A look at how all four Baltimore Orioles Minor League affilates performed this past week
*Cover Photo Credit: Hannah Reagle
Debuts flurried throughout the organiation last week, as many prospects debuted with new affiliates after receiving promotions. Most notably, the Delmarva Shorebirds added five new players to their roster, all of which come from the highly-touted 2024 Orioles draft class. Let's dive into what happened last week down on the farm for the Baltimore Orioles, and let's see how the new guys did in their first week in their new environments.
AAA Norfolk Tides
Well, this was a week that the Tides want to forget. Not everything goes your way, and this series against the Gwinnett Stripers (Braves AAA) did not go Norfolk's way as they dropped the 6-game set 5-1.
The series started with the Tides up 4-1 heading into the bottom of the 7th of Tuesday's series opener. That was until the Stripers tagged Tides reliever Nick Avila for 4 earned runs, which was enough to secure a 5-4 win. Norfolk went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position that game. In the following three days, the Tides were brutally dismembered by the Stipers by scores of 13-3, 15-1, and 7-0. Tides pitching surrendered 24 walks in those three games including 12 on Wednesday. The offense struck out 25 times, went 2-for-20 with runners in scoring position, and left 23 runners on base during that same stretch. Those three games alone were just a brutal, brutal stretch for the Tides that is far from the baseball that they are capable of playing. Despite the 0-5 start to the series the Tides rebounded for a close 8-7 win in the series finale on Sunday. That win was propelled by Terrin Vavra's third home run of the season, an RBI triple from Shayne Fontana, and yet another excellent start on the mound for No. 21 prospect Brandon Young, who has been pitching out of his mind lately for Norfolk. It was a great win to end the series, but it does not heal the dampened mood that follows this uncharacteristic week for the Tides.
The Tides fall to 20-25 in the second half standings in the International League East standings. They are 56-64 overall, and they are 3-7 in their last 10 games. Here are three standout performers from the past week for the Tides.
RHP Brandon Young: the Orioles' No. 21 prospect had two great starts last week, further proving why the Orioles might need to give him a big league roster spot one day. In 10.2 total innings, Young allowed just two earned runs, one each start, while striking out 10 batters, walking just 2, and allowing just 9 hits. He got the win in Sunday's series finale.
RHP Logan Rinehart: the recently-promoted reliever debuted for the Tides on Friday and threw the ball well. The righty went 3 relief innings while walking just 2 batters, striking out 3, and allowing just one hit.
OF Daniel Johnson: the 29-year-old outfielder hit .292 (7-for-24) with a home run, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored last week for yet another solid performance by a staple in the Norfolk lineup this season.
The Tides are home for a 6-game set tonight against the Worcester Red Sox (Red Sox AAA).
AA Bowie Baysox
The Baysox and the Altoona Curve (Pirates AA) entered last week's 6-game set with the season series tied at 6 games a piece. Bowie was looking for some vengance after dropping the previous series in June 5-1, and sure enough they flipped the script with a solid 4-2 series win.
The series was highlighted by a plethorum of Baysox debuts by No. 6 prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr., Tavian Josenberger, and Reed Trimble. Bradfield struggled to a 4-for-19 (.211) clip but he drew 6 walks and collected his first two stolen bases at the Double-A level. He picked up his first multi-hit game with Bowie on Friday night, going 2-for-5 in the Baysox's 8-2 win. Josenberger went 5-for-19 (.263) with an RBI, 6 runs scored, and a race to the bases with 4 stolen bases in Saturday's 7-6 loss. Trimble got into 4 games last week and collected a hit in each game. He had the best week out of all of these three, going 5-for-16 (.313) with 5 RBI, 4 runs scored, and a stolen base.
Like the Harrisburg series the week before, the Baysox did many things well to win the series. With the three new outfield additions, the speed was use to the team's advantage as Bradfield, Josenberger, and Trimble combined for 7 stolen bases, 3 of which scored runs. Many hitters had either big nights or big weeks. Orioles' No. 3 prospect Samuel Basallo had a 3-for-5 night on Friday, while No. 8 prospect Dylan Beavers claimed the Eastern League Player of the Week award after hitting .450. The pitching was outstanding all week. Peter Van Loon struck out 8 batters in 4.1 scoreless innings on Wednesday, and Keagan Gillies dominated that same night out of the bullpen with 2 scoreless and hitless relief innings. Carlos Tavara was efficient on Thursday night as he threw 56 pitches (40 strikes) to spin a 5-inning scoreless start in which he did not allow a walk.
Things are going well as of late for the Baysox, and the have to be feeling good heading into fan appreciation week at home against the Erie Seawolves (Tigers AA). The Baysox are now 9-3 in their last 12 games, are 54-59 overall, and are 22-23 in the second half Eastern League Southwest standings. Here are three standout performers from last week's series win.
OF Dylan Beavers: the sweet-swinging lefty outfield prospect won Easter League Player of the Week after going 9-for-20 (.450). He posyed a 1.020 OPS, reached base safley in every game that he appeared in, and drove in 4 runs.
OF Reed Trimble: the left-handed swinging new arrival had a great first week with the Baysox as in 4 games, he went 5-for-16 with 5 RBI, a3 doubles, and a stolen base.
RHP Carlos Tavara: the Curve had no answer against the righty Tavara on Thursday. He needed just 56 pitches (40 strikes) to get through 5 scoreless innings that included 2 hits, 3 strikeouts, and no walks.
As previously mentioned, the Baysox are home this week for a 6-game set with Erie. It is fan appreciation week, so don't miss out on numerous fun activities and events including Sunday Funday, a mystery t-shirt giveaway, and the return of the Bowie Pit Beef uniforms. Purchase tickets here.
A+ Aberdeen Ironbirds
It was a rough week for the Ironbirds infront of the home crowd. They could not get much going against the Greenville Drive (Red Sox A+) and ultimately dropped the series 4-2.
The 'Birds started off the series solid with a 6-2 win on Tuesday. They put up a 7-hit effort and scored 4 runs in the 6th inning and beyond, which pulled them away from Greenville and helped secure a win. The next four days consisted of great pitching from the Ironbirds, but little offense to show for, thus resulting in an 0-4 stretch. They scored just 4 runs from Wednesday through Saturday, and they were shut out twice. They collected an underwhelming 20 hits during those four games, but stranded 23 runners. Most notably, they also had trouble making contact, as they combined for 43 strikeouts during that 0-4 stretch. It is a shame that the bats went quiet because some stellar pitching performances could have used some offensive support to get them off the schnide. Zach Fruit went 5.1 dominant innings on Wednesday, but was tagged with the loss as his offense could not score any runs. No. 20 prospect Michael Forret allowed just one run in 4 innings on Friday, but he was also tagged with the loss as the offense could not score enough to support him. Aberdeen was able to bounce back on Sunday with a great 6-3 series finale win.
Like Bowie, Aberdeen was tested with a new lineup consisting of many new faces recently promoted from Low-A Delmarva. Jake Cunningham, Aneudis Mordan, and No. 17 prospect Thomas Sosa are amongst the latest arrivals, though Cunningham handled the new environment well and took home the South Atlantic League Player of the Week award. While it was not the first week together that they had hoped for, there is an understanding that moving up a level in the Minor Leagues consists of many challenges, and these young Aberdeen hitters are going through an adjustment phase together. Struggles like these are understandable and the talent is there in the lineup. It will only be a matter of time before the true offensive potential of these young Orioles hopefuls breaks out.
Aberdeen falls to 24-24 in the second half standings in the South Atlantic League North and 58-56 overall. Here are three standout performers from last week for Aberdeen.
OF Jake Cunningham: what a way to introduce yourself! Cunningham took home SAL Player of the Week after going 7-for-19 (.529) with 3 RBI, 4 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases. His speed is sure to mix in well given the Ironbirds'recent losses of Enrique Bradfield Jr. and others via promotions.
RHP Trey Gibson: the righty had both a start and relief appearance last week, and he dominated in both of them. He went a total of 4.2 innings, allowing just 2 earned runs and 2 walks while striking out 7 batters.
RHP Edgar Portes: the 21-year-old had the strikeout stuff working on Saturday as he went 4 innings in his start, striking out 8 batters while keeping Greenville off the scoreboard He lowers his season ERA to 3.30.
The Ironbirds are home this week for a 6-game homestand against the Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox A+).
A- Delmarva Shorebirds
The Shorebirds did battle last week with the Carolina Mudcats (Brewers A-) and played respectably well, splitting the series 3-3.
This series was all about welcoming some new faces to Birdland. With many of the Shorebirds' everyday position players being bumped up to Aberdeen, the team needed a make over in their roster as well. They filled in those gaps with a slew of players from this year's draft. Those players, with their results from their first week of pro ball, included:
C Ethan Anderson: 7-for-20 (.350), 4 RBI, 2B, 5 R
IF Griff O'Farrel: 6-for-14 (.429), RBI, 7 BB, 1.136 OPS
OF Austin Overn: 3-for-16 (.188), 3 RBI, 3 R, SB
C Ryan Stafford: 5-for-18 (.278), RBI, 3 R, 4 SB
OF Colin Tuft: 4-for-18 (.222), 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2B, 3 R
The impact of this talented draft class was felt almost immediately, especially in a stretch where the Shorebirds took three straight in the middle portion of the homestand. In an 8-0 win on Thursday, Overn went 2-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI double that helped pad the Shorebirds' lead. On Friday, he hit a game-tying sacrafice fly that extended a 3-3 tie into extras and helped make a Shorebirds 5-4 win possible. In a Saturday 9-3 win, Anderson popped off with a 3-for-4, 2 RBI showing, and both he and Stafford were responsible for both of Delmarva's runs in a 4-2 loss. These guys performed very well in their first week of professional baseball. The overall point is that the new baby birds are here, and they have jumped right in and have given a much-needed boost to the Delmarva lineup. The only mystery remains is where first-round pick, outfielder Vance Honeycutt, will report to Delmarva to join the rest of the boys. The talks surrounding him have been fairly quiet, so little is known about his current where-abouts.
Delmarva is now 43-70 overall and 20-28 in the Carolina League North standings. Here are three standout performers from last week for the Shorebirds, two of them being from this year's draft class.
IF Griff O'Farrel: the Orioles' second rounder from the University of Virginia had a phenominal debut week, going 6-for-14 (.429) with an RBI, 7 walks, and a great 1.136 OPS. He sits at No. 9 on MLB Pipeline's prospect rankings for the Orioles.
C Ethan Anderson: O'Farrel's teammate from Virginia, now the No. 15 prospect for the Orioles, carried his collegiate success into Delmarva last week, as the backstop went 7-for-20 (.350) with 4 RBI, 5 runs scored, and a stolen base.
OF Maikol Hernandez: the young outfielder went 6-for-20 (.300) with 2 RBI and 4 runs scored. His sacrafice bunt in the 11th inning on Friday night caused a throwing error by the Mudcats which ended the game for a 5-4 Shorebird win.
The new Shorebirds team hits the road for a 6-game set this week at the Down East Wood Ducks (Rangers A-).
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