Baltimore Orioles: Chance Sisco Has Quietly Been Heating Up

Baltimore Orioles catcher Chance Sisco is showing signs of finally being the impact player the organization and fan base have been hoping he would be.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Chance Sisco has been terrific of late and may finally be becoming the player who was once rated the No. 1 overall prospect in the Orioles’ organization.

Since being called up from Triple-A Norfolk, Sisco has appeared in just 17 games but has already hit five home runs. That is three more than he hit in 63 games last season. His batting average of .269 is above average for a catcher and is a huge step up from the .181 he hit last year. His on-base percentage of .397 is outstanding, and he is slugging a whopping .654. His WAR this season according to baseball reference is 0.8, twice the war he had for his career coming into the season.

The big question with Sisco is always his defense as he is known to be a poor defensive catcher and he struggled mightily when he was called up this season starting his season 1-9 throwing out baserunners.

However, in the Birds’ most recent matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays on July 3, he gunned down two runners in the Orioles’ 9-6 victory.

Sisco is most likely not part of the future for the Orioles with Adley Rutschman expected to make a quick ascent through the farm system, but for now, it is a pleasant sight to see him showing he is not a colossal failure.

It was a smart decision by the organization to start him in Norfolk and allow him to work out his issues before being recalled this season. He was not ready to play at the MLB level last season.

It will be interesting to see what the organization does with him once Rutschman ready to play in Baltimore, but right now seeing the former top prospect succeed is rewarding.