Earlier this week I ranked the Top-11 prospects currently in the Baltimore Orioles’ farm system. During my analysis of the Orioles’ minor leagues, I was struck by the depth in the organization, as by reputation Baltimore has one of the weaker systems in baseball. In fact, there are several prospects, perhaps described as a “sleepers” that are worthy of acknowledgement. These are four names outside Baltimore’s top-15 prospects that could breakout this season.
Garrett Cleavinger LHP
Drafted by the Orioles in the 3rd round in 2015, Cleavinger is someone who does not receive enough attention within Baltimore’s system. Cleavinger features a 90-93mph fastball with some late movement, along with an upper-70s curveball with hard 12-6 downward break. The almost 23-year-old lefty is a stocky 6-1 210lbs with little physical projection remaining. His lack of a third pitch limits his ceiling, but he does have the potential for two above-average offerings. Cleavinger should begin 2017 in Double-A Bowie and profiles as a future 7th inning lefty reliever.
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Baltimore’s 7th round pick in 2015, Fenter received a $1 million bonus to spurn pitching for Mississippi State and turn professional. Fenter missed the entire 2016 season after injuring his elbow and undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring. Prior to the injury, Fenter featured a 90-94mph fastball that touched 96mph, along with a powerful curveball and nascent changeup. The 21-year-old will likely be handled carefully this season in his first year post-surgery, but if his stuff re-emerges, he should skyrocket up the Orioles’ rankings this summer.
Cedric Mullins OF
Quietly drafted in the 13th round from Campbell, the switch-hitting Mullins punished Low-A pitching last summer with a .273/.321/.464 with 61 extra base hits and 30 stolen bases. The 22-year-old possesses plus speed and a solid throwing arm, making him a solid defender in center field. Mullins has quality bat speed from both sides of the plate, and shows more power than one might expect from a 5-8 175lbs. athlete. He does have some swing-and-miss in his game and does not walk at a high rate, so he will need to continue to barrel the baseball as he climbs through the farm system. His size and draft pedigree will keep his prospect profile low, but another season of quality production at High-A this summer will force his reputation to soar.
Alex Wells LHP
Signed as an international free agent in August 2015 from Australia, Wells was extremely impressive in his first professional season, throwing 62.2 innings at Short Season Aberdeen. Wells posted a 2.15 ERA for the Ironbirds, allowing 48 hits and only 9 walks against 50 strikeouts. Wells possesses a raw but interesting 3-pitch arsenal, featuring an 88-90mph fastball he can locate for strikes, an inconsistent curveball and a devastating changeup. He has some deception in his delivery which helps his stuff play up, but his mediocre breaking ball hurts his ability to generate strikeouts. If he can improve his curveball and/or add some fastball velocity, he profiles as a potential back-end major league starter.
The Baltimore Orioles presently do not have a strong farm system. This is true for several reasons, specifically mediocre drafting for many years, a lack of international signings and the fact that Dylan Bundy, Kevin Gausman, Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop occupy major roles for the big league club. This leaves the organization without the depth or high-ceiling prospects found in stronger farm systems.
Nonetheless, as pitchers and catchers report any day, this figures to be an ideal time to analyze the Orioles’ farm system and rank their top prospects. This list prioritizes, in order, the prospect’s ceiling, their likelihood to fulfill their potential, how far they are from the major leagues and finally, their positional value. With this in mind, here is THE Unofficial Official 2017 Baltimore Orioles Top Prospect List.
Honorable Mention -> Brian Gonzalez LHP, David Hess RHP, Trey Mancini 1B, Anthony Santander OF, D.J. Stewart OF, Christian Walker 1B/OF, Gabriel Ynoa RHP
#11 Matthias Dietz RHP
Perhaps the top junior college prospect in the 2016 draft, Dietz was plucked by Baltimore in the 2nd round due to his impressive pitcher’s frame at 6-5 220lbs. and his ability to touch the mid-90s with his fastball. The 21-year-old Dietz has three pitches in his arsenal, a mid-90s fastball with some sinking movement, along with a slider and a changeup. His offspeed pitches are unrefined, but have shown promise. Dietz will need significant time in the minors, but he could develop into a future #4 starter or impact late-inning reliever. There is significant bust potential, but the raw package of tools is quite intriguing.
#10 Austin Hays OF
One of my favorite prospects in the 2016 draft, Hays shockingly slid to the 3rd round due to concerns with his competition level in college, as he starred for Jacksonville University. Hays has the potential to have five average or better tools, as his above-average bat speed allows him to hit for both average and power. Defensively he has good speed and a solid throwing arm, allowing him to profile as an above-average right fielder or passable in center. Hays does not possess a monster ceiling, but his high floor allows him to project as a fringe-average starter in right field or excellent 4th outfielder.
#9 Tanner Scott LHP
Drafted in the 6th round back in 2014, Scott possesses one of the truly elite left-handed arms in the minor leagues, with a fastball that routinely sits 96mph+ and touches triple digits. In addition the 22-year-old has a hard-biting upper-80s slider with swing-and-miss potential. Unfortunately Scott owns “20” grade command and control, walking nearly 7 batters per 9 innings in his professional career.
Scott has recently altered his delivery, apparently pitching exclusively from the stretch now in an effort to improve his command. Scott profiles exclusively as a 2-pitch reliever at the major league level. Scott is extremely risky, but Baltimore has done well in the past several years developing relief pitchers.
#8 Ryan Mountcastle 3B/LF
One of my favorite high school prospects from 2015, Baltimore selected Mountcastle 36th overall as a lanky 6-3 185lbs shortstop with impressive right-handed bat speed. Mountcastle shows natural barrel skills and a mature approach at the plate, allowing him to hold his own last year at 19-years-old in Low-A. He projects to hit for average and a reasonable on-base percentage, while scouts believe he will develop more power as he matures physically.
The major question in his profile is his eventual defensive position, as his fringe-average arm and mediocre athleticism leave him little chance of staying at shortstop. Most scouts (and myself) believe he could play a passable third base, but his eventual position will be left field. Unfortunately this puts significant risk in his prospect profile, as his bat will have to carry him to the majors.
#7 Keegan Akin LHP
Baltimore’s 2nd round pick last June, Akin skyrocketed up draft boards after an impressive performance against Kent State and 1st round pick Eric Lauer. Akin is a bit undersized at 6-0 225lbs, but possesses a lightning-fast left-handed arm and an impressive 3-pitch arsenal. He features a 92-96mph fastball that he can command for strikes, along with a hard slider and an inconsistent but promising changeup.
Akin struggled with injuries in college, which when coupled with his below-average height, has many scouts pegging him as a reliever. However, Baltimore will begin his development as a starter with his ceiling being a #3/#4 starter and the most likely outcome being an impact reliever.
#6 Hunter Harvey RHP
Son of former major league closer Bryan Harvey, Hunter was Baltimore’s 1st round pick in 2013. Once he entered professional baseball, he showed a smooth delivery and a solid 3-pitch repertoire, including a mid-90s fastball, punishing curveball and a developing changeup. Along with his wiry 6-3 175lbs frame, Harvey profiled as a future mid-rotation starter with the ceiling of a #2. Unfortunately, Harvey has battled injuries his entire career, throwing only 12 innings the past two years and 125.2 as a professional.
Men are the next cheap soft cialis main victims, if compared with the females. Generic medicine manufacturers keep their prices of buy cialis cialis their medicines affordable to expand their reach and share the profit with the users. Game viagra price online Over Computer game fans are invariably plagued by the same problem each year – a shortage of time to run here and there and perform important chores of routine life. You must be open and receptive to viagra purchase no prescription the change process. Harvey is nearly impossible to rank, as he also underwent Tommy John surgery last July and is unlikely to appear in game action again until 2018. If the 22-year-old can return to the mound, he might be the most talented prospect in Baltimore’s system, but his overwhelming injury risk places him here at #6.
#5 Chris Lee LHP
Acquired from Houston for two international bonus slots, Lee quickly went from a relatively unknown lefty into a promising potential mid-rotation starter. 2016 was a difficult year for the southpaw, as he started quickly at Double-A but injured himself and did not pitch after May.
When healthy, the 24-year-old Lee utilizes an impressive 3-pitch repertoire, featuring a 92-94mph fastball with excellent sink, a quality slider he can locate for strikes and a reasonable changeup. Due to his age, injury history and success against lefties, many scouts profile him as a reliever. However, if Baltimore is willing to be patient with him this season, I still believe he can develop into a solid back-of-the-rotation starter. This is a big league arm and does not get enough attention from the prospect community.
For more on Lee, please see this in-person scouting report -> http://natsgm.com/2016/04/26/scouting-baltimore-orioles-prospect-chris-lee/
#4 Ofelky Peralta RHP
Signed for $325,000 from the Dominican Republic in September 2013, the 19-year-old Peralta impressively held his own at Low-A Delmarva last season, posting 101 strikeouts against 60 walks over 103.1 innings pitched. Peralta is a lean, wiry 6-5 195lbs with excellent arm strength and a developing 3-pitch repertoire. He features a 91-95mph fastball, touching 96mph, with some natural life and movement. In addition, Peralta has a solid slider and a quality changeup in which he replicates his arm speed particularly well.
As with most young pitchers, he struggles to repeat his mechanics, which elevates his walk rate and hinders his command. Nevertheless, this is a talented, underappreciated prospect who should spend his age-20 season with High-A Frederick. In an era where prospects receive plenty of attention, somehow Peralta does not secure much admiration from online scouts. He profiles as a quality back-end starter, with the ceiling of a #3.
#3 Jomar Reyes 1B
Reyes ranked #1 on this list last year after punishing Low-A pitching as an 18-year-old to the tune of a .278/.334/.440 batting line. Unfortunately the jump to High-A Frederick and the Carolina League in 2016 proved difficult at age-19, as he hit only .228/.271/.336 with 10 home runs.
From a scouting perspective, Reyes is already a physical monster, appearing significantly larger than his listed 6-3 220lbs. – he physically resembles an NFL linebacker rather than a maturing teenager playing baseball. Reyes has impressive natural bat speed, a relatively quiet swing along with good balance throughout his right-handed swing. Like most young hitters, his swing can get long and he believes he can hit any pitch, making him susceptible to swings-and-misses. He naturally generates loft and back spin off the barrel and has a solid approach at the plate, giving me confidence he will hit for average and power in the future.
The biggest question in his prospect profile is his eventual defensive position, as his mammoth size and underwhelming speed should force him from the hot corner. He does possess a strong arm and reasonable agility for such a large man, which should allow him to become a good defender at first base. Unfortunately a shift to the cold corner will put additional pressure on his offensive numbers. He should repeat High-A this season, and I fully expect a rebound offensively from this precocious teenager.
#2 Cody Sedlock RHP
Baltimore’s 1st round selection, 27th overall, in 2016, Sedlock spent his first two years in college pitching out of the bullpen, before blossoming as a starter as a junior for the University of Illinois. Sedlock certainly looks the part physically, standing an imposing 6-4 205lbs. with thick legs. Furthermore, he owns an intriguing 4-pitch arsenal, featuring a 94-97mph fastball, along with a curveball, slider and changeup. His offspeed pitches lag behind his monster fastball, as he did not need them pitching in relief. That said each has shown the potential to be average or slightly better in the future.
The major knocks on Sedlock are his lack of experience as a starter and his lack of an above-average secondary offering. His detractors believe he is destined for the bullpen, while his supporters envision a future workhorse #3 starter with low mileage on his arm. Either way, he is a future major league arm and Baltimore did well to secure him at the end of Round 1.
#1 Chance Sisco Catcher
A shortstop in high school, Baltimore drafted Sisco in the 2nd round in 2013 and immediately transitioned him behind the plate, where his decent arm and quality agility but below-average speed would profile especially well. Sisco has been slow to develop defensively behind the plate, to the point where 12 months ago I was routinely mocked for thinking he was a future major league catcher. Nonetheless, he has made significant strides in the past year and now most scouts concede he will be a below-average defensive catcher in the majors.
Improvements aside, Sisco will always be known as an offensive-first catcher, as his calling card is his incredible ability to put the barrel on the baseball. Sisco possesses a compact left-handed swing with raw power to the pull side, although he prefers to consistently pepper line drives all over the outfield. He has excellent hand-eye coordination and scouts believe he will develop more home run power as he matures physically. He could be a “60+ hit / 40-45 power” hitter at the catcher spot, which would make him a potential top-5 batter at the position.
Sisco should begin 2017 at Triple-A Norfolk working on refining his defensive skills and learning to hit for more power. One of the top catching prospects currently in the minors, Sisco should arrive in Baltimore around midseason and stabilize the catching spot the rest of the decade.
Last Sunday Major League Baseball presented the 18th annual Futures Game, an exhibition contest played each year as part of the All-Star Game festivities. Baseball America selects the players on both teams, with rosters filled with the top prospects in the game. Each team must have one representative and clubs have historically been accommodating in sending their top prospects to the event.
This contest is the highlight of All-Star week for scouts and prospect-nerds, as it provides the unique opportunity to watch the top prospects compete against one another. This year’s event was yet another success, as a seven run explosion by the World Team in the 9th inning pushed them toward an eventual 11-3 victory. Below are my scouting notes from the game.
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Reynaldo LopezRHP Washington Nationals
Washington’s lone representative in San Diego, Lopez entered with 2 outs in the 6th, retiring David Dahl to finish the inning before returning for the 7th – additionally he retired both hitters he faced in the 7th, including the scalding hot Alex Bregman. Lopez needed 11 pitches (7 strikes & 4 balls) to get these three outs, a pop fly to first base, a ground ball to second and a fly to left field.
Lopez flashed his entire 3-pitch arsenal in these 11 pitches, featuring a 99-100mph fastball (according to the television radar gun) with life that he struggled to locate. He appeared to be overthrowing the fastball, likely a result of the adrenaline rush of pitching on a national stage. Additionally Lopez threw four 77-80mph curveballs with downward movement and above-average potential. Finally he threw one 89mph changeup to a lefty, forcing a meager ground ball.
Though it is difficult to conclude much from such a quick outing, it was nice to see Lopez look comfortable pitching in relief and in two separate innings. This could portend well to a possible late season promotion to enhance Washington’s bullpen this fall. It also super cialis professional check that supplies essential nutrients to rejuvenate sluggish reproductive organs and improving functioning. Before you start taking http://valsonindia.com/portfolio-items/staple-fiber-yarn/?lang=it viagra online uk, we should seek medical advice if you fall into the riskier categories, making the decision on what treatment path to take can be difficult. It is sold out in the form of viagra samples valsonindia.com tablets. In viagra viagra case every interference in balance is available kinesiology strives to take care of the situation by way of reestablishing backside the total amount within the body. Chance Sisco Catcher Baltimore Orioles
Sisco was the lone Baltimore representative and the starting catcher for the US team. Offensively his first at-bat came in the 2nd inning with runners on 2nd and 3rd and two outs – Sisco worked a 1-1 count then pounded a 97mph fastball to deep right-center field for an out, flashing solid bat speed against top-end velocity. His second and final at-bat came in the 4th as he impressively worked a 3-2 count before depositing a 94mph fastball over the left-center field wall for a home run. The ball noticeably jumped off his barrel and flashed the in-game raw power he has lacked thus far in 2016.
Defensively Sisco showed that this glove still lags well behind his bat, as he still looks LOUD receiving the baseball and made a horrendous throw to second on a stolen base attempt in the 4th inning. It was not all negative, as he has added strength in his forearms to improve his receiving and is making an effort to quiet his body. This outing did little to assuage my fears of him being a long-term catcher, as his work ethic is apparent but his skills are still raw.
Additional Notes
Perhaps the most impressive individual play occurred in the 8th inning, as Boston 2B prospect Yoan Moncada destroyed a hanging 86mph changeup deep into the left field bleachers. The 21-year-old Moncada resembles an NFL strong safely and looks more muscular than any middle infielder in the minors. The Red Sox have been patient with his development, as he has just recently reached Double-A, but he should force his way to Boston either this fall or in 2017.
Houston Astros infielder Alex Bregman stood out as the top player and most major league ready prospect in this year’s event. Bregman went 3-5 with a run scored, while spending time defensively at both shortstop and third base. Drafted 2nd overall in 2015, Bregman was expected to move rapidly through the minor leagues, but it is still a credit to his work ethic that he appears ready to combat major league pitching. I expect Houston to call him up in the next few weeks to bolster their offense down the stretch.
Although only a one batter cameo, I was happy to see former Baltimore Orioles draft pick and Milwaukee Brewers prospect LHP Josh Hader make an 8th inning appearance. Hader was traded, along with L.J. Hoes, to Houston for Bud Norris, a swap the Orioles are likely to come to regret. Hader needed only 5 pitches to strike out Marlins prospect Josh Naylor, sitting 94-97mph on his fastball and inducing two whiffs. The 22-year-old has a unique delivery not ideal for a starter, but Hader dominated Double-A earlier this year and could arrive in the majors in 2017.
Similarly to my recent piece “Quoting The Experts”, last week I reached out to Baseball Prospectus’s prospect team member Adam McInturff to get his general thoughts on the MLB Draft and the top Nationals selections. During our conversations, Adam was sending me these wonderful scouting notes, which I thought were too good to keep for myself. So with his permission, here are some of Adam’s thoughts on recent Nationals draft picks Carter Kieboom, Dane Dunning and Nick Banks.
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“The Nationals selected Kieboom with the 28th pick, the first of their back-to-back selections in 2016. A lean, tapered 6-foot-2 and 180-some pounds, there’s no doubt he will add strength to his frame as his body matures. He’s currently at shortstop, and while he has good hands defensively, he’ll probably outgrow the position–hopefully growing into more power and a true third base profile. One of the purest swings of any prep hitter in this class, Kieboom stays inside the ball well with a fluid, quick path to the ball. He shoots line drives all over the field, showing the backspin to allow projection on his home run power. If he adds strength and continues to develop offensively, Kieboom’s ceiling looks like that of a regular left-side infielder.”
Dane Dunning
“Dunning was another college arm who moved up boards with strong late-season showings, throwing well both in the SEC Tournament and the Gainesville regional the following week. The Gators have an embarrassment of riches on the mound, so much so that Dunning—a potential first-day pick—didn’t even crack their weekend rotation, stuck behind early picks A.J. Puk, Logan Shore, and Alex Faedo (2017 eligible). As such, Dunning was relegated mostly to bullpen work as a junior in 2016, where he’s been a multi-inning super reliever for Florida. His strikeout and walk rates both improved in shorter stints—where he showed his stuff is enough to overwhelm hitters working out of the bullpen—but has the tools to transition back into a starting pitcher’s development path once he signs professionally.
A wiry 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, with long arms and a tapered lower-half, Dunning shows a consistently above-average sinker and slider. His fastball is an extremely heavy pitch, with turbo sink, tunneling down in the zone to his arm-side. His slider flashes solid-average tilt in the 82-84 range. His delivery finishes fairly loosely, and on-line, and he’s able to keep both offerings around the zone. Dunning could be a sleeper in this draft class due to not pitching in the highly-scrutinized Gators rotation, with the best-case ceiling of a middle-rotation starter, possessing the sinker to be a groundball machine. If the move to the bullpen ultimately winds up fitting him better down the road, he demonstrated this season that both his fastball and slider are quality pitches.”
Nick Banks
Banks had a lot of buzz coming off the Cape, I actually had a lower role 50 and a Chris Coghlan comparison on him coming out of the summer. He dinged his wrist right before his JR year started and it really slowed up his bat to start the year. As a result, Banks wasn’t the type of guy with plus statistical performance who gets those points in draft rooms, but he did pick it up by season’s end. More of a hitter than a power guy, but I think it’s the ceiling of a heady 4th outfielder for a good team–maybe at best a starter on a corner for a bad team–and he’s going to out-perform his round.
Neither of them have light-the-world-on-fire tools, but it will be fun if we get to see Banks and Andrew Stevenson in the same outfield. Maybe at Harrisburg or Syracuse. They’re both kind of that ‘good little player’ mold the Nationals like from college (Max Schrock).”
Special thanks to Adam for generously sharing his thoughts: Please follow him on Twitter @WAdam_McInturff and read his work at Baseball Prospectus.
