Examining the Orioles 3 best internal options for filling Blaze Alexander's roster spot

With Blaze Alexander set to miss most, if not the rest, of the season, the Baltimore Orioles are going to need to find a solution for third base on the fly. With the trade deadline a few weeks away, the Orioles could end up trading for a third baseman, but that is much easier said than done. Most of the available infielders at this trade deadline are either going to be very expensive or are very flawed players. With that in mind, here are three internal options that the Orioles currently have in their minor league system.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand has played very well for the Tides this season

If the Orioles do want to try to solve their third base problem without bringing in anyone from the outside, they have a few options. The Orioles traded for Christian Encarnacion-Strand earlier this season, and he has hit very well in Triple-A Norfolk while mostly playing third base. Encarnacion-Strand mostly played first base during his time in the majors with the Reds, so that gives you an idea that he's not exactly a defensive specialist at third, but he did play third all through the minors, and he's doing it now.

Encarnacion-Strand is slashing .273/.309/.555 with 17 homers this season. He's doing a great job hitting for average while hitting the ball very hard and pulling the ball in the air. That's a good combination for a productive hitter. What's worrisome is that he is striking out at an over-30 % clip, and he has 14 walks in almost 300 plate appearances. Those are the kinds of problems that get exacerbated at the major league level, where the pitching is much better.

It doesn't matter how hard you can hit the ball if you're not able to hit the ball. Encarnacion's plate discipline problems are why he's not with the Reds anymore. If the Orioles were to pass on trading for a third base replacement becuase they wanted to give Encarnacion-Strand a shot, and then he ran a 40% K-rate and a sub .270 OBP, that would be brutal.

The lack of defensive upside that Encarnacion-Strand provides along with the risks in his bat makes it hard to say that he should definitely be the solution, but he deserves a chance to prove himself and should probably join the Orioles before their first game post All-Star break.

This could be Payton Eeles first Major League opportunity

The other internal option that is intriguing would be to call up Payton Eeles. Eeles is a 26-year-old second base prospect who's had a very interesting career path that's taken him from division 2 to division 1 to Indy ball to the Twins system to where he is now in Triple-A Norfolk. If you're interested, it was detailed in a Foolish Baseball video.

Eeles has dealt with a few different injuries this season and is actually currently on a rehab assignment, but when he was healthy, he was playing very well for the Tides. In 28 games, he was slashing .345/.467/.417.

Eeles has little to no power, but his ability to put bat on ball and draw walks should translate well to the big leagues. He may not hit .345 against major league pitching, but it feels like he should have a high floor as a slappy bottom of the order bat who could serve as a second leadoff man similar to what Alexander was offering before his injury.

Eeles is a good athlete who can play a lot of different positions. His primary spot is second base, and he hasn't played much third recently, but if the Orioles asked, he could give it a go and probably play as well as anyone else on the active roster. If the Orioles don't want to have Eeles at third, they could platoon Mayo and Jackson Holliday at the hot corner and have Eeles take over second base as well as playing in the outfield every so often, the way Alexander was going. That would open up some playing time for Jeremiah Jackson as well.  

Jose Barrero would be the Orioles best defensive option to replace Blaze Alexander

The best defensive option the Orioles may have internally in the upper minors might be Jose Barrero. Barrero is currently the Norfolk Tides' regular shortstop, and he does lead the team with 18 home runs this year. He's doing that with a low batting average and OBP that feels like an approach that is not going to yield much fruit in the big leagues. He has played parts of five seasons with the Reds and Cardinals and has a career MLB OPS of .495. Not great. He is a good athlete and defender, though, so if what the Orioles need most in Alexander's absence is competent defense at third, Barrero might be their best option.

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