Orioles top infield prospect is primed for a quick path through the minors

Over the past few years, it's become increasingly common for college players drafted in the first round to be fast-tracked through the minors and make their MLB debut within a year of being drafted. Looking at the 2024 draft, 11 of the first-round picks have already made their MLB debuts, with most reaching the majors last year. That's 40% of the college players taken in the first round flying through the minors at a pace that just a few years ago would have been seen as borderline reckless.

Since this became a trend, the Orioles have not been able to participate, as their recent first-round picks have not exactly been home runs. That may be about to change, though, as one of their first-round picks from last year looks ready for a promotion, and if he keeps up what he's doing, it may not be his last one of the season.

Wehiwa Aloy could be the Orioles fastest rising prospect this year

Wehiwa Aloy looked comfortable at Low-A in his 20 games there after being drafted, and the Orioles responded by having him start the 2025 season at High-A Frederick. After just 30 games at the high-A level, it's already clear he's ready for the next challenge.

So far this season, he's slashing .315/.367/.613 with a team-leading and organizationally leading 10 home runs. That's right, nobody on any of the Orioles-affiliated teams from the actual Orioles down to the lowest complex league has hit more home runs than Aloy this year.

At the end of the day, that's more of a fun piece of trivia than a reason to promote him, but it is indicative that he's been an overwhelming force against pitchers in the High-A South Atlantic League.

It's not like he got off to a hot start and is living off a bunch of banked stats that he compiled before pitchers had a chance to see him. Quite the opposite, in fact, the more he sees high-A pitching, the better he's getting.

Over his last 12 games, Aloy is slashing .435/.500/.935. That last number is not his OPS; that's his slugging percentage. That's the stat line of a player who is simply too good for the level he's playing.  

Coming out of Arkansas, the biggest concern for Aloy was the hit tool. He hit .350 in his last year at Arkansas, but he showed a concerning tendency to chase and swing and miss. His 27.6% K rate and 8.7% walk rate this season don't do a ton to assuage those concerns.

A 27% K rate isn't an insurmountable obstacle to success, but as a player is promoted and faces better pitching, it's likely that number will steadily rise. If it gets over 30% in the minors, you're looking at a hit tool that's really going to struggle to translate against major league pitching.

Which is why a quick promotion for Aloy would be the best thing for him. It will be interesting to see if his red-hot bat can stand up to double-A pitching without him running up an unsustainable strikeout rate. If he can, then that means the Orioles stole one of the best players in the draft, and it won't be long before he's in the majors. If he can't, then his struggles at Double-A will be instructive to what parts of his approach need to change.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow