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Baltimore Orioles: Possible Rookie of the Year Candidates

By Kristen Bentley

NORTH PORT, FL - FEBRUARY 22: Ryan Mountcastle #6 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on while waiting to bat during a Grapefruit League spring training game against the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park on February 22, 2020 in North Port, Florida. The Braves defeated the Orioles 5-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
NORTH PORT, FL - FEBRUARY 22: Ryan Mountcastle #6 of the Baltimore Orioles looks on while waiting to bat during a Grapefruit League spring training game against the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park on February 22, 2020 in North Port, Florida. The Braves defeated the Orioles 5-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Baltimore Orioles
JUPITER, FLORIDA – MARCH 04: Austin Hays #21 of the Baltimore Orioles dives for the catch and out in the third inning of a spring training game against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on March 04, 2020 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

The MLB website opened the day with a list of potential 2020 Rookie of the Year candidates, and no Baltimore Orioles players were on it.

With the Baltimore Orioles adding several prospects to the 2020 Player Pool, there is a very small chance that one or more could make the squad.

Could any of those players reach the coveted status of Rookie of the Year? After seeing what happened in 2019 with John Means, anything is possible.

One player who could catch the eyes of the ROY decision makers is Ryan Mountcastle. According to Joe Trezza with MLB.com, the offensive dynamo is close to making the team. About Mountcastle’s chances to playing in the Big Leagues, Trezza quoted Brandon Hyde:

"“I think that he wasn’t one of the original players we brought in here. I think he’s going to go to [the alternate training site], get more work in and be ready for us at some point this summer.”"

Another possible, but highly unlikely ROY candidate, could be Adley Rutschman. The O’s added him to the Player Pool on Friday, and he’s already had a few moments in the spotlight. According to Trezza, Rutschman walked twice against Hunter Harvey in an intersquad game over the weekend. Hyde said about Rutschman:

"“He looks great. Swinging the bat really well. He’s been catching some Major League pitching the last couple of days, and he does it easy. He’s done a nice job of putting a lot of work and time in these past few months. He’s in shape and ready to go, so it’s been fun watching him the last couple of games.”"

We can’t forget about Austin Hays. The 25-year-old outfielder is still considered a rookie. And, with the lack of outfielders in the Orioles Player Pool, he could have an opportunity to break out and show what he has. In 2019, he hit a .309/.373/.574 with four home runs in 21 games. His Spring Training stats weren’t great, and we haven’t seen or heard much from Camden Yards about Hays. But, the odds are very good that he could be in the outfield on Opening Day, especially since Dwight Smith, Jr and Anthony Santander haven’t shown up to camp as of yet.

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