Baltimore Orioles announce a trio of minor league signings

As fans impatiently wait for the Baltimore Orioles to make their first major move of the offseason, the organization continues to add depth to the organization on the minor league side.

Former Oakland A’s top prospect Franklin Barreto’s deal was originally announced by the pro team in Mexico he played with this year, but the Orioles made the infielder’s signing official today, along with the signings of left-handed pitcher Raul Alcantara and infielder Jeremiah Jackson. 

A former second-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels out of the high school ranks in 2018, Jeremiah Jackson was a top 30 prospect in the Angels system up until the 2024 season. He made a statement in his first full season of pro ball, hitting 23 home runs in 65 games in short-season ball and has continued to flex his plus raw power ever since.

After being traded to the New York Mets in August of 2023, Jackson spent the entire 2024 season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (Double-A affiliate) in the Mets system, hitting .205 with a .245 on-base percentage and 19 home runs. It was arguably his worst season as a pro. 

Despite the down year in 2024, the Orioles are adding a 24-year-old, right-handed hitting utility option with plus raw power grades, above-average speed, and above-average defense at multiple infield positions. Strikeouts will always be a prominent part of his game, but Jackson has shown the ability to hit for average and draw a fair share of walks in the past.

Orioles buy low on three minor leaguers to add depth to organization

He’s coming off a year in which he posted the highest groundball rate of his full-season minor league career. If the Orioles can get him to lift the ball more again, get his plate discipline looking more like it did when he was with the Angels system, and get even just a little bit more out of his hit tool, Jackson could be a notable follow in Triple-A this season. 

Not to be confused with former Oakland Athletic and current KBO pitcher Raul Alcantara, this Raul Alcantara was originally signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic by the Seattle Mariners in 2017. He remained in the organization until earlier this month when he elected free agency.

Working primarily out of the bullpen, Alcantara appeared in 37 games with the Arkansas Travelers (Seattle’s Double-A affiliate), pitching to a career-best 3.44 ERA, .205 average against, and a 65/42 K/BB ratio across 70.2 innings. 

The 23-year-old lefty has posted impressive groundball rates (54% in High-A back in 2023 and 49.5% this year in Double-A) and modest strikeout numbers, but walks have routinely been an issue. He’s posted back-to-back-to-back seasons of walk rates around the 13% mark.

His fastball gets into the upper-90s (at least 98 mph confirmed after some quick searching through highlights). A 98 mph fastball from the side is quite intriguing. He will likely start the season in Triple-A with an outside shot of making his MLB debut if he can find the strike zone more often. 

Per FanGraphs, Jackson and Alcantara are Rule 5 eligible. They very likely won't be targeted by other organizations and can still be protected in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft.