Here's a look at O's Top 30 Prospects list midseason re-rank
BALTIMORE -- Some of the Orioles’ top prospects have graduated to the big leagues. Others were dealt leading up to the Trade Deadline, as Baltimore aimed to bolster its roster for a deep postseason run this October.
And yet, the O’s farm system is still filled with plenty of promising talent.
MLB Pipeline released the midseason re-rankings of its Top 100 Prospects list and Baltimore’s Top 30 Prospects list on Tuesday, and the Orioles have three of the top 11 prospects in baseball -- infielders Jackson Holliday (No. 1) and Coby Mayo (No. 10) and catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo (No. 11). Holliday and Mayo are both in MLB, but they remain prospects for now.
There’s been some turnover since the preseason rankings. Outfielders Colton Cowser (preseason No. 3) and Heston Kjerstad (No. 5) are no longer prospects. The Orioles have also traded infielder/outfielder Connor Norby (No. 7), right-hander Seth Johnson (No. 11), infielder/outfielder Mac Horvath (No. 12) and righty Jackson Baumeister (No. 19).
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
Let’s break down Baltimore’s farm system following MLB Pipeline’s midseason update.
Here’s a look at the Orioles’ top prospects:
- Jackson Holliday, 2B/SS (MLB No. 1)
- Coby Mayo, 3B/1B (MLB No. 10)
- Samuel Basallo, C/1B (MLB No. 11)
- Vance Honeycutt, OF
- Cade Povich, LHP
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:
Jump: Stiven Martinez, OF (Preseason: NR | Midseason: 12)
A native of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Martinez signed with the O’s for $950,000 in January. The 6-foot-4, 198-pound outfielder was the No. 28 international prospect at the time. Over his first 36 games in the Dominican Summer League this year, the 17-year-old Martinez slashed .284/.418/.466 with four doubles, four triples, three home runs and 27 RBIs.
Fall: Luis Almeyda, SS (Preseason: 20 | Midseason: NR)
Almeyda signed with the Orioles for $2.3 million in January 2023, the most given to an international signee in franchise history. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound shortstop was born in Paterson, N.J., before his family moved back to the D.R. Almeyda struggled a bit after returning stateside, hitting .200 with a .653 OPS over 53 games in the Florida Complex League this year.
New to the list
Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:
No. 4: Vance Honeycutt, OF (Draft, first round)
No. 9: Griff O’Ferrall, SS (Draft, Prospect Promotion Incentive pick)
No. 15: Ethan Anderson, C/1B (Draft, second round)
No. 16: Patrick Reilly, RHP (Trade with Pirates on July 30)
No. 19: Austin Overn, OF (Draft, third round)
Best tools
Players are graded on a traditional 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 70 -- Holliday
Power: 65 -- Mayo
Run: 80 -- Enrique Bradfield Jr.
Arm: 70 -- Mayo
Defense: 70 -- Bradfield (Honeycutt)
Fastball: 70 -- Keeler Morfe
Curveball: 60 -- Trace Bright
Slider: 60 -- Chayce McDermott
Changeup: 55 -- Povich
Control: 50 -- Povich