Looking back at the 2024 season for all four Orioles Minor League affiliates
The Minor League Baseball season has long been over. With the Major League playoff race raging on and eventually beginning, many Minor League organizations saw their seasons come to an end in mid-September if they were not competing in the MiLB playoffs.
The Orioles' affiliates saw their seasons come to an end at the conclusion of the regular season as no team managed to reach the postseason. It was the first time since 2018 in which that was the case as at least one affiliate had managed to extend their season into the playoffs.
As baseball begins to wind down fully for the 2024 season, let's take a look back at how each Orioles Minor League affiliate performed this season.
AAA Norfolk Tides
Excitement filled the air in Norfolk, Virginia early in the season as the Norfolk Tides returned to Harbor Park as the defending International League and Triple-A champions. Having finished 2023 with a 90-59 record, skipper Buck Britton and the boys looked to duplicate the success of the championship team in 2024. Entering the season, the Tides were armed with some of the game's most prized prospects at the time Coby Mayo, Cade Povich, Heston Kjerstad, and Jackson Holliday. Many of them were returners from the championship team.
Momentum was Norfolk's way after claiming Opening Weekend at home versus the Durham Bulls 2-1. Beyond that, simply put, things did not go the way the Tides hoped they would in 2024. They finished with a 69-81 record, which obviously is far from any sort of postseason entry. An 11-14 month of April, which included a 10-game losing streak, set the tone for the majority of the rest of the season. Even though there were patches of inconsistency throughout the season, there was no doubt that the Tides could swing. They finished in the Top 10 of many of the International League's offensive categories including home runs (186), runs scored (780), and RBI (741). Mayo mashed 22 home runs with a .562 slugging percentage in 89 games for the Tides, Kjerstad had a .998 OPS in 56 games, and outfielder Daniel Johnson led the team with 76 RBI.
The Tides issues involved pitching. Though the team's 1,435 strikeouts were good for third place in the International League, there is not much winning to be had with a team WHIP of 1.50 and a team ERA of 5.10. Pitching prospect Justin Armbruester struggled to a 7.54 ERA this year and had a 5.2 BB/9, though fans are not going to count him out after one down year. With his arsenal and his durability, there is a lot for him to prove and display moving forward. Tucker Davidson cruised to a 2.85 ERA through July before struggling to a 5.85 ERA the rest of the season. That all being said, there were still some bright lights in the pitching department. Povich had a 6-1 record with a 3.48 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 77.2 innings. Brandon Young settled in nicely with the Tides upon his mid-summer promotion and pitched to a 3.44 ERA with only 33 walks.
The season may have not gone the Tides' way, but the energy and the excitement was still felt given the plethora of prospect talent that made its way through Norfolk this season. Once names like Holliday, Mayo, Kjerstad, and Povich graduated to the big leagues, new names like Samuel Basallo (MLB No. 13), Dylan Beavers (Orioles No. 6), and Jud Fabian (Orioles No. 11) joined the team towards tha latter end of the season. Not to mention, there were still guys like Billy Cook hanging around before he was traded to the Pirates (where he eventually made his Major League debut). Regardless of the way this season went, the cream of the crop in the Orioles' prospect charts gave the Tides fans something to cheer about, and the best part is that there is still much of those prized prospects returning next season or on the way soon.
Overall Record: 69-81
First Half Record: 36-39
Second Half Record: 33-42
3 Notable Players: Coby Mayo (.287 BA, 22 HR, 67 RBI, .926 OPS), Daniel Johnson (.259 BA, 21 HR, 76 RBI, .768 OPS), Heston Kjerstad (.300 BA, 16 HR, 58 RBI, .998 OPS) 3 Notable Pitchers: Cade Povich (3.48 ERA, 1.107 WHIP, 89 K, .207 BA), Brandon Young (3.44 ERA, 1.281 WHIP, 96 K, .241 BA), Chayce McDermott (3.78 ERA, 1.410 WHIP, 144 K, .219 BA)
AA Bowie Baysox
The Baysox had a very consisteny stretch all season of winning some and losing some here and there. There was never really a solid stretch of winning or losing and they hovered near .500 for the majority of the season. The team ended up finishing below .500 for a third consecutive season, sitting at 62-75 overall.
The pitching did very well for the Baysox all year long, and their starting pitching kept them in ballgames. The team pitched to a 3.79 ERA, had the second-least number of hits allowed in the Eastern League (1,002), and finished second in strikeouts (1,319). After a rough first two months that featured a 6.64 ERA, Alex Pham made necessary adjustments to live up to prospect expectations and pitched to a 2.92 ERA the rest of the way. He led the Baysox in strikeouts (138) and finished with a 7-4 record and a .221 opponent batting average. Seth Johnson pitched to a 2.63 ERA before being traded to the Phillies, while Kyle Brnovich and Cameron Weston posted WHIPs under 1.200 and combined for 185 strikeouts. Out of the bullpen, righty Dylan Heid had a year to remember with a 1.69 ERA and a 1.156 WHIP in 64 relief innings. There is no reason for him to be in Double-A anymore. Fellow righty Logan Rinehart also had a nice year out of the pen, pitching a total of 28 relief innings and posting a 2.57 ERA.
The offense and defense never really came around for the Baysox in 2024, which explained why there were so many close contests and frustrating endings to game. You have to give the Baysox some slack because the pitching talent is incredible at the Double-A level, and teams have more data on players than in previous years in the lower levels. Thus, Double-A is a very difficult level to succeed in. Defensively, the Baysox had a league worst .969 fielding percentage and led the way with 149 errors. On the bright side, catchers caught a sold 30 percent of runners trying to steal a base and that was done primarily by top catching prospect Samuel Basallo and former Texas Longhorn Silas Ardoin. Offensivly, their .220 team batting average, 553 runs scored, .311 on-base percentage, and .667 OPS ranked bottom four in the league. No team wants to finish bottom in any of those categories. As mightly as the offense may have struggled overall this season, the Baysox still had some stellar individual performances and moments. Basallo had by far the best individual season, posting an .820 OPS in 106 games while slugging .465. Jud Fabian launched a walk-off grand slam on April 20 against the Altoona Curve infront of a record attendance. John Rhodes had a 5-for-5, 5 RBI day on Father's Day.
There is no problem with pitching in Bowie right now, as pitching coach Austin Meine is stearing his arms in the right direction right now. The defense and offense will have to clean things up next season if they want to get on a consistent winning stretch and if they want to help their pitchers out. Neither really came along this season, and that contributed mightly to their sub-.500 performance. However, we must remember that Minor League Baseball is about development more than it is winning games, so it is all a part of the process as the Orioles manage their prospects' potential at Double-A, one of the most difficult levels in the entire MiLB.
Overall Record: 62-75
First Half Record: 32-36
Second Half Record: 30-39
3 Notable Players: Samuel Basallo (.289 BA, 16 HR, 55 RBI, .820 OPS), Jud Fabian (.233 BA, 18 HR, 56 RBI, .758 OPS), Dylan Beavers (.241 BA, 15 HR, 50 RBI, .756 OPS)
3 Notable Pitchers: Dylan Heid (1.69 ERA, 1.156 WHIP, 60 K, .178 BA), Cameron Weston (3.41 ERA, 1.040 WHIP, 108 K, .206 BA), Kyle Brnovich (3.96 ERA, 1.120 WHIP, 77 K, .202 BA)
A+ Aberdeen Ironbirds
The Ironbirds were the only team in the Orioles' Minor League system to finish with a record above .500 this season. With Felipe Alou Jr. at the helm of the 'Birds for the first time, the team went 67-65 and barely missed out on a playoff spot in the South Atlantic League.
To say they liked to run is an understatement. They loved to run, and they did so prolifically. The Ironbirds led both the entire SAL and all of Minor League Baseball with 363 stolen bases, and it was not even close. The next closest team was 101 stolen bases away. This also set a Minor League record for most stolen bases by a team in a single season, which they set on the final day of the season. Orioles No. 5 prospect Enrique Bradfield led the team with 74 stolen bases, good for second place in all of Minor League Baseball. Tavian Josenberger and Douglas Hodo III were not far from Bradfield with 45 and 42 stolen bases each respectively. Matthew Etzel contributed with 31 stolen bases. With a .306 batting average in 51 games for Aberdeen, the left-handed hitting outfielder had the best first third of the season for Aberdeen before being promoted to Bowie in early June and eventually traded to the Rays in July.
Outside of the stolen base department, the Ironbirds did not make a ton of offensive noise. They hit .229 as a team and posted a .685 OPS. They only scored 595 runs, though they did manage to walk a decent amount as they tallied 568 of them in 2024. Orioles No. 22 prospect Creed Willems supplied much of the offense this season with a .788 OPS and team-bests in home runs (13) and RBI (51). The pitching was also just league average as the Ironbirds posted a team 4.57 ERA and a 1.416 WHIP. The team did manage to complete a combined no-hitter on July 19, which stood out as one of the top moments of the season. Several pitchers had some stellar individual seasons including Edgar Portes (3.34 ERA), Zach Fruit (3.03 ERA), and Jackson Baumeister (3.06 ERA). Portes led the team with 119 strikeouts, while Fruit compilled a team-best 107 innings on the mound. Baumeister held opponents to a .210 batting average and just 53 hits before being sent to the Rays in the Zach Eflin deal. Out of the bullpen, Kyle Virbitszky allowed just 6 walks in 31.1 relief innings.
The Ironbirds had a very solid season overall. In a season where the phrase "speed kills" came to life more than ever, the team knew how to run into opportunities to score runs and pester with opponents. They will most likely not hesitate to utizile it again next year, as there is speed on the way in the form of the 2024 draft class. Vance Honeycutt, Griff O'Ferrall, and Austin Overn can all run.
Overall Record: 67-65
First Half Record: 34-32
Second Half Record: 33-33
3 Notable Players: Enrique Bradfield Jr. (.267 BA, 74 SB, 26 RBI, .708 OPS), Creed Willems (.238 BA, 13 HR, 51 RBI, .788 OPS), Matthew Etzel (.306 BA, 31 SB, 37 RBI, .857 OPS)
3 Notable Pitchers: Edgar Portes (3.34 ERA, 1.336 WHIP, 119 K, .215 BA), Zach Fruit (3.03 ERA, 1.243 WHIP, 113 K, .201 BA), Moices Chace (3.46 ERA, 1.288 WHIP, 76 K, .201 BA)
A- Delmarva Shorebirds
It was a rough season for the Shorebirds, and Colin Woody's first managerial season did not go as planned. The Shorebirds were far under .500, finishing the season with a 53-78 record. They were swept three times.
Right off the bat, it was a rough start. They were swept in the opening series against the Fredericksburgh Nationals and they managed to go just 6-20 in their first 26 games. It was not until May 19 when they clinched their first series win of the season, a 4-2 series victory over the Lynchburg Hilcats. From there, they went on a little hot streak, going 14-10 in their next 24 contests before being swept again by the FredNats. From there on out, it was a back-and-forth mixture of stretches of winning and losing. However, the team's second half performance was much better than their first half performance. They were just 6 games under .500 in the second half compared to 19 games under in the first half.
Many of the Shorebirds' issues came offensively. A team .223 batting average and a ton of stranded baserunners plagued them throughout the year. One of the brightest offensive players that rose to the occasion around mid-June was Aron Estrada, a 19-year-old from Venezuela who hit .356 in June and took home the Carolina League Player of the Month for June. He went onto hit .296 for the Shorebirds and got a late-season promotion to the Ironbirds. In terms of pitching, the team 4.83 ERA is higher than what they probably preferred. However, their team 1.374 WHIP is not terrible and they kept the ball in the park. Their 55 home runs allowed was the least amongst all teams in the Carolina League. Some indicviduals had some stelar performances this season. Blake Money, a former LSU draft pick, ate innings (team-best 103 IP) and did so efficiently, posting a 1.06 WHIP and a 3.15 ERA. Braxton Bragg posted a 3.36 ERA and led the team with 122 strikeouts. Nestor German, a Seattle native, was nearly unhittable. His .179 opponent BA, 0.931 WHIP, and 1.49 ERA showed early signs of an uprising pitching prospect that could eventually break through in the Orioles' pitching depth charts one day.
This was a young Shorebirds team and like many young teams, there are bound to be mistakes, struggles, and learning curves. The Shorebirds had players adjusting to life in professional baseball, many of which were being exposed to extended travel and crowds of thousands of fans for the first time. Their record and their performance does not truly indicate the talent and the potential that they have as players. Sometimes, fans just have to step back and realize the human element of the game. That is certainly the case here for the Shorebirds.
Overall Record: 53-78
First Half Record: 23-42
Second Half Record: 30-36
3 Notable Players: Aron Estrada (.296, 31 SB, 43 RBI, .795 OPS), Aneudis Mordan (.220 BA, 13 HR, 37 RBI, .714 OPS), Edwin Amparo (.284 BA, 13 SB, 8 RBI, .793 OPS)
3 Notable Pitchers: Nestor German (1.49 ERA, 0.931 WHIP, 57 K, .179 BA), Blake Money (3.15 ERA, 1.058 WHIP, 119 K, .214 BA), Braxton Bragg (3.36 ERA, 1.173 WHIP, 122 K, .242 BA)
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