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Looking Ahead: The 2025 MiLB Season

Writer's picture: Grant DeVivoGrant DeVivo

Updated: Jan 28

Three questions to consider for the Baltimore Orioles Minor League system ahead of the 2025 season

*Cover Photo Credit: Ulysses Munoz, The Baltimore Banner


While the Baltimore Orioles may no longer sit at the top as the crowned jewel of the game's best farm systems, they still have one of the top farm systems in all of baseball. As recent prospects have graduated the Minors like Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson, names like Coby Mayo, Samuel Basallo, and Enrique Bradfield Jr. continue to rise and represent the Orioles' stacked young talent. There is no doubt that the team still sits within the game's top 10 Minor League organizations.


This just means that there are still a lot of important, juicy questions to be answered before the 2025 Minor League season starts and even before Spring Training gets underway. The die-hard Orioles fans will be wondering the who's, what's, why's, where's, pretty much everything about the organization's prospects and prospect depth.


I, myself, am curious to several noteworthy topics, and we still have almost four weeks until Spring Training. Think of this as...well, I am interviewing myself. These are questions that I thought of about the Orioles Minor League organization along with my answers to them.


What is on the horizon for Coby Mayo?

Mayo, 23, is still a prospect because he did not play enough Major League games last summer to graduate prospect status. However, he enters as the organization's top prospect and there is no reason for him to remain in the Minor Leagues anymore.


Will Coby Mayo benefit from everyday reps in 2025? Photo: Kate Kirsch, Tides
Will Coby Mayo benefit from everyday reps in 2025? Photo: Kate Kirsch, Tides

He has slugged .543 in 151 Triple-A games, and he's mashed 54 home runs overall in the past two seasons. Obviously, there are questions about where he will fit in defensively, whether he'll find reps at the corner infield or as a designated hitter, but there should be no questions about his bat. The 4-for-46 at the big leagues last year means nothing, especially for a rookie who had no clear pathway to everyday reps in a tight playoff race. That should chanege this season. Mayo does not need anymore time smashing 450-foot home runs in Triple-A to prove himself to the game.


The Orioles need to find a sufficient amount of reps for the corner infielder if they will not come everyday. Should he perform well in Spring Training, his place on the 26-man roster should be firm to start. The sky is the limit for this potent prospect, but his chances of reaching and exceeding his full potential can only come if the Orioles give him the big league reps that he needs. He doesn't need anymore reps at AAA-ball.


Which top prospects will make their Major League Debut in 2025?

Samuel Basallo is the first name that comes to mind. The Orioles' No. 2 prospect made it to Triple-A last season after posting a .790 OPS with the then-Bowie Baysox last season. He'll need a couple months with the Tides to develop and get hot but if he gets hot during that time, then he should be ready to claim a big league roster spot by no earlier than mid-June.


Will Samuel Basallo make his big league debut in 2025? Photo: Grant DeVivo
Will Samuel Basallo make his big league debut in 2025? Photo: Grant DeVivo

Recently named the top catching prospect in baseball, Basallo has a bat that fits perfectly for Camden Yards, and it is not far from being ready. He can drive the ball to all fields and he can pull the ball for extreme power, so the flag court better be ready once he arrives. His defense behind the dish still needs some work, so he'd best fit as an everyday DH/first baseman and backup catcher to two-time All-Star Adley Rutschman as the Orioles continue to improve his glove. Nonetheless, Basallo stands as the prospect, to me at least, that is the closest to being big league ready. His arrival will upgrade the Orioles' catching battery especially if the one-year contract with former Yankees slugger Gary Sanchez doesn't pan out.


There are some outfielders who might get the call, too. Dylan Beavers (O's No. 6) and Jud Fabian (O's No. 10) also reached Triple-A last year and with both expected to start 2025 with Basallo at Norfolk, they will be knocking on Camden Yards' doors as well. Fabian is the power-hitter as he reached the 20 home run mark for a second consecutive season last year and slugged .432 with the Baysox. Beavers is the all-around athlete who can hit a home run here and there but also do the small things, whether it be hitting situationally or running (he stole 31 bases in 2024).


Is Enrique Bradfield Jr. also in line to debut this season? Photo: Grant DeVivo
Is Enrique Bradfield Jr. also in line to debut this season? Photo: Grant DeVivo

Perhaps Enrique Bradfield Jr. gets the call as well. The former Vanderbilt product, who resembles much of Cedric Mullins minus the power bat, could sneak by AA and AAA ball quicker than many may initiallly think. His elite bat-to-ball skills, 70 stolen bases last year, and unmatched speed could very well put him on track to the big leagues for an audition in September. That way, the Orioles can begin to piece their long-term outfield that, in my mind, should include Bradfield Jr., who resembles your old school leadoff hitter who gets on base, hits the ball hard, and runs.


There are many names that you could see come out of the Orioles' farm system in 2025 for their debuts. These are just some of the first names that come to mind.


How deep is the Orioles' Minor League pitching roster?

In recent years, former pitching prospects like Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, and Cade Povich have graduated prospect status and have engrained themselves into the Orioles' starting rotation. It would be easy to assume that the Orioles' Minor League pitching depth charts would take a hit as those names departed the farm system for good. However, that is simply not the case right now.


Chayce McDermott is the heart of the Orioles' deep pitching depth right now. Photo: Kate Kirsch, Tides
Chayce McDermott is the heart of the Orioles' deep pitching depth right now. Photo: Kate Kirsch, Tides

The Orioles have plenty of pitching depth in the farm system. Obviously, top pitching prospect Chayce McDermott leads the way after posting a 3.78 ERA for Norfolk last year alongside a ridiculous 13.0 K/9 percentage. His big league debut last year wasn't too shabby either as on July 24 at Miami, he went 4 innings allowing just 3 runs and 2 walks while striking out 3 batters As the Orioles figure out the back end of their rotation, there could be opportunities for the hard-throwing 26-year-old righty to slide in and claim a rotation spot or, which would be cool, force the Orioles to work with a six-man rotation.


There are plenty of other pitching prospects making some noise in the Minor Leagues, further proving my point that the pitching depth is deeper than what it looks. Brandon Young (Orioles No. 18) tossed 111 innings last year to the tune of a 3.57 ERA, a 1.252 WHIP, and 132 punchouts. He could also be on the verge of a big league debut. Pat Reilly (Orioles No. 13) put up a 3.73 ERA for Bowie/Chesapeake after being acquired by the Orioles at the trade deadline. Batters hit just .232 against No. 17 prospect Michael Forret, who posted a 3.88 ERA between Delmarva and Aberdeen last year. Kyle Brnovich posted a 1.120 WHIP and walked just 28 batters last season for Bowie/Chesapeake.


My overall point is that the Orioles' pitching depth is way deeper than it may appear. There are a plethora of young arms on the rise and under the mentorship of the Orioles' well-rounded pitching development staff, which is led by Forrest Hermann. Many of these names could surprise you one day, and I am talking about at the big league level.





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