Orioles Prospect Update: Mayo Moves Up, Basallo Bombs, Patrick Reilly's Debut and 5 Innings of a Catcher Pitching

The Baby Birds entered the dog days of August with a couple of new faces in town. All of their recent draft picks officially signed this week as well, so expect to see even more new names in the coming weeks, on top of many you've been following for a while now.

Norfolk Tides
Lost series with Charlotte Knights 3-4

The Tides had an uncommon seven games on their docket, as the two teams kicked off the series by completing a suspended game from June 30th, where Norfolk had knotted things up in the bottom of the 9th before a weather delay. The Knights would seize a 6-4 victory one month later.

The time has come for Coby Mayo! After collecting a hit in half of his at-bats through the first three in Charlotte, the big leagues came calling for the No. 3 prospect on the farm. So far, the kid's 0-9 with the Orioles, but hasn't looked completely overmatched.

Shayne Fontana took full advantage of the opportunity for extra playing time, posting a .348/2/7 line with a hit in all six appearances. The 2019 draft-class member started off slow, but has hit .364 since July 1st, continuing to earn more looks in a suddenly wide-open AAA lineup.

Fellow outfielder David Johnson had himself a nice showing as well, going 9-25 with three separate three-run home runs - including two in the same game on Thursday night. He's more of a journeyman than Fontana but might just earn himself a look somewhere next spring with how consistent he's been this season.

Not the cleanest start we've seen out of Chayce McDermott, allowing 5 hits and walking 3, but he did strike out 10 while only allowing 2 runs. He definitely projects as a starter long-term but the thought of him gassing up out of the bullpen during the upcoming playoff run is a fun one to toy with.

Brandon Young also racked up 10 K's in his Thursday outing, surrendering just 1 earned on 6 hits. The undrafted righty's been no slouch since moving up to Norfolk, boasting a 3.80 ERA and 11.94 K/9 through 12 outings in the International League.

Bowie Baysox
Lost series with Somerset Patriots 2-4

July didn't feature Samuel Basallo's best work at the plate, as he put up paltry .226/.333/.355 slashes, but he ended the month on a high note and has rolled from there. All in all, the 19-year-old rising star went 9-19 with 2 long balls and 3 RBI in five games versus Somerset.

Frederick Bencosme had a nine-game hit streak broken during a pinch-hit appearance in the bottom of the seventh Saturday night. Unfortunate way to lose it, going cold into a tight game, but he started a new one on Sunday with a 1-3 day.

Career-high 6 RBI for TT Bowens on Wednesday, delivered with a bang: a two-run home run and grand slam. He'd scatter 3 more hits throughout the series, finishing with a .278 average.

Cameron Weston matched a personal best last week, tossing 5.1 strong on Friday. The 2022 8th rounder was dialed in, allowing just 2 hits and 1 earned while striking out 6. He's been incredibly steady for the IronBirds and Baysox this year, rocking a 2.57 ERA across both levels.

Newcomer Patrick Reilly made a solid impression with the organization this weekend, tossing 3.1 scoreless relief innings, striking out 5 along the way. Mike Elias traded Billy Cook for the 6'3" righty, who has gone 7-6 with a 3.53 ERA since the Pirates selected him in the 5th round last draft.

Sad to report that Dylan Heid's streak of shutout innings has ended. After failing to give up a run over his last 7 appearances (10.1 IP), the Patriots tagged Heid to the tune of 5 earned in just 2.2 frames. Better days ahead, just an ugly way to see that heater snapped.

Aberdeen IronBirds
Tied series with Brooklyn Cyclones 3-3

Three double-headers in this six-game set that featured a ton of inclement weather. These minor league teams are nothing if not flexible.

Tavian Josenberger trended upward last month and started off August on a high note, going 7-16 with 4 RBI on the week. Characteristically, the speedy outfielder went 6-6 on stolen base attempts, raising his success rate to 87.5% this season.

Nice showing from Dougie Hodo, posting a .333/1/1 line while stealing a perfect 4-4 bags. His .250 batting average leaves plenty of room for improvement, but a .385 on-base percentage suggests he's got a good eye to work with toward that goal.

In an overall modest week for IronBirds' hitters, Reed Trimble's back in the update, going 4-15 while driving in 3 and matching Hodo's 4-4 on the base paths. One of the two will likely get a bump up to Bowie once some of the new draftees arrive.

After a shaky outing against Jersey Shore, Trey Gibson was back to form Wednesday, navigating 4 frames. He allowed just 1 earned on 5 hits, adding 6 strikeouts and only walking a single batter. High-A ball hasn't looked too daunting for the undrafted pitcher in his three starts.

Nestor German received a hard-earned promotion to Aberdeen this week and did not disappoint, tossing two shutout innings in relief of Deivi Cruz. It was a promising debut for a dude who dominated in Delmarva.

Delmarva Shorebirds
Lost series with Myrtle Beach Pelicans 2-4

Outfielder Jake Cunningham's been steadily improving for the Shorebirds, collecting a hit in all six games en route to a .389 average plus 5 RBI. Like many of the IronBirds before him, Cunningham also went 100% on stolen base attempts, nabbing three against the Pelicans.

Kevin Guerrero also managed a base hit in all four of his appearances, going 5-13 with an RBI on the week. The 20-year-old has yet to really take off in his first full professional stint. Hopefully last week will be a spark.

No. 11 prospect Leandro Arias played a full series as Delmarva seemingly is ramping up his workload with the club-- a welcome development with the 19-year-old. Arias responded by going 7-26 at the plate and driving in 2. Nothing Earth shaking, but a solid week from the kid.

Braxton Bragg was untouchable on Thursday, striking out 7 while coasting through 5 scoreless. It's been all or nothing with Bragg this year, with 7 starts where he's allowed no earned runs and 5 where he's surrendered 3 or more. If he can limit the duds, he's got a nice future ahead of him.

Shorebirds' pitching got battered on the week, forcing Felipe Alou Jr. to put catcher Cole Urman on the bump for the final five innings of Sunday's series finale. The position player predictably struggled, giving up 11 hits and 8 earned runs in his pitching debut. More impressively though, is that Urman only walked two and struck out two opposing batters. Something in that shelling to hang your hat on!