Top O's MiLB performers this week

With the Orioles' Minor League system ranked No. 5 in baseball by MLB Pipeline, it's time to pay attention.

All summer at Orioles.com, we’ll be keeping tabs on the top performers from each rung of the Minor League ladder with weekly Sunday roundups. Think of it as a way to track the rebuilding process in real time.

Here are the O’s top Minor League performers, plus some additional news items, from the past week (all stats as of Sunday morning):

NOTABLE PROMOTIONS/TRANSACTIONS

• LHP Kevin Smith promoted from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk
• No. 10 prospect Terrin Vavra placed on 7-day injured list with lower back strain
• C Chance Sisco designated for assignment
• INF Greg Cullen promoted to Double-A Norfolk
• INF Jean Carmona promoted to Low-A Delmarva
• INF Gunnar Henderson (No. 5 club prospect) promoted to High-A Aberdeen
• OF Kyle Stowers Kyle Stowers promoted to Double-A Bowie
• RHP Kyle Brnovich promoted to Double-A Bowie
• INF Toby Welk promoted to Double-A Bowie
• OF Lamar Sparks promoted to Low-A Delmarva

###Triple-A Norfolk

LHP Zac Lowther
Prospect ranking: No. 9

The burly lefty has pitched sporadically this season, because the Orioles have thrice summoned him to the Majors to provide long relief. But Lowther hit a groove this week, logging nine shutout innings between two starts against Jacksonville and Durham. He struck out 10 and walked three in the outings, lowering his season ERA at Norfolk to 3.98 across five starts.

2B Jahmai Jones
Prospect ranking: No. 16

Sidelined for nearly a month with an oblique strain, Jones returned from the injured list and hit safely in his first nine games, batting .405 (15-for-37) with two home runs in that span. The second baseman is hitting .339/.420/.610 through 15 total games with Norfolk. He’s also 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts.

The Orioles also reinstated right-hander Evan Phillips from the 7-day injured list. Philips, who made 44 big league appearances with Baltimore from 2018-20, was sidelined with a right lat strain.

Double-A Bowie

RHP Ofelky Peralta
Prospect ranking: Unranked

While it was No. 2 prospect Grayson Rodriguez garnering headlines at Bowie this week, the 24-year-old Peralta posted the Baysox best start. Completing five scoreless innings Wednesday against Akron, Peralta shaved his ERA to 2.55 through seven appearances (four starts). He’s amassed 32 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings this season.

C Adley Rutschman
Prospect ranking: No. 1 (No. 2 overall in MLB)

Rutschman continues to rake at Bowie, slashing .317/.396/.463 with two home runs and 19 total bases over the past 10 days. He’s hitting .297/.429/.538 with 10 home runs and a .967 OPS in 39 games overall. He leads all Baltimore Minor Leaguers in homers.

High-A Aberdeen

OF Kyle Stowers
Prospect ranking: No.22

The Orioles’ third-round pick out of Stanford in 2019 is showing more consistency in his second season of pro ball. Two of Stowers’ six homers this season came last week, when he hit safely in six of seven games. He’s also walked 26 times in 35 games, batting .271/.399/.488 with seven homers and 31 RBIs overall.

RHP Kyle Brnovich
Prospect ranking: Unranked

One of the four pitchers acquired from the Angels in the December 2019 trade for Dylan Bundy, Brnovich is excelling in his first season of pro ball. The right-hander is 4-1 with a 2.86 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings over his first eight starts. He twirled 5 1/3 innings of shutout ball last time out, leading the Shorebirds to a 3-2 win over Asheville on Friday.

Low-A Delmarva

RHP Ignacio Feliz
Prospect ranking: Unranked

The 21-year-old righty is off to a great start in his first season in Baltimore's system, posting a 1.35 ERA across 26 2/3 innings. He’s struck out 29 in that span, including seven in four scoreless innings Friday against Salem. Opposing batters are hitting just .168 without a home run off Feliz.

SS Gunnar Henderson
Prospect ranking: No. 5 (No. 97 overall in MLB)

Recently drafted shortstops are playing well up and down the Orioles' system, from 2019 fourth-round pick Darell Hernaiz to '19 third-rounder Joseph Ortiz to '20 second-rounder Jordan Westburg. But the standout is Henderson, who continues to shine the brightest as a 19-year-old at Delmarva. Henderson slashed .314/.351/.486 with four doubles and a triple over the past 10 days, and he continues to lead the Shorebirds in nearly every major offensive category.