Welcome to the Orioles Farm Report, the first of it's kind! We'd always included minor league updates in previous O's recaps, but had a reader DM us last year saying they'd appreciate a little more insight into Baltimore's immense farm system. They felt like a standalone article would be fun, to really give some shine on these up and coming stars.
And we felt like that was a great idea. So here we go!
Norfolk Tides
Won series vs. Charlotte Knights 5-1
-Early on, Norfolk has epitomized the offensive juggernaut many expected them to be, scoring 71 runs in six games this week. They put up 26 alone on Wednesday night, before following it up with a 10 run first the next evening. Bring your popcorn every night for this group
-The Norfolk Five: How long until these guys are up in the big leagues, whether it be in Baltimore or not? These stats are from this week, six games*
-Heston Kjerstad: 12-27, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 9 R, 5 BB, 6 K
-Coby Mayo: 11-27, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 4 BB, 10 K
-Jackson Holliday: 8-22, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 12 R, 10 BB, 6 K
-Kyle Stowers: 8-26, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 7 R, 1 BB, 4 K
-Connor Norby: 11-28, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 11 R, 3 BB, 9 K
Video game type shit here. A ton of pieces for Mike Elias to consider in the coming weeks
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| Photo: Billy Schuerman/ The Virginian Pilot |
-Errol Robinson is playing solid at shortstop and hitting well too. Shame he's got a 0% chance of advancing further at the position within this organization, completely lost in the sauce
-As good as the offense was, there were some pitching woes overall, with the Tides surrendering 42 runs on the week
-Cade Povich was not part of that problem. He was dialed in on Tuesday, allowing 1 scoreless hit through 6 innings with 5 strikeouts. His follow up Sunday was equally sharp: lasting 5 innings, with 2 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts and one earned. All aboard the hype train for the young lefty!
-Bryan Baker allowed 5 ER in 1/3. He doesn't need to be near the big league pen, no matter how many issues it has
-Wandisson Charles is looking like he might be worth a shot though, with 3 scoreless innings of work early in the week. He did average a walk per inning, which'll need to be tidied up
-Chayce McDermott could heed that advice too, with 10 base on balls doled out in his 2 starts
-Bruce Zimmerman was fun because he was local and occasionally flashed decency. After 8 runs on 8 hits with 4 walks on Friday, I think I've seen enough
-Finally, a promising start by John Means. I know it's a rehab assignment, but the way he got lit up last week was concerning. 1 earned over 3 innings was a breath of fresh air, would love to see him build on it
-Former Arizona first round pick Albert Suarez looked good in relief of Means, shutting Charlotte out over the final 6 frames to earn a win. Like Charles, a name to keep an eye on
Bowie Baysox
Won series vs. Reading Fighting Phils' 2-1
-Like Norfolk, Bowie had an offensive explosion of their own on Saturday (ironically on fireworks night), racking up 19 unanswered runs after falling behind 1-0 to Reading in the first
-Collin Burns was the catalyst behind the eruption, hitting a 3-run bomb in the second before finishing just a double shy of the cycle. 3-4 with a HR and 7 RBI; have a day kid
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| Photo: Joe Noyes/ MiLB |
-A big season for Jud Fabian started off on the wrong foot, with the powerful outfielder leaving the game after rolling his ankle. It was deemed precautionary, which turned out to be the case, as Fabian went yard the next night
-Samuel Basallo carried over his AA hot streak into the opener, recording 2 hits and an RBI Friday. The club's second ranked prospect also stole a base, after swiping 12 in 2023. He wrapped the weekend up going just 1-10 with 3 strikeouts
-Dylan Beavers did some good things in this series, going 3-11 with 2 RBI and a stolen bag.
-Frederick Bencosme's bat delivered too, hitting .364 with an on base percentage a little under .500 against the Phils'
-Surprised to see Billy Cook go just 1-12 after a decent showing in Norfolk the weekend prior. Hopefully just a cold streak for the kid
-Strong appearance by Zach Peek Friday, striking out 7 over 3 innings in relief of Alex Pham
-Kyle Brnovich was locked in Saturday evening, settling in after a 1 run first, to ultimately go 4.2 frames of 2 hit ball. He K'd 5 along the way
-3 strikeouts over 2 scoreless for Trey McGough, as the former member of the Pirates organization makes one last push at the bigs
-Trace Bright was just that in the final game of this set, striking out 6 in 3.2 innings of action. The #16 prospect has shown some pretty nasty stuff as he's quietly progressed up the farm and rankings, with a career ERA of 3.51
Aberdeen Ironbirds
Lost series vs. Jersey Shore Blue Claws 1-2
-Luis Sanchez spoiled the Ironbirds' opener, allowing a walk off wild pitch after allowing the Blue Claws to tie things up at 2 in the 9th
-This week's Minor League Spotlight Enrique Bradfield went 1-3 in every game this weekend, plus 3 runs and 2 stolen bases. His double on Saturday was a rope down the right field line
-Matthew Etzel showed 2023's success wasn't a fluke, with the 10th rounder going 2-3 with a walk and 2 stolen bases in the opener. He'd finish the week with a .400/0/2 line
-Creed Willems went yard Friday to start the season off right! He rested Saturday before notching a 2-3 day on Sunday to wrap things up. No limit to his ceiling if he can stay raking like this
-Concern surrounding Hudson Haskin and Carter Young, with the two combining for just 1 single and 3 walks in 23 plate appearances. Half of their at bats ended in strikeouts. Need to turn that around here ASAP!
-Cameron Weston was solid in first start, giving up just 1 earned over 3. He's still allowing too much contact however, giving up 4 hits over that span. Coming off a year where batters hit .261 against him, it's an area he needs to improve
-Edgar Portes had a nice relief appearance behind Weston, with 2 hits, 1 walk, no earned runs and 4 strikeouts over 3 frames
-Two scoreless relief innings by Bradley Brehmer on Saturday. Don't be surprised to see him in the Ironbirds' starting rotation sooner than later
-Jackson Baumeister, Mike Elias' highest drafted pitcher ever, struck out 5 while allowing no runs in 3 innings on Sunday, giving up 3 hits and walking 2 batters
-Love seeing Carter Baumler back on the hill! The 28th ranked prospect earned a win in relief of Baumeister, giving up 1 unearned run in 2 innings of work. His 3 strikeouts showed the 22-year old's still got the goods, despite his extended stretch of absences due to injury
Delmarva Shorebirds
Lost series vs. Fredericksburg FredNats 0-3
-Quiet weekend series for Delmarva against the Nats' class A affiliate. The bats were generally overpowered while the relief pitching was completely outmatched, a theme that may be ongoing down on the lowest level of this otherwise dominant system
-Nobody in the lineup came out stronger than Aneudis Mordan. The 19-year old impressed in three games in 2023, but will now have an opportunity to be an everyday player for the Shorebirds. Splitting time between 1st and catcher, Mordan went 4-8 with a homer and 2 driven in
-Leandro Arias, the O's 15th ranked prospect, started off slow, going just 1-11 at the plate. He did swipe 2 bags on 4 attempts, showing a willingness to make the pitcher/catcher work
-Our guy Anderson de los Santos had a productive two games, going 3-7 with 2 extra base hits and 3 RBI. Excited to see him work the hot corner this week back at Perdue Stadium
-Nice professional debut for 2023 6th rounder Jacob Cravey, going 4 scoreless with 1 hit, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts
-Luis de Leon, #17 in the organization, was efficient on the bump Sunday afternoon, allowing 2 hits and 1 earned run with 5 K's through 4. The young lefty is an intriguing name to keep an eye on
-Former LSU Tiger Blake Money had an identical first start the day prior, but with 2 more strikeouts to boast about
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@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
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