Baltimore Orioles: Top Ten Prospects Heading Into 2019

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BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 23: Austin Hays #18 of the Baltimore Orioles runs to catch a fly ball hit by Adeiny Hechavarria #11 of the Tampa Bay Rays (not pictured) in the seventh inning during a baseball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 23, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty) /

Welcome to prospect season! The staff here at Birds Watcher has compiled our Baltimore Orioles top ten prospects list for the 2019 season.

Believe it or not, the Super Bowl is over and spring training is now less than two weeks away. Scouting and videos of JUCO talent has already infiltrated my Twitter feed and it really is a beautiful thing. Baltimore Orioles baseball is soon to follow and regardless of what 2019 brings, at least baseball is back.

A few members of the staff here at Birds Watcher watch a lot of minor league baseball, myself included, so we decided to produce our own Orioles’ top prospect list consisting of 10 of the top prospects in a farm system that is quickly developing into a respectable group. The following list was compiled by my co-expert Tim Smart, contributing writer Chuck Boemmel, and myself.

Before we dive into the list, a quick look at who just missed our top ten. RHP Brenan Hanifee, OF DJ Stewart, and SS Cadyn Grenier all received votes and made strong cases for consideration. Like I mentioned earlier, the talent in this system is on the rise and struggling to fit quality players like these on our list is a great problem to have. So, who made the cut?

#10) RHP Dillon Tate- A former first-round pick, Dillon Tate came to Baltimore in last year’s Zach Britton trade, struggling in his first action with his new organization. After striking out a career-high 22% of hitters faced with the Trenton Thunder (NY AA affiliate) and limiting opponents to a .215 average, Tate went 2-3 with a 5.75 ERA in seven starts with Bowie, allowing a .295 average and striking out just 12% of hitters.

MASN.com’s Steve Melewski recently reported that Tate suffered from shoulder inflammation late in the season, adding another note to his laundry list of injuries since becoming a professional. There is still a lot of potential with Tate, who is preparing to enter 2019 on a fresh note and with a new regime calling the shots in Baltimore.

Armed with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, a slider, and changeup, Tate produces a high number of groundballs but hasn’t been able to put everything together over the past four seasons. Tate will be given every opportunity to make the major league ballclub as a starter, but you have to imagine his value will rise if he moves back to the bullpen as a late-inning arm.

SECAUCUS, NJ – JUNE 07: A general view of the MLB First Year Player Draft on June 7, 2010 held in Studio 42 at the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Ryan McKenna had a breakout year in the Baltimore Orioles system, while Zac Lowther is now garnering national attention.

#9) OF Ryan McKenna- Drafted in the 4th round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in New Hampshire, Ryan McKenna made the jump from Frederick (A-Adv.) to Bowie (AA) this past season.

McKenna started the year by tearing up Carolina League pitching. He slashed .377/ .467/ .556 with 37 RBIs and 28 extra-base hits for the Keys and earned a spot on the Carolina League’s Southern Division All-Star team.

The jump to AA Bowie cooled McKenna off slightly, however. The 21-year-old slashed .239/ .341/ .338 with 16 RBIs and 13 extra-base hits in 60 games for the Baysox. Despite tailing off a bit in Bowie, McKenna’s cumulative season numbers of .315/ .410/ .457/ .868 were among the Baltimore Orioles’ organizational leaders. McKenna’s .410 OBP was second overall in the organization while his .315 BA and .868 OPS were both good for third.

Defensively, McKenna was steady at both levels: .981 fielding percentage with three errors and four assists in Frederick and .987 fielding percentage with two errors and nine assists in Bowie.

McKenna capped off his breakout 2018 season with a spot in the Arizona Fall League, playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs where he slashed .344/ .474/ .590/ 1.064. Again, he led the team in BA, OBP, and OPS and was named to the Fall Stars West All-Star team.

Rightfully so, McKenna has earned an invite to the Major League camp for spring training where he will put his skills on display for the new coaching staff. His performance has caught the eye of the new regime and obviously, they want to see what he brings to the table for themselves. Look for McKenna to return to Bowie in 2019 to continue his development. He is young so there is no need to rush him yet.

#8) LHP Zac Lowther- If you have yet to catch a Zac Lowther start live, you’re missing out. He still needs to show that he can dominate hitters in the upper-minors, but Lowther has passed most tests, up until this point. Working quickly and with a purpose on the mound, Lowther has posted a career 2.02 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 178 minor league innings, sitting down 226 hitters via the strikeout and limiting opponents to a .191 average.

His fastball has beautiful movement on it and command is impressive. Not known as a groundball pitcher, Lowther gave up just six home runs in 92 innings with the Frederick Keys, only four of them coming in homer-friendly Harry Grove Stadium. Scouts also grade his curveball and changeup as above-average offerings, aided by his beautiful delivery, all coming together to form one of the more underrated prospects in the system.

He will likely begin the year in Bowie as he looks to pass the next major test of his development. If Lowther can continue to keep the ball in the yard and hold his impressive K/BB ratio, he will be eating innings in the Baltimore Orioles rotation in the near future.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – MARCH 07: Pitcher Dean Kremer of Israel throws in the bottom of the ninth inning during the World Baseball Classic Pool A Game Two between Israel and Chinese Taipei at Gocheok Sky Dome on March 7, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) /

Both Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer will have the opportunity to pitch for the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in 2019.

#7) RHP Dean Kremer– Acquired as a part of the July 2018 trade that sent Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers and embarked the team on its rebuild, Kremer was sent to Bowie (AA) where he made an immediate impact.

Kremer’s first appearance in a Baysox uniform resulted in a 6.0 inning victory over the Erie Seawolves (Detroit); he allowed four hits and one earned run while striking out six and walking three. It was a sign of things to come as Kremer would go on to make four more quality starts for the Baysox.

Overall, Kremer pitched to a 4-2 record with 53 strikeouts, 17 walks, a 1.21 WHIP and a 2.58 ERA while pitching 45.1 innings over eight appearances. His 53 strikeouts were good for 10th on the Baysox pitching staff and 8th among the starters in his short time with the team.

The 2018 season began in Rancho Cucamonga (A-Adv.) for Kremer, where he struck out 114 California League batters in 16 appearances and finished with a 5-3 record and a 3.30 ERA. In a single appearance for Tulsa (AA), he struck out 11, adding to his minor league-leading 178 strikeouts.

Drafted in the 14th round of the 2016 MLB Draft, Kremer finished his whirlwind 2018 season with a composite 10-5 record over 25 appearances (131.1 innings) with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Kremer uses a mid-90 mph fastball that is paired with a big breaking ball to achieve a career 11.4 strikeouts/9 innings. He made strides with his location, slider, and change-up to tally a 12.2 K/9 rate this past season.

Invited to Spring Training 2019 as a non-roster invitee, Kremer has a chance to make a name for himself with new general manager Mike Elias and new manager Brandon Hyde. With only nine career starts at the AA level, I see Kremer returning to Bowie in 2019 but would not rule out a mid-season promotion to Norfolk (AAA). It is early in his Orioles’ career, but this 23-year-old hurler could be in Baltimore in the near future; when that happens, we can fully evaluate the Manny Machado trade.

#6) LHP Keegan Akin- Another big-bodied lefty with a high floor, Akin is on the path to make his major league debut in 2019, likely early on if he starts strong in AAA and the major league rotation performs as expected this year.

Akin shared Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors with Zac Lowther after posting a 14-7, 3.27 ERA season in Bowie, striking out 142 hitters in 137 innings of work. He produces a high amount of swings and misses (25% strikeout rate), but still walked more than 10% of hitters.

Also named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, Akin can run his fastball into the high-90s and incorporates a bit of deception into his delivery, while showing an ability to work deep into games. Of his 25 starts, 14 of them went at least six innings and saw Akin give up three or fewer runs.

My first live look at Akin was in High-A ball where he owned the bottom half of the strike zone and limited hard-contact, very well. Ever since, I’ve been on board the Keegan Akin train. He’s another pitcher in this system who has the potential to be a successful back-end starter at the major league level, something he will get his first chance to prove, soon.

BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 18: Austin Hays #18 of the Baltimore Orioles follows his two RBI double against the Boston Red Sox in the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 18, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

The time is now for Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays.

#5) RHP Grayson Rodriguez– The 19-year-old was drafted 11th overall in 2018 out of Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas and signed with the Baltimore Orioles for $4.3 Mil (the pick’s value was $4.3751 Mil) instead of attending Texas A&M University.

Rodriguez, like most rookies, was assigned to the Gulf Coast League where he pitched to a 1.40 ERA over nine appearances spanning 19.1 innings of work. He finished with a 0-2 record but that does not tell the whole story.

The 6’5”, 220 lb hurler started his professional career by throwing twelve scoreless innings over his first six appearances; he surrendered seven hits while striking out 10 and walking five. Rodriguez’s two losses came in his next two appearances when he surrendered six runs (three earned) in 4.1 innings, combined with five strikeouts and two walks. He did bounce back with a scoreless 3.0 inning, two hit appearance in his final game of the season.

By any measure, it was an impressive effort by Rodriguez who was, on average, 2.4 years younger than his Gulf Coast League peers. Rodriguez pounds the strike zone with his mid-90 mph fastball and his low-80 mph slider. Look for him to develop his curveball while also crafting his change-up to accompany those two strong pitches.

Based on his age and relatively low workload in 2018, I project the Orioles watching him closely as he pitches in Delmarva (A-Low) in 2019. Should he perform as dominantly in the South Atlantic League as he did in the GCL, a stint in Frederick (A-High) at some point this season would not surprise me

#4) OF Austin Hays- This year is a huge season for Austin Hays. After showcasing his potential in 2017 with 32 home runs between A+ and AA and his first action in the majors, his 2018 season was largely wiped out due to injury. A shoulder injury halted his spring training, followed by required ankle surgery to repair a stress fracture. After hitting .242 with 12 home runs in 66 AA games, we’re giving Hays a pass on 2018 and looking forward to 2019 with optimism.

The power, defense, arm, and speed are all there, now we need a healthy spring from Hays to put it all together. While at FanFest, Hays proclaimed that he continues to progress from his September ankle surgery and he should be ready to go in a few weeks, meaning don’t expect to see Hays crack the 25-man roster out of spring.

Spending some time roaming the large outfield at Harbor Park (AAA) and working on his approach at the plate is the best plan of action for Hays, who still has the potential to be a major league-regular corner outfielder, but approaching 24 years of age, he has to take the next step forward.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – JULY 15: Yusniel Diaz #17 of the World Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

The Baltimore Orioles have a strong trio at the top of the list.

#3) LHP DL Hall- A first round (21st overall) draft pick in 2017, D.L. Hall exploded onto the scene last year and has garnered high-praise by national evaluators across the country. Despite his surprising availability at #11, Hall was a solid pick by the Baltimore Orioles and considered the top high school lefty in the 2017 draft.

Hall’s debut season in the Gulf Coast League was not spectacular, finishing with no record and a 6.97 ERA in 10.1 innings of work (five appearances). Additionally, he struck out 12 while walking 10. Hall moved to Delmarva (A-Low) for the 2018 season and while the record (2-7) wasn’t good, the other numbers were.

He appeared in 22 games for the Shorebirds, pitching to a 2.97 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 94.1 innings of work with 100 strikeouts and 42 walks. When comparing 2018 to 2017 it is noteworthy that Hall nearly doubled his strikeout to walk ratio from 1.20 to 2.38 while cutting his walks per game by more than a half from 8.7 to 4.0.

While young and still developing physically, Hall uses a plus fastball complemented by a plus curveball to dominate hitters. As he moves through the system he will have to improve his command to continue to have success The ceiling is high and the future is bright for this southpaw. Should his career trajectory continue on its current path, the future of the Baltimore Orioles’ rotation is in good hands.

#2) IF Ryan Mountcastle- Elite bat speed and a beautiful swing from the right side of the plate, Ryan Mountcastle is arguably the most exciting prospect of the bunch. He answered the demands of former Orioles’ manager Buck Showalter by increasing his walk rate from 1.9% at the AA level to 6.1% in 2018, still a low number but an impressive improvement.

Despite suffering from a hairline fracture in his hand in spring training, Mountcastle rebounded and played in 102 games for Bowie, hitting 13 home runs, posting a wRC+ of 121, and lowering his K-rate to 18.5%. His average flyball rate skyrocketed and he started using the entire field more last season, putting him in position to make his major league debut in the very near future.

Mountcastle has an invite to spring training, but will likely begin the year in AAA where he can continue to work on his ability to get on base and, more importantly, find a position to play. The one major knock on Mountcastle is his lack of a defensive position.

Shortstop didn’t work out very well, third base was even more of an adventure, yet no one seems to have a clear answer as to where he will play. I, like many of you, am anxious to see where the new regime plays him, but one thing is for certain, Mountcastle is an impressive prospect who turns 22 in just a few days, meaning there is still time to figure all of this out.

A successful spring training will lead to many fans calling for him to make the active roster. Patience, Orioles’ fans. His time will come.

#1) OF Yusniel Diaz- Considered the cornerstone of the trade that sent Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers, outfield prospect Yusniel Diaz is our top prospect for 2019. The trade generated a lot of buzz, especially after Diaz’s two-homerun performance in the 2018 Sirius XM Futures Game in Washington, DC. His performance in Bowie didn’t exactly equal that buzz, however.

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Diaz played in 38 games for the Bowie Baysox (AA) and slashed a paltry .239/ .329/ .403 in 134 at-bats with five home runs and 15 RBIs. I saw quite a few Baysox games and what I saw in Diaz was a player who struggled with the adjustments to a new league and a new team.

He seemed fooled at the plate frequently as he lunged at the ball on the outside half of the strike zone. Diaz made some adjustments to his foot placement in the batter’s box as the season progressed which did result in better numbers for the native of Cuba. He has the necessary tools for a top prospect but has not shown his speed much to date.

Projected as a corner outfielder, Diaz has the raw tools needed from a top prospect, he just needs to put them all together for his new organization. Another season in either Bowie or Norfolk (AAA) should help with his comfort level, thus revealing the player the Orioles anticipated they were getting when they traded for him.

If the pieces fall into place, don’t be surprised to see Diaz patrolling the outfield in Oriole Park at Camden Yards late in the 2019 season.

Five Prospects Facing Key Tests In 2019. dark. Next

Thanks to Chuck Boemmel for his contributions on Diaz, Hall, Rodriguez, Kremer, and McKenna. What changes would you make to this list? How do you rank your top 10? Every single prospect list is different and we would love to see your list below!

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