It’s been another busy week in the Orioles minor league system. The Birds’ two most high-profile prospects got the call-up to The Show, two intriguing pitching prospects moved up a level and dominated, Aberdeen threw a no-hitter, and the Orioles’ top three draft picks all made their pro debuts. Let’s get right into the weekly recap.
Triple-A Norfolk Tides
- Last week: 5-1 at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins)
- Next opponent: vs. Charlotte Knights (White Sox)
- Second half record: 21-22, fifth place (10.0 GB) in International League East
- Overall season record: 51-65
Break up the Tides! They’re 12-3 in August, and just missed a six-game sweep of Jacksonville this week by losing the Sunday finale. Of course, their lineup is about to
get worse with the promotions of Samuel Basallo and Dylan Beavers to the Orioles this past weekend. Sorry, Tides, but the O’s need them more. Beavers went 5-for-17 in his final week with Norfolk, while Basallo was an uncharacteristic 1-for-12. With any luck, neither will spend time in a minor league uniform ever again.
Picking up the slack offensively was José Barrero, whom the O’s signed as a minor league free agent in early July. Barrero collected a team-best three home runs and nine RBIs this week. Outfielder Reed Trimble, the Orioles’ 2021 competitive balance pick whose career has been derailed by injuries, reached base in more than half his plate appearances this week with six hits and five walks. Jordyn Adams, back down from the Orioles’ bench, homered twice. With the departures of Beavers and Basallo, the only top-30 O’s position-player prospect still on Norfolk’s roster is outfielder Jud Fabian, who went 2-for-19 with eight strikeouts and five walks.
The pitching side is where the Tides excelled this week, holding the Jumbo Shrimp to a .207 average. Leading the way was breakout prospect Trey Gibson, who dazzled in his Triple-A debut, pitching five scoreless innings with six strikeouts and retiring 14 of the 15 batters he faced. The 23-year-old right-hander, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023, has rocketed through the O’s system after starting 2024 at Low-A. This year he’s torn through Aberdeen, then Chesapeake (where he had a 1.55 ERA in 10 starts), and now is off to a great start at Norfolk.
Three rehabbing Orioles right-handers made their way to Norfolk this week. Kyle Bradish unveiled a vintage 2023 Kyle Bradish start — five scoreless innings, two hits, nine strikeouts — for the best outing of his rehab so far. He’s expected to make one more minor league start before his long-awaited return to the O’s rotation. Tyler Wells was shakier, giving up three runs and six hits in five innings. And Albert Suárez, who has been on the IL since the Orioles’ second game of the season, worked three innings of one-run ball.
Double-A Chesapeake Baysox
- Last week: 3-3 vs. Erie SeaWolves (Tigers)
- Next opponent: vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants)
- Second half record: 16-29, sixth place (10.0 GB) in Eastern League Southwest
- Overall season record: 47-65
The Baysox bashed the ball this week, leading all Eastern League teams with 12 home runs (and 14 stolen bases, for good measure) and ranking second with a .902 OPS. Eight different hitters had an OPS of .794 or better this week. Leading the way was catching prospect Creed Willems, who racked up nine hits, including three homers. Austin Overn, Aron Estrada, Adam Retzbach, and Douglas Hodo had seven hits apiece — including two homers each for those first three — while Tavian Josenberger drew eight walks for a team-leading .522 OBP.
Enrique Bradfield Jr., who has missed time with hamstring injuries this year, might finally be starting to get his legs under him. Returning to the Baysox for the first time in a month, Bradfield had six hits and five steals. If he can stay healthy in the remaining weeks, he’s a candidate for a promotion to Norfolk in September. Elsewhere, the Orioles released infielder Anthony Servideo, who was their third-round pick in the abbreviated 2020 draft. Servideo, the grandson of former O’s Rookie of the Year Curt Blefary, batted .170/.293/.250 in five minor league seasons. Best of luck to him in whatever comes next.
In the Trey Gibson category of “Exciting Orioles pitching prospects who dominated in their first start at a new level,” let’s talk about Michael Forret. After running roughshod over High-A with a 1.51 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and .152 BAA in 15 starts, Forret earned a promotion to Double-A and aced his debut this week, throwing six dominant innings and striking out seven. Two hits and an unearned run were his only blemishes. The 14th-round pick from 2023 is quickly emerging as arguably the Orioles’ best pitching prospect.
High-A Aberdeen IronBirds
- Last week: 2-4 at Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees)
- Next opponent: vs. Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets)
- Second half record: 22-25, fourth place (11.5 GB) in South Atlantic League North
- Overall season record: 46-66
The IronBirds were the anti-Baysox this week with an offense that went completely silent. They scored only 11 runs in the six-game series, and every hitter (save Ethan Anderson, who was 6-for-13) had a lousy week. Even Nate George, the team’s best hitter, was just 4-for-20. The worst performance, sadly, again came from 2024 first-round pick Vance Honeycutt, who was a brutal 0-for-21 with 12 strikeouts. Honeycutt had been showing signs of life with nine hits the previous week, but now it’s back to the drawing board. He’s hitting .177/.287/.281 with 150 strikeouts in 86 games.
Things went better for Aberdeen pitchers, especially on Saturday, when they threw a combined no-hitter. Starter Luis De León threw the first five of those innings and racked up nine strikeouts. The flamethrowing lefty has been incredible in August, throwing 16 scoreless innings with 27 strikeouts and just three walks. Not to be outdone, righty Wellington Aracena, acquired in the Gregory Soto trade, continued to make a great first impression. With another five scoreless innings this week, Aracena has a 0.66 ERA (1 ER in 13.2 IP) in his first three games in the Orioles organization.
Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds
- Last week: 1-5 at Lynchburg Hillcats (Guardians)
- Next opponent: vs. Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox)
- Second half record: 14-33, sixth place (13.0 GB) in Carolina League North
- Overall season record: 41-72
It was a big week in Delmarva as a slew of Orioles 2025 draftees arrived for their professional baseball debuts, including their first three picks, Ike Irish, Caden Bodine, and Wehiwa Aloy. All were instant contributors. Irish and Bodine knocked six hits apiece, and Aloy doubled thrice. Their on-base efforts helped the Shorebirds scrape out 20 runs in the six games despite just one home run (by Braylin Tavera). Irish, who was drafted as a catcher, didn’t play behind the plate, making two starts at first base, one in right field, and one at DH.
The Shorebirds’ pitching staff has suddenly gotten interesting, too, with 18-year-old Dominican standout Esteban Mejia and trade deadline prize Boston Bateman giving the Delmarva rotation two legitimate prospects. Mejia struggled this week, giving up three runs, four hits, and three walks in 3.1 innings. Bateman was a little better but somewhat iffy, holding Kannapolis to one run in 4.1 innings despite six hits. The two best pitching performances came from little-known starters Brandon Downer and Carson Dorsey, each of whom worked 5.2 innings without allowing an earned run.
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Last week, Samuel Basallo picked up his third (and likely final) player of the week win in our poll, barely squeaking past Luis De León. Basallo joins fellow new major leaguer Dylan Beavers as a three-time winner this season. Two-time winners include Braxton Bragg and Nate George. Other winners this season are Brandon Young, Vance Honeycutt, Alex Pham, Adam Retzbach, Yasmil Bucce, and Trey Gibson.
Only one former winner is on this week’s four-man ballot. Who gets your vote?