Stock Up, Stock for Baltimore Orioles' Top 10 Prospects for Week 7
After 14 consecutive losing seasons from 1998 to 2011, the Baltimore Orioles finally have been able to string together three straight winning seasons, including two postseason appearances and one division title.
The Orioles aren't able to spend a ton of money to bring in talent. While they can spend a little, the core of their team has come from their farm system and trading for young talent.
The team's farm system is stronger now than it ever was during the losing seasons of the 2000s. The front office has worked hard the last five or six years to build some quality young depth up and down the minor leagues, and Baltimore now has a list of prospects who could help the team win for years to come.
Let's take a look at the O's top 10 prospects as ranked by MASN Sports' Steve Melewski for Baseball America prior to the start of the 2015 and analyze how they've impacted their stock over the last week or so.
Jomar Reyes, Third Base
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Third baseman Jomar Reyes, out of the Dominican Republic, is listed as a 6'3", 220-pound 18 year-old. Based on size and youth alone, it's easy to see why any team would be intrigued by him.
Signed in the 2013-14 international period, Reyes has shown some strong potential during his young career. In 53 games in the Gulf Coast League last year, he hit .285 with a .333 OBP, 10 doubles, four homers and 29 RBI.
Currently playing for the Delmarva Shorebirds at the Single-A level, Reyes has upped his average from .257 to .280 over his last 10 games with one homer and 10 RBI over that span.
Stock: Up
Mike Yastrzemski, Outfielder
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The grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, Mike Yastrzemski had one heck of a year in the minors for the O's in 2014.
While spending time at Delmarva, Frederick and Bowie, he posted an overall line of a .288 batting average, .346 OBP, 34 doubles, 16 triples, 14 homers and 75 RBI in 535 at-bats covering 129 games. He even swiped 18 bases.
Yeah, it appears that he can do a little bit of everything.
His strong 2014 put him on the O's radar, and the team had him start the season at Double-A Bowie, right where he left off in 2014. He's had a solid season so far, batting .279 with a .341 OBP, 11 doubles, two triples, a homer and 18 RBI in 154 at-bats. While one would like to see him hit a few more homers, the fact that he's still hitting doubles is a good sign.
Yastrzemski has been relatively consistent over the course of the season, as his average was just a tick higher 10 days ago, at .283, than it currently is.
Stock: Neutral
Mike Wright, Starting Pitcher
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By now, every Baltimore Orioles fan knows Mike Wright's name.
The organization's 2013 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Wright struggled mightily in 2014 after he received a bump up to Triple-A Norfolk, but he was able to figure himself out in late July and turn his season around.
Wright made six starts at Triple-A before his call-up to the majors last week, going 3-0 with a 2.64 ERA in 30.2 innings and throwing 30 strikeouts to nine walks. And when Wright made his major league debut this past Sunday, the right-hander shined.
Pitching at home against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Wright went 7.1 innings, allowing just four hits and no runs while striking out six. The most impressive aspect of his start may be that he did it all on 90 pitches and didn't walk a single batter. That performance has earned him another start or two in the bigs while Bud Norris is on the disabled list.
Stock: Way Up
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Tim Berry, Starting Pitcher
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Left-hander Tim Berry has had a rough go of things so far this season.
The pitcher currently has an ERA of 7.43 in eight starts, though that number may be slightly deceiving.
In his second and fourth starts of the year, Berry was knocked around for eight and seven earned runs, respectively. Outside of that, he hasn't allowed more than four runs in his other six starts; however, he's given up four runs four times this season, including each of his last three starts when he went 3.2, 5.1, and 5.0 innings.
It would be nice to see Berry turn things around in a stronger fashion than he has lately.
Stock: Down
Zach Davies, Starting Pitcher
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Right-hander Zach Davies had a solid year for Double-A Bowie in 2014, going 10-7 with an ERA of 3.35 in 20 starts.
This year, he hasn't missed a beat in his transition to Triple-A Norfolk, as he currently sports a 3.03 ERA in 38.2 innings pitched in eight starts.
Davies started the season hot, giving up just three earned runs total over his first four starts over 21.2 innings, but he's come back down to earth over his last four, allowing 10 earned runs in 17 innings.
A pitcher can't be expected to dominate every single time out, so there's no real cause for concern that he didn't mow down the competition over his most recent four starts like he did in his first four.
Stock: Neutral
Dariel Alvarez, Outfielder
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The Orioles have been high on Alvarez, especially after his 2014 season when he hit .306 with 37 doubles, 15 homers and 87 RBI in 532 at-bats in Double-A and Triple-A.
However, he has struggled in 2015, posting just a .232 average with five doubles and three homers in 155 at-bats. He's hit just one homer and driven in only four in his last 10 games.
It's going to take a lot for Alvarez to lose his status as one of the team's top positional prospects, but it would be nice to see him start to figure things out a bit, as we're getting to the point where it's tough to justify the "it's still early" excuse.
Hopefully, his three-hit day on May 17 is a sign of things to come from the talented outfielder.
Stock: Down
Chance Sisco, Catcher
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The Orioles drafted catcher Chance Sisco in the second round of the 2013 draft knowing he had a good bat. He proved that in his first taste of pro ball in 2013, hitting a combined .363 for short-season Aberdeen and in the Gulf Coast League.
He proved that yet again last year, batting .340 with a .406 OBP in 426 at-bats with 27 doubles, five homers and 63 RBI.
Upon a promotion to Frederick start the 2015 season, Sisco struggled to begin the year, as he hit just .190 in eight games before injuring himself, going on the DL on April 25 with a strained oblique.
One can't really judge Sisco on his little time played this season. Hopefully, he'll return from injury and get back to advancing his development.
Stock: Neutral
Christian Walker, First Baseman
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Christian Walker had a great 2014, batting .288 with a .357 OBP, 26 homers and 96 RBI in 532 at-bats at Double-A and Triple-A. He received a September call-up and belted his first big league home run.
The 2015 season hasn't been as kind to Walker, as he's hitting .257 with one home run and 10 RBI in 144 at-bats. With current first basemen Chris Davis and Steve Pearce set to become free agents at the end of the season, the Birds were hoping for a better showing from Walker in the early going.
Walker hasn't seemed to progress so far, as he was hitting .259 10 games ago and has driven in just three runs over his last 10 games. It's possible he's just been in a funk to start the year, but he's going to need to get himself going soon.
Stock: Down
Hunter Harvey, Starting Pitcher
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Things haven't been going so great for the O's 2013 first-round pick.
Right-hander Hunter Harvey (pictured, right) has yet to pitch in a minor league game this year as he was dealing with a slight fracture in his right shin. However, he was removed from his most recent extended spring training start due to stiffness in his pitching elbow.
Harvey has since been diagnosed with a strained right flexor mass and has been shut down for the next six weeks after seeking a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews. He gave the pitcher a platelet-rich plasma injection during his visit.
An injury as serious as the one Harvey has suffered is a big blow to both the organization's minor league depth and the player's stock. One can only help the treatment he's received can correct the problem and he'll be able to pitch later this season.
Stock: Down
Dylan Bundy, Starting Pitcher
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In his comeback from Tommy John surgery, former first-round draft pick Dylan Bundy has had, for the most part, a successful 2015 thus far.
He's remained healthy and pitched effectively in every outing other than his most recent performance, when he gave up six runs (five earned) in two innings pitched, though MASN Sports' Steve Melewski says three members of the organization argue that Bundy looked far better than the box score indicated in that game.
Bundy's velocity was up in his most recent outing, which is a great sign, and the overall quality of his pitches was better. On the flip side, he struggled with his control and left too many pitches out over the plate.
One step at a time.
All things considered, 2015 has been a win for Bundy so far. And if he can keep progressing, maybe O's fans will see him in Baltimore in September as the O's make a push for the playoffs.
Stock: Up
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