With Adley Rutschman’s arrival with the Orioles — albeit a tepid one to start — the wait for Baltimore’s top prospect is over. But there are other options waiting in the wings, with a debut potentially soon for one in particular.
As right-hander Grayson Rodriguez continues to blow through Triple-A lineups while rising to become Baseball America’s No. 4 prospect overall, there’s an increased clamoring for his arrival in Baltimore. It won’t come Tuesday, even though the Orioles need a spot starter to fill a gap in the rotation. But it could come soon.
When Rutschman arrived, executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said the Orioles had “blue skies ahead,” boasting about the No. 1 farm system in baseball. How soon those skies will open up remains to be seen, but several of the candidates to debut in Baltimore this season performed well this week in the minors.
Each week, The Baltimore Sun will break down five of the top performers in the Orioles’ prospect ranks and hand out some superlatives for those who didn’t make that cut.
1. Triple-A Norfolk right-hander Grayson Rodriguez
If there was any doubt Rodriguez was ready for this moment, his last outing threw them out the window. He had been held at an 85-pitch limit for a month, but Friday, he had the opportunity to reach 95. Rodriguez threw a season-high 88 pitches instead, finishing shy of his limit because of how efficiently he mowed through seven innings, allowing two hits while striking out 10. It was the kind of display that signaled he’s ready, and it’s not the first time this season he’s been so dominant. He owns a 2.32 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 14 walks in 50 1/3 innings in Norfolk this season.
2. High-A Aberdeen first baseman TT Bowen
For Bowen, it wasn’t so much his batting — although he did that plenty well this week. His overall ability to reach base impressed most, walking seven times in addition to six hits. That gave him a .652 on-base percentage, and it rose his on-base percentage this season to .419.
3. Double-A Bowie catcher Maverick Handley
With Rutschman in the system, the attention on Handley is somewhat reduced. But for the Baysox this season, Handley has been a steady presence both at and behind the plate. Last week, especially, Handley performed well, hitting .438 with a double and three RBIs to go with his 1.050 OPS. The Orioles selected Handley in the sixth round of the 2019 draft out of Stanford, and the 24-year-old is off to his best season thus far in the minors.
4. Double-A Bowie infielder Jordan Westburg
When Westburg analyzed his play at the beginning of the Double-A season, he acknowledged his swing-and-miss potential is something he wants to improve. He struck out seven times last week. But his other contributions at the plate overshadowed that blemish, finishing with two doubles and eight hits in six games.
5. Double-A Bowie outfielder Hudson Haskin
Earlier this month, Haskin found himself mired in a slump — hitting .087 in seven games to begin May. But Haskin has rediscovered his form at the plate, and last week continued his upturn. In six games, the center fielder hit two doubles and a homer as part of his .300 batting week with a .967 OPS.
The top prospect not featured so far
With Rutschman in the show and Rodriguez on his way there soon, left-hander DL Hall is the highest-ranking prospect (No. 3) not yet mentioned in this report. Hall had a standout performance last week for the Tides, throwing a season-high 78 pitches while allowing three base runners — one hit and two walks — with six strikeouts in four innings. The build-up has been slower for Hall, whose 2021 season was cut short by a stress reaction in his elbow. But he’s on the comeback trail, rebounding from a four-run outing on May 20.
International acquisition of the week
With a natural cycle Sunday, Low-A Delmarva outfielder Isaac Bellony capped off an impressive week. The 20-year-old from St. Thomas finished with a 1.150 OPS for the Shorebirds. Bellony, signed in 2018, is hitting .270 on the season, his first at an affiliate.
The best former top-30 prospect of the week
The long road for right-hander Cody Sedlock — a first-round selection in the 2016 draft — came to fruition Sunday when he made his major league debut against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. His first three innings went as planned, allowing one run. But he ran out of gas near the end of his outing, pitching into the eighth and not recording an out before he finished with five runs to his name.
Time to give some shine to…
Cole Uvila only appeared once last week, but the Triple-A Norfolk right-hander continued what he’s been doing for much of the season. He faced three batters and struck out two of them in one scoreless inning of work. The 28-year-old has allowed two earned runs in 17 innings, walking eight batters with 19 strikeouts. A 40th-round selection by the Texas Rangers in 2018, Uvila is hitting his stride in his first season in Baltimore’s organization, still awaiting a major league debut.
MARINERS@ORIOLES
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