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For Orioles’ young players and prospects, the competition is only getting better

sam cohn, baltimore sun
·5 min read

Whether they need it or not, the Orioles have a cavalry coming.

Last year, Baltimore had an MLB-best eight top 100 prospects. This year, they have six players in Baseball America’s preseason top 100 list: shortstop Jackson Holliday (No. 1), catcher Samuel Basallo (No. 10), infielder Coby Mayo (No. 25), outfielders Colton Cowser (No. 34) and Heston Kjerstad (No. 41) and left-hander DL Hall (No. 93), with 57 combined games of big league experience split between the latter three.

Infielders Joey Ortiz and Connor Norby, who are not on this year’s list, are the organization’s seventh- and eighth-best prospects. 2023 first-round draft pick Enrique Bradfield Jr., a center fielder, and right-hander Chayce McDermott round out Baltimore’s top 10.

At this weekend’s Birdland Caravan, manager Brandon Hyde remembered how fun the back half of last season was with an influx of rising prospects as the Orioles won 101 games and their first American League East title since 2014. This year, that poses a new challenge as the team gears up for spring training in Sarasota, Florida, in the coming weeks.

“That’s gonna be more about this year,” Hyde said. “A lot of prospects playing, a lot of guys trying to make the team. We have a lot of decisions to make. We have a lot of depth. So it’s gonna be kind of tough getting everybody starts, honestly. But everyone’s gonna get a lot of playing time and I’m looking forward to evaluating these guys.”

It’s something the younger players dream about, even with the majors seemingly within arm’s reach.

Cade Povich made a trip to Camden Yards a couple weeks ago. The 2021 Minnesota Twins draft pick split last season between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk, where he recorded 171 strikeouts in 126 2/3 innings. He visited the park to throw a Motion Capture, or MoCap, with sensors covering his body tracking the movements of his pitch mechanics. But Povich’s focus wandered beyond that.

Visiting for the lab test was the first time the left-handed pitching prospect could feel the big league grass under his feet. The brisk Baltimore breeze whisked in his ears. He peeked out the window of the B&O Warehouse’s sixth floor down at the park, “hoping to be there soon.”

The Orioles infield is another position group with a healthy mix of seasoned professionals, emerging youngsters (in some cases, already emerged) and prospects banging down the door to join the rotation.

“The way our roster is configured,” infielder Jordan Westburg said, “we’ve got a lot of guys who are chomping at the bit to prove themselves, to earn spots. I think that hunger is gonna push us to be just as good as we were last year.”

Ortiz is among those knocking. He got his feet wet in 15 games and 33 at-bats last year. As a prospect who acknowledges that he has been better known for his glove, this summer was spent sharpening his plate appearances.

Although a primary shortstop, Ortiz knows he’s standing in line behind Gunnar Henderson, Jorge Mateo and Holliday, the club’s record third straight No. 1 overall prospect. If the Orioles retain Ortiz, could he see himself in more of a rover role?

“I’m open to anything,” he said. “I’ll play any position as long as I’m helping the team.”

Westburg, who was drafted in 2020, shared a similar sentiment about the crowded infield battle: “I don’t really care where I play, I just want to contribute and be a part of this ball club.” That might mean pivoting to a spot in the outfield, where he played occasionally at Norfolk.

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For McDermott, a call-up to “The Show” was his goal last year. Thus, his goal again this year. He impressed in Double-A Bowie, striking out twice as many batters as he walked, and was promoted alongside Mayo in mid-July. McDermott was named Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year after leading the entire minor league in opponent batting average against (.167).

Having won the tough AL East last season, the Orioles might not be itching to call up every prospect. A collection of their top farm system players could feasibly be dealt if executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias finds “the right deal, the right fit, the right trade, the right signing, the right investment.”

“I think it’s a good thing we have so many guys coming up,” Mayo said. “It makes everyone work harder. We’re a tight group and we look out for each other.”

Mayo’s first example was the 19-year-old Holliday’s meteoric four-team rise from Low-A Delmarva to Norfolk. The recent high school graduate shared a clubhouse in Triple-A with teammates over a decade his senior. “It always felt like a close group no matter what,” Mayo said.

Baltimore’s versatility comes from its deep vault of up-and-comers. How the organizational brass plays those cards remains to be seen. Elias said Thursday that there are “definitely a couple” untouchable prospects, but the club’s cache of dynamic risers make for intriguing storylines come February.

“It’s always exciting with a lot of guys coming in competing for different spots,” veteran center fielder Cedric Mullins said. “It’s always that friendly competition where you’re rooting for the other guy and at the same time you’re trying to outdo him, so it’s always a weird feeling.”

No surgery for Mullins

The nagging right groin strain that put Mullins on the injured list twice last season did not require offseason surgery, he said Friday. Rather, Mullins said he dealt with it from a mix of rest and soft tissue work, then tested it out to make sure his body was in a good place.

“I’d say from a health standpoint [last season] was disappointing. I think my play followed the injuries,” said Mullins, who batted .233 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs while still providing excellent defense. “I look at how well I started the year, it was just an unfortunate situation. So me focusing on my health, I’m looking forward to this season.”