prospect, is 1-for-19 in his previous 9 video games.
“It’s tough transitioning to the major leagues,” Elias stated. “It’s hard to take your Triple-A performance and just assume you’re just gonna paper that over into the big leagues right away. So we’ll see where this goes with Gunnar, but we’re very, very proud of him and pleased with where he’s at.”
Rodriguez, the sport’s prime pitching prospect, continues to progress from the precise lat muscle pressure that disrupted his season on the verge of a call-up. He’s as a consequence of throw a sim recreation within the close to future.
The subsequent steps could be pitching in rehab video games at decrease associates to work his means again to Triple-A.
“At this point, I’m almost positive that we’re gonna see him in real game action before the season’s over,” Elias stated. “We’ll get him back hopefully to the level at which he got injured, and we’ll just take it from there.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com