Birds Watcher
Fansided

Baltimore Orioles prospect to know: Ryan Mountcastle

By Kristen Bentley|
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 10: The hat and glove of Delmon Young #27 of the Baltimore Orioles sits in the dugout during the third inning of the Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 10, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 10: The hat and glove of Delmon Young #27 of the Baltimore Orioles sits in the dugout during the third inning of the Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 10, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

The Baltimore Orioles have a few prospects doing their thing in the Arizona Fall Leagues.

One of those players to watch is the Baltimore Orioles prospect Ryan Mountcastle who happens to wear #13 while he playing for the Salt River Rafters.

Mountcastle is in his third minor league season with the Orioles and he is showing his ability on the left side of the infield and at the plate.

Prospects in the AFL

In the Arizona Fall League (AFL), Mountcastle is on the team with a few other players from the Baltimore farm system. There are three pitchers: Keegan Akin, Luis Gonzalez, and Tanner Scott. Mountcastle is joined in the infield by Steve Wilkerson and in the outfield by Anthony Santander. The rest of the roster is filled with prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, and Milwaukee Brewers.

There are six teams in two leagues in the AFL and the Salt River Rafters are currently in last place in the East. They have a record of 6-9-1 and a .400 win percentage – which is the lowest of the six teams. The team in first place in their league is the Mesa Solar Sox which is loaded with prospects from the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and other teams with stronger farm systems.

Mountcastle’s stats in Arizona

Of the Orioles prospects, Mountcastle is separating himself. The 20-year-old has been playing third base and spending minimal time at shortstop. He is the youngest player on the team.

More from Orioles Prospects

Mountcastle has one of the better batting averages on the team after an eight-game hitting streak that ended on October 24. On the 25th, he walked after playing DH and batting fifth in the lineup. He then had the day off on the 26th. On Friday and Saturday, he’s gone 0-9 and left several runners on base. He is currently batting .220/.264/.400/.664 with two home runs and eight RBIs in his 13 games.

During the regular season, he had numbers worth noticing. He played in Double-A for the Bowie Baysox and Single-A+ for the Frederick Keys. His numbers overall were .287/.312/.489/.802 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs. He performed significantly better in Single-A+ where he spent the majority of the 2017 season.

Next: Orioles should look at Granderson for 2019

Since being drafted in 2015 in the first round, he has been methodically and successfully moving up through the minor leagues. In a recent post from Fangraphs, Mountcastle was called “an attractive lottery ticket.” We will have to keep our eyes on him, especially as the third base spot may have an opening in 2019.

Home/Orioles Prospects

Schedule