Heston highlights fine first half on O's farm

This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles entered the 2024 season as the owners of the top farm system in baseball, one that is still loaded with impressive talent.

That hasn’t changed. Of MLB Pipeline’s top 20 prospects, four belong to Baltimore -- infielders Jackson Holliday (No. 1) and Coby Mayo (No. 18), catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo (No. 12) and outfielder Heston Kjerstad (No. 20).

Many of the highest regarded O’s prospects have been faring well, but so have others who may not be as well known on a national scale.

With the Minor League seasons now past the halfway point, let’s recognize some of the top performers from down on the Orioles’ farm.

Overall Minor League player of the first half

Triple-A Norfolk OF Heston Kjerstad (O’s No. 4 prospect, now in MLB)

Triple-A stats: .300/.397/.601 with 14 doubles, one triple, 16 homers and 58 RBIs in 56 games

On Monday, Baltimore called Kjerstad up to the Majors for the second time this season (and third overall). The 25-year-old raked early in the year, and he continued to do so for the Tides after a brief stint with the O’s from April 23-May 13.

“Super impressed with him,” Orioles director of player development Anthony Villa said. “It’s never easy to just continue to post dominating numbers at such a high level of professional baseball, and so, to see Heston just continue to really slug, it is pretty stunning.”

Kjerstad’s bat has appeared big league ready for a while, as he slugged a pair of homers during his first 13-game taste of The Show late last year. He went 2-for-4 with a double on his first night back in the Majors on Monday vs. Cleveland.

Villa also praised Kjerstad’s improved outfield defense, which has been a work in progress for the 2020 No. 2 overall Draft pick over the past few seasons.

It likely hasn’t been easy for Kjerstad -- who was included on Baltimore’s American League Division Series roster vs. Texas last October -- to spend the bulk of the first half back in Triple-A. But he has stayed patient awaiting his opportunity, using that time to better himself. It led to plenty of impressive performances for Norfolk over the first three months.

“I want to be up here [in the big leagues] every day. This is where we want to be, this is what you work for,” Kjerstad said. “But you’ve also got to understand where your feet are at and understand there’s still things you can work on and progress that can be made.”

More first-half standouts

Double-A Bowie: C/1B Samuel Basallo (O’s No. 2 prospect)

Double-A stats: .285/.340/.467 with 12 doubles, 11 homers and 33 RBIs in 64 games

As to be expected for a 19-year-old in Double-A, Basallo started a bit slow at Bowie this year, hitting .227 with a .537 OPS over his first 19 games. But the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, native is heating up while gaining experience, recording a .903 OPS over his first 19 June contests.

“It’s amazing to see a 19-year-old play the way that Sam is,” Villa said. “We want to challenge our players, and it was good to see him challenged. He’s continued to rise to that challenge and produce. The offense is really impressive -- the way that he can slug it, the way that he can make contact.”

High-A Aberdeen: OF Matthew Etzel (unranked, now in Bowie)

High-A stats: .306/.379/.478 with 12 doubles, four triples, four homers, 37 RBIs and 31 stolen bases in 51 games

Villa believes the O’s got a “steal” by landing the Southern Miss product in the 10th round of last year’s Draft, and it’s easy to see why. The 22-year-old Etzel became the first member of Baltimore’s 2023 Draft class to reach Double-A Bowie, where he’s slashing .244/.306/.311 with one home run, three RBIs and five steals through 12 games.

“It’s been really fun to see him terrorize High-A, and now, he’s at a level in Double-A where he’s right where he needs to be,” Villa said. “He’s facing a little bit higher caliber of pitching, and it’s going to be really good for him to continue to learn the league.”

Single-A Delmarva: LHP Luis De León (O’s No. 17 prospect, now in Aberdeen)

Single-A stats: 2.25 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 41 strikeouts and seven walks over 28 innings in seven starts

The Barahona, D.R., native carved up hitters while pitching for Delmarva early in the year, mixing in a sinker to an arsenal that already included a mid-90s fastball and two breaking pitches (slider, changeup). De León has since been promoted to Aberdeen, where he has a 4.21 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings through seven outings (five starts).

“Being 21 years old and seeing the aptitude that he’s showing on the mound -- just continuing to make improvements with each start, learn from each start, the continuation of developing and refining some pitches,” Villa said. “It’s just really cool to see young studs go out and battle each night, and then, use the rest of the week to debrief on those outings and learn from them, come back and make adjustments. We’re really pleased with how Luis is developing.”