Spreading Their Wings: Front-Runners for Baltimore Orioles Minor League POY

The 2010 season has been kind to the Baltimore Orioles minor-league system.

This is great news, because the 2010 season has been a plague for the big league club, who aside from snagging manager Buck Showalter, has failed to incite any real excitement.

As such, the race for Orioles Minor League Player of the Year honors is heating up, and for the first time in a good long while, there are actually more than a few promising nominees.

This year's crop doesn't feature any superstar names like Brian Matusz or Chris Tillman, but it has more than a few mid-level prospects, and some really big surprises.

So, let's get to it, and see who might be taking home some organizational hardware.

Zach Britton, LHP, Bowie/Norfolk (22 Years Old)

Zach Britton probably has the "pitcher of the year" honors locked up, and you can argue that he's one of the most impressive pitching prospects in all of baseball.

You can also argue that he's exploded onto the prospect scene this year, earning rave reviews from scouting gurus like Baseball America and ESPN's Keith Law, and a nod as the second starting pitcher on Team USA at the Futures Game that took place before the MLB All-Star Game.

Britton has the stats of an All-Star. His 2.48 ERA in 15 games at Double-A was a top-five number before his promotion to Triple-A.

In nine starts for Norfolk, he has pitched to a 3.08 ERA with a 39-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

His W-L record of 9-6 doesn't due justice to how good he's been. His 2.70 combined ERA is tops among full-season Orioles minor league starters.

His 107 strikeouts rank second among O's minor league pitchers.

He's only surrendered five homers this year in 136.2 innings, true to his nature as a ground-ball pitcher, and he's only allowed one in 49.2 Triple-A innings.

Britton has opened plenty of eyes among scouts this year as well. He's always been known for his sinking fastball, that has consistently allowed him to get ground-ball after ground-ball, but this season he's cranked up his velocity a tick, and he now comfortably pitches in the mid 90s, reaching 96 with regularity.

His fastball was recently rated as the best in the Eastern League by managers, and his sinker has been regularly tabbed as the best in the minors.

His slider is also a plus pitch, and his changeup, which was taught to him by current Oriole Brian Matusz, is rapidly improving to the point where he could wind up with three way-above-average pitches.

Britton may or may not get a chance to make his Major League debut this September, but he should definitely challenge for a rotation spot next spring training.

One thing worth noting is that Britton is at 136.2 innings, nearly 10 innings away from setting a new career high, and less than four innings away from pitching 140-plus innings in three consecutive seasons.

With organizations seemingly obsessed with pitch counts and innings limits (see Stephen Strasburg) these days, that could impact the kind of workload they saddle Britton with the rest of this season, and even next year.

Joe Mahoney, 1B, Frederick/Bowie (23 Years Old)

If anyone was a "long shot" prospect coming into the season, it was clearly Joe Mahoney.

The big guy was known for two things: one, being really, REALLY big, 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds to be exact. And second, for stealing nearly 30 bases last season.

His prolific base-stealing was even more puzzling considering that Mahoney was always a big power-guy, dating back to his days at Richmond, where the Orioles plucked him from in the sixth-round of the 2007 MLB draft.

Some players take longer to adjust to wood bats, and it looks like Mahoney was one of those.

This season, it looks like he's finally connected, in more ways than one. Mahoney got off to a fantastic start at Frederick, setting a career high in homers in only 72 games, while hitting .299 with 49 RBI.

And just before the All-Star break, the O's sent Mahoney to Bowie, where he still hasn't stopped hitting.

He's already hit as many homers as he did with Frederick in nearly half as many games, and he now has 18 long balls on the season.

He's also added 28 more RBI with the Baysox, and now has 77 on the year, to go along with 26 doubles, two triples, and true to his "speedster" form, 11 stolen bases.

Mahoney has never really been a high-average guy, which makes his .347/.407/.612 line in 40 games at Double-A even more impressive.

His month-long tear has jacked his average up to .316, tops in the organization.

I asked Baseball America's resident expert Jim Callis for an opinion on Mahoney, who hadn't yet been promoted to Double-A, and he didn't find him that all impressive, especially with a career .309 on-base percentage and a .397 slugging percentage coming into this season.

However, I think Callis is forgetting the fact that the O's haven't had a presence at first base worth a darn since Rafael Palmeiro, and Mahoney could very well be that.

As for his first-base competition within the organization, Brandon Snyder has proved he isn't exactly dripping with raw power, and while he might be better at getting on base than Mahoney, the big guy's power might be too much for the O's to ignore.

Ryan Adams, 2B/3B, Bowie (23 Years Old)

If anyone hasn't been paying attention to the season that Ryan Adams is having, they might be missing out on something historic, and something very reminiscent of a former Orioles farmhand who's now manning second base for the big league squad.

Adams has been quite a tease for the O's since being drafted 58th overall in the 2006 draft, showing a quick bat, solid power, and a good arm, but also revealing an underlying immaturity and stubbornness that have impacted his future with the organization.

This season, however, has been nothing but fantastic for the 23-year-old infielder.

His .303 average is one of the tops in the organization, as are his 145 base hits, 13 home runs, 62 RBI and 72 runs scored.

But the real number that sets Adams apart is 41. That's the number of doubles Adams has on the season, good for best in ALL of the minor leagues.

Yeah, that's right, better than every player in every league. And he's an Oriole. How about that?

Adams has always been a doubles machine, but his real problem has been staying on the field long enough to put together a season like he has this year.

He had a great year in 2008, hitting 11 home runs, and driving in 57 runs, while posting a .308 average but disappeared in 2009 after dealing with some disciplinary reasons that resulted in the O's sending him home for good.

Not to mention, he's had to deal with tons of injuries.

When he's healthy though, Adams has been excellent. Now, if he could just get that fielding under control. And if you don't know what I mean by that, check out these numbers.

In 2007, Adams started 65 games in the field, and made 20 errors. In 2008, he started 104 games, making 52 errors. And last year, in just 53 games, he made 17 errors.

He has 23 errors this year, which is pretty good by his standards, but still pretty bad for a guy who only plays 15-20 feet away from first base.

No question, though, Adams will get a shot to prove himself at the big-league level, if only because of his advanced bat and his gap-power that reminds anyone and everyone of current Oriole Brian Roberts.

Joel Guzman, 3B, Bowie (25 Years Old)

If you're going by pure numbers, Joel Guzman has probably already wrapped up this honor.

He leads the organization with 28 home runs, 82 RBI and a .491 slugging percentage.

He has 79 runs, 17 doubles, and he's currently hitting .269, even with a 4-for-32 slump that has dropped his average nearly 20 points.

If you don't recognize Guzman as a home-grown Oriole, that's because he isn't one.

The 25-year old third-baseman came over from the Dodgers, where Guzman's prospect status had diminished greatly over the four years since he was named one of the team's top prospects.

The O's scooped him up, assigned him to Double-A, and have reaped the benefits of an advanced hitter with immense power.

He isn't exactly a top-notch prospect anymore seeing as he's already 25-years old and still in Double-A, but he offers some pop and raw power that the organization is severely lacking in. 

After being bereft of talent in the minors at the hot corner, the Orioles now have an abundance with Guzman, fellow Baysox Brandon Waring and Ryan Adams, and current Oriole Josh Bell.

And that's not even including Frederick's Billy Rowell, who has quietly worked his average up to .264 and has 10 homers, or Delmarva's Tyler Kelly, who has been one of the Shorebirds' most consistent all-around players.

Guzman could get a shot at a big league call-up this season if the O's would like to get a closer look at what kind of player they have in him, and he should move up to Triple-A next season, with a legit shot to be a short or long-term replacement for the big league club if something happens to Josh Bell.

L.J. Hoes, 2B, Frederick (20 Years Old)

If you're looking for the best all-around position player on this list, Hoes is your man.

When the O's took him with a third-round pick in the 2008 draft, they knew they were getting a solid offensive player with quick wrists and an even quicker bat.

And Hoes justified that belief by hitting .308 in a 48-game cameo with the O's Gulf Coast League rookie squad.

They knew that Hoes had an advanced feel for hitting and was a quick learner at the plate, as his 30-22 walk-to-strikeout ratio attested.

They also knew they were getting a very impressive defensive player, who played center field in high-school, so they knew he had excellent defensive range.

He has plus speed that played better in the field than on the basepaths, and a solid arm that profiled perfectly at a middle-infield position.

Two full-seasons into his pro career, Hoes has continued to impress with a solid season at Low-A Delmarva last season, hitting .260 with 47 RBI, 42 runs and 20 steals in 119 games, and a fantastic campaign this year, hitting a combined .303 with a career-high 22 doubles, three triples, four homers, 46 RBI and 56 runs.

After losing some of his plate discipline last year (23-80 walk-to-strikeout ratio), he's regained his trained batting eye and has a very impressive 47-61 walk-to-strikeout number.

Defensively, Hoes has been as good as ever, posting only ten errors in 85 High-A games.

Not bad for a player who has only been playing second-base full-time for less than two years. If only Ryan Adams had that kind of defensive prowess. 

The O's have always been a believer in Hoes' bat, and that belief has worked out for both sides. It looks like he could hit for a decent average in the big leagues, while providing excellent defense at second base.

Xavier Avery, OF, Frederick/Bowie (20 Years Old)

It's a wonder that the same player the Orioles were considering sending to short-season ball to learn the finer points of hitting less than a year and a half ago is now tearing up Eastern League pitchers in Double-A ball.

But here Avery is, racking up a .286 average with 12 RBI and nine steals in 14 games for Bowie, less than two years removed from wondering if he would give up professional baseball for a college scholarship and a spot on the Georgia Bulldogs football squad.

Avery is in Bowie after hitting .280 with 25 doubles, six triples, and four homers in 109 games at High-A as a 20-year old. He also knocked in 48 runs, scored 73 runs and stole 28 bases for the Keys.

Avery was widely tabbed as being the next Carl Crawford coming out of high-school and the Orioles were lucky enough to snatch up the toolsy outfielder in the second-round of the 2008 draft.

His defensive prowess was his most scintillating tool. He featured plus speed that allowed him to get to balls that others couldn't, and his range and arm both rated out as above-average.

On the basepaths, Avery is a true burner, capable of 40-50 steals per year in the big leagues.

Strangely enough, it was his bat that was the biggest question mark.

Since Avery had never devoted himself fully to baseball, splitting his time as an All-County football player, his bat was considered extremely raw, although many scouts saw a chance for decent power as well as a high-average hitter.

Avery might not reach that Carl Crawford status, but if he could hit .270-.280 in the bigs with 40-50 steals that would be a big-time steal for the Orioles.

Pedro Beato, RHP, Bowie (23 Years Old)

If the 2009 version of Eddie Gamboa can elicit some serious consideration for Player of the Year honors, then consider Pedro Beato this year's Gamboa.

Beato was an unmitigated disaster as a starter, and it looked like the Orioles were going to have to live down yet another draft misstep after taking the hard-throwing right-hander with the first compensation pick back in 2006.

Beato failed to agree to terms with the Mets the year before after being considered one of the top draft prospects and the O's were there to snatch him up, drooling at the idea of the righty shooting through the system and landing in their rotation.

Eighty-three starts, 10 more losses than wins, and an ERA near 4.50 later, Beato is trying to reinvent himself as a reliever, and so far, he's doing a fantastic job.

His 2.11 ERA is one of the best in the organization and his 50-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 59.2 innings is easily the best of his career.

He's also slid into the closer's role over the past few months and has posted 16 saves. He's also posted a perfect 4-0 record in 43 games.

Furthermore, Beato has been able to utilize some more heat out of the bullpen has developed into an even better relief prospect than he could have been as a starter.

Now that he has one full-season as a reliever under his belt, Beato could move quickly, and with the O's consistently having one of the worst bullpens this decade, he could get a chance in the bigs sooner rather than later.