Orioles Prospect Update: Connor Norby's big week, Bowie's bats go cold, Enrique Bradfield stays sharp

The break is finally here, a huge relief to the guys putting in work out there in this heat. Time to relax, watch the All-Star Game and learn the names of all their future teammates coming over in the MLB Draft. While we find out exactly who those incoming Orioles are, let's look back at the last week of the first half.

Norfolk Tides
Won series with Memphis Red Birds 4-2

Slow start to the series for Nick Maton, going 0-7 before posting an eye-popping .455/3/9 line in the final three games. With numbers like that combined with Heston Kjerstad's recent concussion, another injury in the outfield may briefly open the door for Maton to make his way back up to the big-league roster.

Connor Norby doesn't belong in the minors anymore. Whether it be for the Orioles or not, the sample size is in place to support this notion. The ECU product smoked the Red Birds this last week, going 8-23 with 2 homers. He's hitting .346 on month, getting hot at the right time to make a difference either for this club on the playing field or highlighting a trade package.

The same sentiment could be made about Coby Mayo, who ripped .304 versus Memphis, collecting a 1+ hit in each of his five starts. If there was an MVP of AAA ball, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more worthy candidate than this 22-year-old. Still unsure how he didn't get a nod for the Futures' Game, but there's bigger accolades ahead for this kid to collect.

If you take a look at Justin Armbruester's past game logs, historically, he's always been a streaky player. It seems we're currently well in the midst of a hot one, with the O's No. 19 prospect ending the first half on a high note. Armbruester was dialed in on Thursday, striking out 10 over six scoreless while surrendering just 3 hits and a walk. His ERA, WHIP and BAA have all decreased over his last six starts, providing some optimism that he could contribute on the next level come September.

Chayce McDermott is another name we may see donning the orange and black in the coming weeks, after another dominant Friday outing. The righty gave up just one hit over 6.2 shutout frames, adding 7 strikeouts to his totals. The four walks aren't pretty, but it's also not a new problem for McDermott. Given Baltimore's current desperation for pitching, he's a few more good starts away from a move up.

The Tides' top bullpen arm of the week was Nolan Hoffman, as the 26-year-old struck out 5 over his 3 innings of relief work. His walk rates and batting average against remain a little high, but an ERA of 3.50 indicates that he's been pretty good of getting out of those jams.

Bowie Baysox
Lost series with Altoona Curve 1-5

Thin section of offensive players to highlight this week, as Bowie mustered just eight runs in six games against Altoona. The fact they managed to steal one game is a small miracle.

Matthew Etzel was unaffected by the team-wide slump, collecting a hit in all five starts while driving in 3 of the 8 runs the Baysox scored. Last year's 10th round pick has rapidly ascended this farm system and shown no signs of slowing his pace, finishing up his first month at AA with a .274/2/10 line and only five more strikeouts than walks. At this rate, he'll be earning some looks with the big boys next Spring Training.

Samuel Basallo went 0-1 with a walk while representing Baltimore at the MLB Futures' game this Saturday. Given the void of offensive production that James McCann brings, it's certainly in the realm of possibility for the organization to consider calling up their second ranked prospect for the postseason push.

Sharp outing from Seth Johnson on Wednesday, surrendering 1 earned on 4 hits over five strong. While it may have been his sixth decision loss of the season, it was the first outing this season that Johnson didn't surrender a walk. If the righty can continue that positive trend, he's going to be up with Norfolk before long.

Alex Pham saw Johnson's big day and told him, "Hold my beer." 1 hit, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts over six dominant frames, bullying an overpowered Curve lineup at every turn. His efforts won him the honor of Eastern League Pitcher of the Week. The 2021 draftee has improved with each passing month while maintaining a stout 11.73 K/9.

Peter Van Loon continued his stretch of shutdown starts for Bowie. Since returning for a rehab assignment in Aberdeen, PVL's gone on to toss 8.1 scoreless innings for the team, scattering 5 hits and a walk while striking out 10. Lower ceilings than the aforementioned two guys, but a safe and steady floor.

Britain's own Ryan Long made sure to contribute a quality start of his own to the cause, allowing just 3 baserunners while shutting out Altoona over 4.2 frames. July's been kind to the kid thus far, as he's currently rocking a season-low 3.38 ERA during the month.

Aberdeen IronBirds
Won series with Asheville Tourists 4-2

Enrique Bradfield Jr. will always have his defense and speed to fall back on, but he's starting to really boost his stock with how well his bat's been playing. A 6-17 week has him hitting over .280 since May 1st, plus he went yard again. On top of that, he's quickly lowering his strikeout rates with only 2 so far over 39 July at-bats. It won't be long 'til Bowie comes calling.

After an ice-cold start in A+ ball, Angel Tejada started to figure things out this week. The 20-year-old only played in half of the games but contributed 5 hits and 2 stolen bases in his 10 at-bats for the IronBirds. He was a solid offensive performer for the Shorebirds, so it was only a matter of time until that translated upward.

Three multi-hit games on the week out of Mac Horvath, continuing his solid month. He added two home runs and drove in five while collecting at least one walk each game, helping pace a high-powered offense. He'll be eagerly awaiting his former teammate Vance Honeycutt's imminent arrival to Aberdeen.

Two starts from Jackson Baumeister on the week, bouncing back from an iffy one on Tuesday with a gem on Sunday to finish the series off. All in all, the Florida State alum totaled 11 K's over 7.2, allowing just 8 hits and 2 earned runs. The highest drafted pitcher in Mike Elias' tenure has provided some super encouraging moments in his first professional stint.

Fellow 2023 draftee Michael Forret was excellent on Friday night, surrendering 1 earned through 5 strong innings, in addition to 8 strikeouts. His ERA's ballooned a little bit since being called up to A+ ball, and all six home runs he's allowed have come post-promotion, but his strikeout rates are up, and he generally doesn't look overwhelmed by the increased competition.

Congrats to Trey Gibson for his move up to Aberdeen. He rewarded the organization's confidence in him with 5.1 frames of shutout ball on Saturday, earning his first win with the team. The UDFA stood out in Delmarva and is off to a good start with the IronBirds.

Delmarva Shorebirds
Lost series with Lynchburg Hillcats 2-4

Nice to see Aneudis Mordan's name filling out box scores again. The power hitting righty had a quiet June, but hit .313 in his four appearances against Lynchburg, driving in 2 as he ripped his 12th dinger of the year.

Big week from Alfredo Velasquez, bringing in 2 while going 7-14 at the dish. Weighing in at a meager 153 pounds, the kid certainly stands to benefit from some time in a professional workout program. But at 5'11" and just 19 years of age, there's plenty of time to fill out.

Kevin Guerrero had 6 hits in 18 at bats against Hillcat pitchers, raising his average 10 points in the process. He's not a regular long-ball threat, but he's slappy enough at the plate to keep earning playing time.

Nestor German is quietly becoming one of the better pitchers you've never heard of in this farm system. In bookend starts for the Shorebirds, he racked up 6.2 IP, allowing 1 earned on 8 walk-less hits. German's up to 12 professional appearances now, with a staunch 1.80 ERA and sub-one WHIP. Don't forget the name.

He's so money-- Blake Money that is. 9 more scoreless innings this week, giving up just 5 total base runners while striking out 9. He hasn't allowed a run in July, while averaging more than a K per inning. Aberdeen should be calling soon.

Three shutout innings from Money's former collegiate teammate Riley Cooper in his start Wednesday evening. His ERA is down to 2.54 in his first pro season, with good strikeout and walk numbers across the board. Don't be surprised to see him also move up once these new Birds get infused into the system.