Baltimore Orioles: Delmarva Shorebirds Sending Eight To All-Star Game

The minor league All-Star season is quickly approaching and one affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles are sending eight players to their respective All-Star game.

The Delmarva Shorebirds do not lose baseball games. Coming up on the South Atlantic League All-Star game, the Shorebirds own a 43-14 record and find themselves with the top record in the SAL. Fans of the Baltimore Orioles big league squad have gravitated towards following the success of the Shorebirds as many of the top prospects on this roster provide a glimpse into the future of Birdland.

Delmarva will send a league-high eight representatives to this year’s All-Star game, to be held in Charleston, West Virginia on June 18th.

RHP Grayson Rodriguez: Rodriguez has quickly become a favorite prospect among fans who follow the minor leagues, thanks to a dominant start to the 2019 season. Last year’s first-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles is currently 6-1 with a 2.63 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. In 48 innings of work, Rodriguez has 66 punchouts and has allowed just 32 hits (.186 average against). Through his first four starts, Rodriguez surrendered just two earned runs and struck out 33 in more than 20 innings. National evaluators who have made the trek to a Delmarva game have started referring to Rodriguez as “an ace in the making.”

RHP Ofelky Peralta: Peralta has spent the first part of 2019 reestablishing himself.  The righty is 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA in ten appearances and ranks second on the team in IP with 45.1, behind only Rodriguez. Opponents are hitting just .187 off Peralta, who is back with the Shorebirds after spending the last two seasons with the Frederick Keys. He seems to be enjoying new changes brought to the farm by the new regime leading the way. Peralta has two double-digit strikeout games and has reached eight punchouts twice.

LHP Drew Rom: A fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, Rom has eerily similar numbers to Peralta, however, Rom is just 19 years old and is in his first full season as a professional. He’s 4-0 with a 1.49 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in nine appearances. In 42 innings of work, Rom owns 55 strikeouts and has allowed just one home run. He has quickly become a must-watch when the Shorebirds make a rare appearance on MiLB.TV.

LHP Zach Matson: Matson is one piece of a dominant Delmarva bullpen, but has separated himself with a high amount of strikeouts. Strikeouts have become king down on the O’s farm this season, with Matson recording 48 in 28.2 innings. He owns a 1.57 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through 14 appearances with the Shorebirds.

OF Doran Turchin: Turchin has started to open some eyes this season, currently hitting .258 with a .365 OBP. He ranks second on the team with 50 hits, 21 of which have gone for extra-bases. In the few looks at him, the defense has stood out. He has yet to make an error. Turchin is a guy to watch as he moves up the system.

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IF Adam Hall: The speedy middle infielder is finally showing why the Orioles used a second-round pick on him back in 2017. Hall is slashing .332/.413/.439 with a team-leading 14 doubles and 15 stolen bases. He’s just 20 and hasn’t been phased by South Atlantic League pitching. Without much in the way of middle infield depth in the system, Hall provides intrigue and now an All-Star talent to the field.

C Daniel Fajardo: Farjardo has stepped in nicely behind the plate for the Shorebirds after an injury to Cody Roberts has sidelined him since the first series of the season. The 24-year-old out of Venezuela is hitting .272 and has caught 12 potential base stealers in 34 games. He makes noise with his glove and has helped the SAL’s top pitching unit roll along.

1B Seamus Curran: If you like power, you will like Seamus Curren. Back with the Shorebirds for another year, Curran has 10 home runs in 49 games. I hate to rain on his parade here, but Curran is hitting .217 with 53 strikeouts this season, but hooray for home runs.

As a team, the Shorebirds rank second in batting average (.251), first in ERA (3.06), and first in strikeouts (597) in the South Atlantic League. If you happen to find yourself in West Virginia on June 18th, check out a few possible future pieces for the Baltimore Orioles. Good luck and congratulations to all eight players.