Inbox: What will O's starting 9 look like in '25?
I’m writing this Pipeline Inbox from the Arizona Fall League, which really is a hidden gem. The baseball and the prospects in the developmental circuit are worth making the trip.
The Orioles have claimed the No. 1 spot in MLB Pipeline’s last five farm system rankings, which come out twice a year. During that span, they’ve had three different players rank as the game’s best prospect: Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday.
Baltimore has more position players than spots in the lineup to make them all everyday players, so it probably will use some of them as trade fodder to bolster their pitching. The Orioles won 101 games in 2023, their most successful regular season since 1979, and could get better in the future.
Here’s my best guess at what their starting 9 could look like by the end of 2025:
C: Adley Rutschman
1B: Coby Mayo
2B: Jackson Holliday
3B: Gunnar Henderson
SS: Joey Ortiz
LF: Heston Kjerstad
CF: Enrique Bradfield
RF: Colton Cowser
DH: Samuel Basallo
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Yes, I realize I left out entire current starting outfield (Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander), Ryan Mountcastle and youngsters such as Jordan Westburg and Connor Norby (among others). Baltimore is loaded.
Florida first baseman/left-hander Jac Caglianone is the best two-way prospect in the 2024 Draft and a candidate to go No. 1 overall. He led the Gators to the College World Series finals as a sophomore, batting .322/.388/.735 while topping NCAA Division I with 33 homers and posting a 4.34 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings.
A 6-foot-5, 245-pound physical specimen who hits and throws left-handed, Caglianone offers massive power at the plate as well as a 94-99 mph fastball, nifty changeup and decent slider. He’s very talented but also somewhat raw. His propensity to chase pitches out of the strike zone is a concern, and his control and command on the mound are still very much works in progress.
Caglianone has talked about wanting to try to hit and pitch as a pro. Many clubs let two-way prospects at least dabble at doing both at the outset of their pro careers, like the Giants have with their last two first-rounders, Reggie Crawford and Bryce Eldridge.
That said, teams prefer Caglianone as a slugger, and that probably will be the long-term plan for whoever drafts him. It’s also easier to try pitching as a fallback if hitting doesn’t work out, rather than the reverse.
Top pitching prospects who stay healthy and reach their innings target during the regular season rarely get sent to the Arizona Fall League, so hitters usually stand out more in the developmental circuit. But there are some interesting groups of arms out here.
This year, the Tigers have sent the most intriguing collection of pitchers to the AFL. Jackson Jobe, the No. 3 overall pick in 2021, looked spectacular on Opening Day and could get to Detroit in a hurry. Other Tigers arms assigned to the Salt River Rafters include former Top 100 Prospect Wilmer Flores and 2021 third-rounder Dylan Smith.
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The Cardinals and Rangers also shipped several interesting pitchers to Arizona. St. Louis has Tekoah Roby, Cooper Hjerpe, Edwin Nunez and Andre Granillo on the Scottsdale Scorpions. Texas allocated Mitch Bratt, Emiliano Teodo, Zak Kent and Justin Slaten to the Surprise Saguaros.
Every year, several players use the Fall League as a springboard to MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list. This question prompted me to look at our 2022 AFL Top 30, which included seven players who weren’t on the Top 100 then but jumped onto it this year: Kjerstad, Rangers shortstop Luisangel Acuña (since traded to the Mets), Brewers catcher Jeferson Quero, Twins second baseman Edouard Julien, Dodgers right-hander Emmet Sheehan, Tigers third baseman Colt Keith and Cubs outfielder Owen Caissie.
Four prime candidates to do the same in 2023-24 are White Sox third baseman Bryan Ramos, Roby, Cubs second baseman James Triantos and D-backs outfielder A.J. Vukovich.
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Ramos makes a lot of hard contact and could man the left side of Chicago’s infield alongside Colson Montgomery (the highest-rated prospect in the AFL) for years to come. Acquired from the Rangers in the Jordan Montgomery deal, Roby has a solid four-pitch mix and impressive feel for his craft.
Triantos has some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the Fall League, though he needs to get stronger and find a defensive home. Vukovich offers power and underrated athleticism, and he produced 24 homers and 20 steals in Double-A at age 21.