The trades that Mike Elias swung in the days and hours leading up to this year’s trade deadline brought a number of new names, and one familiar one, into the Orioles organization. Most of these are players who should be interesting to follow in the minors for this year and hopefully eventually on the major league team as well.
The big league Orioles aren’t buried yet, it’s just that their odds are slim. That leaves the development of players on the farm as a crucial part of improvement down the road,
either because these guys turn into useful big leaguers or because Elias trades them away for useful big leaguers.
In addition to the new trade arrivals, three 2026 draft picks – Eric Booth Jr., Ty Head, and Jimmy Anderson – will be joining Low-A Delmarva this week. That affiliate has four weeks worth of games left. There are also some promotions: pitcher JT Quinn is moving up to Double-A, while infielder DJ Layton and outfielder Jordan Sanchez get the bump to High-A.
Here’s how things went for the affiliates this week.
Triple-A Norfolk Tides
- Last week’s result: 2-4 at Buffalo (Blue Jays)
- This week’s opponent: vs. Gwinnett (Braves)
- Second half record: 11-26, 10th/last place (13 GB) in International League East
This team’s record is depressing and so is most of the roster. About all you can say about Norfolk is at least there aren’t many prospects whose failure is problematic. The fact that there are so many guys who don’t matter very much at the highest minor league level is a separate problem.
That said, this was a solid week for those players on the Tides who I would like to see doing well. Creed Willems packed eight hits into five games, including a homer. It’d be nice to see him finish strong. That’s also true of Enrique Bradfield Jr., who went 5-18 with a triple and also had four walks. I think if Bradfield had the .278/.391/.389 batting line for the season that he had this week, he’d be in Baltimore now. Crucially, he doesn’t; he’s OPSed just .663 with Norfolk.
If you are looking for something good from Luis De León in his second outing at this level, sorry! This is what I have for you: He gave up six runs in four innings, giving up eight hits and two walks as well as hitting a batter. In one relief outing, this went even worse for my honorary hyphenated cousin Juaron Watts-Brown, with three runs allowed in 1.2 innings.
Things went better in the organization re-debut for Michael Forret, sent to the Rays for Shane Baz and brought back to the Orioles for Tyler Wells. Forret gave up two runs over 4.2 innings, surrendering seven hits and two walks. You’d like to bring the WHIP down.
Others of interest
- Rehab: RHP Chris Bassitt – Six scoreless innings where he scattered three hits, two walks, and a hit batter while striking out five. I think his next outing will be with the Orioles.
- OF Heston Kjerstad – I just can’t quit him, okay? Kjerstad went 4-17, with three of the hits going for extra bases.
Double-A Chesapeake Baysox
- Last week’s result: 4-3 vs. Harrisburg (Nationals)
- This week’s opponent: at Reading (Phillies)
- Second half record: 22-17, 2nd place (4 GB) in Eastern League Southwest
The Baysox already sported an interesting two prospects in the rotation between Joseph Dzierwa and Caden Hunter, then Anthony Eyanson arrived from the Adley Rutschman trade, and now JT Quinn is coming up from below as well. Dzierwa tossed another six scoreless innings, racking up nine strikeouts. Get this guy to Norfolk already! Eyanson also had nine strikeouts, in his case over five innings with two runs given up. Hunter exceeded that strikeout number, getting into double digits over six innings, though he allowed two runs as well.
I am obligated to begin discussing hitters with my guy Aron Estrada. It’s a bad update, 3-23 over seven games, no walks taken. It’s a rough beginning to August for him after three straight great months. Brandon Butterworth (5-21, a home run) and Victor Figueroa (4-21, a home run) were less bad.
Better things can be said about Wehiwa Aloy, who might have only gone 4-18 but two of the hits were home runs, and he drew five walks, so the OBP/SLG parts are great. Now 13 games into the level, Aloy has a .727 OPS. Of course, we’d all like to see him bring that up over the remaining games for the Baysox.
Others of interest
- RHP Patrick Reilly – Nine hits scattered over 4.2 scoreless in what was just his third level-appropriate start since Tommy John surgery. It’s going to be interesting to see what they do with him going forward.
Chesapeake season-to-date stats.
High-A Frederick Keys
- Last week’s result: 6-0 at Jersey Shore (Phillies)
- This week’s opponent: vs. Bowling Green (Rays)
- Second half record: 24-16, t-1st place in South Atlantic League North
- The Keys are guaranteed a postseason trip for winning their first half division.
Many of the players who have helped this team to a great first half team have been promoted. It’s a different cast of guys that’s still going in the second half. They were bolstered by one new arrival, that being Enddy Azocar, another player from the Rutschman trade. Azocar could hardly have made a better first impression, picking up ten hits, six of which went for extra bases. This guy is just 19 years old, so if he keeps blasting through this level by season’s end, that’s going to be interesting indeed.
The third minor leaguer to debut from the Rutschman trade this week was Kyson Witherspoon. The earned runs column being a zero looks good, though allowing five hits and five walks is not so good. Quinn earned his way up to Chesapeake with a nice send-off, 5.2 scoreless with seven strikeouts.
Others of interest
- LHP Boston Bateman – After a couple of injury-shortened outings, the O’s had Bateman with a planned short start, only two innings. He struck out six of the seven batters he faced. Nice.
Frederick season-to-date stats.
Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds
- Last week’s result: 1-5 at Fredericksburg (Nationals)
- This week’s opponent: vs. Salem (Red Sox)
- Second half record: 14-28, 6th/last place (8.5 GB) in Carolina League North
Not every new guy from the trades managed a good debut in the organization. Outfielder Jhomnardo Reyes, from the Dean Kremer trade, arrived with a 3-23. He did walk eight times and steal three bases, so, way to still find some value.
A few incumbent Orioles prospects did much better for themselves. That includes the just-promoted outfielder Jordan Sanchez, who collected 12 hits, including two homers, in what will hopefully be his last week of Low-A action. DJ Layton also got promoted, giving himself a 5-19 sendoff from Delmarva with three doubles, six walks, and three stolen bases. Infielder Jaiden Lo Re, not on the promotion list, topped all of these guys in OPS for the week, as while he had a mere nine hits compared to Sanchez’s 12, he drew seven walks.
Sanchez heads up a level with a .705 OPS for Delmarva. If you’re wondering, is that good for this level, no, it’s not. Layton’s .786 OPS with the Shorebirds is good for a 123 wRC+. An interesting guy in his age 19 season. So is Lo Re, rocking a .920 OPS through 45 games.
Delmarva season-to-date stats.
**
We crowned another two-time winner in last week’s minor league player of the week poll, with Caden Hunter taking down a substantial 87% of the vote in a two-way poll. The only multi-week winners this season have been Hunter and Ike Irish. These players have won a single week: Aron Estrada, Victor Figueroa, Payton Eeles, Braylin Tavera, Caden Hunter, Wehiwa Aloy, Jaiden Lo Re, Joseph Dzierwa, Luis De León, and Heston Kjerstad.
Will we get another repeat winner this week? Maybe! The power is yours.
