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Down O’n The Farm: Bundy Hiccups, Walker, Alvarez Earn Promotions

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With the Orioles (and several minor league affiliates) on their All-Star break, I think it is a good time to check in on how some of the top prospects are doing. This is based off the top 10 prospect rankings according to Baseball America that was released in the offseason and then a couple of notables.

 

1. Dylan Bundy

Bundy has struggled in his first two starts with the Frederick Keys after a stint with the Aberdeen IronBirds. Bundy has an ERA over 7.00 and has given up six earned runs in 7 2/3 innings pitched. Bundy has struggled with his command as he has walked four hitters along with hitting a batter. It was unrealistic to think Bundy would dominate this quickly after Tommy John Surgery. I still think a September call-up is in Bundy’s future, but the top prospect staying healthy and continuing to regain his old form is more important than rushing to help the big league team.

 

2. Kevin Gausman

It appears the Orioles have (hopefully) ended the constant shuttle between minor leagues and big leagues with Gausman. The organization has said it was because they wanted to limit Gausman’s innings so he can pitch for the entire season and help the team down the stretch. I have no reason to doubt that, so it will be a huge boost to have Gausman finally settling in and pitching on a consistent schedule. The right-hander has pitched to a 3.29 ERA in his seven starts with the O’s.

 

3. Eduardo Rodriguez

The inconsistent season continues for the talented lefty pitcher. After struggling all spring, dealing with an injury and ineffectiveness, Rodriguez finally looked like he was turning his season around. In three of Rodriguez’s last five starts, the 21-year-old has managed to pitch at least six innings and allow two runs or less in all those starts including a seven-strikeout performance. However, in the other two starts, the lefty couldn’t complete four innings, and struggled with his command. It is good to see Rodriguez pitching more to his capabilities even if he has had a couple of recent slip ups. Overall, Rodriguez is 3-6 with an ERA of 4.81.

 

4. Hunter Harvey

After giving up 11 earned runs in back-to-back starts in June, the 2013 first round draft pick has returned to his old form. Harvey has only allowed five earned runs in his last three starts including 24 strikeouts. Harvey participated in the Futures Game Sunday night and threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. The 19-year-old right-hander has a season ERA of 3.01 and is striking out 10.8 hitters every nine innings. Harvey is a stud and it is only a matter of time before he gets a promotion.

 

5. Jonathan Schoop

The Orioles have given the rookie second baseman all season to show he is capable of hitting big league pitching and at times he has, but with an average of .221, I am not sure how much longer the organization will roll with Schoop as the everyday second baseman. Schoop’s defense has been incredible which is why he could stick around. I still think Schoop will be a very solid player for his career, but with the O’s in first place and already having a near automatic out at catcher, the team could look to improve the offense at second base at the trade deadline.

 

6. Tim Berry

The left-hander has pitched very well since May 31st, which also included a very brief stint in the big leagues. Berry has given up three runs or less in seven of his last eight starts, with the only hiccup coming in a start where he allowed four earned runs. Berry has pitched to an ERA of 3.89 this season while striking out around eight hitters per nine innings. It seems Berry has continued to progress and his next stop should be Norfolk in the near future.

 

7. Henry Urrutia

Urrutia is currently with the Gulf Coast Orioles rehabbing from a sports hernia surgery. Urrutia should continue his rehab with one of the upper affiliates in the near future. This has been a lost season for the Cuban outfielder, but hopefully he can stay healthy for the remainder of the year and become an option in 2015.

 

8. Mike Wright

Wright has continued to struggle this year and will end up becoming one of the bigger disappointments in the organization when we look back at this year. With the Orioles always shuttling pitching back-and-forth, I would have predicted that Wright would have been one of the guys helping the Orioles this year. However, pitching to a 6.15 ERA at the Triple-A All-Star break is just not getting it done. Wright has pitched better in four of his last five starts which included an eight-strikeout performance, but a start allowing 11 hits and six earned runs in this recent run shows he has still not found the form that made him a top 10 organizational prospect.

 

9. Michael Ohlman

The young catcher has yet to find his groove at the plate. Ohlman has batted .249 with two home runs for the Bowie Baysox. As a 23-year-old in Double-A, Ohlman should be dominating the league more than he has. Defensively, Ohlman has allowed seven passed balls and has caught 26% of would be base stealers.

 

10. Chance Sisco

The Orioles 2nd round draft pick in 2013 has had a great season hitting the baseball. Sisco has batted .353 with an OBP of .414 and an OPS of .896. The 19-year-old catcher is probably nearing a promotion from Delmarva, but it appears he needs to work on his defense. Without watching the games – and I have not heard any comments from the organization regarding Sisco’s defense – the stats don’t look too good for him. Sisco has allowed 14 passed balls and has only thrown out 23% of would-be base stealers. To go more in-depth on that stat is 71 players have been successful against Sisco with 92 attempts overall for the season. Rough.

 

NOTABLES:

Christian Walker

It appears Walker will earn a promotion to Triple-A after the All-Star break and rightfully so. The first baseman crushed Double-A pitching through the first 2 ½ months of the season. Walker batted .301 with 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, and an OPS of .884. Walker has officially put himself on the map in terms of O’s prospects and it will be interesting to see how he does with the Tides.

 

Dariel Alvarez

A teammate of Walker with the Baysox and now a teammate of Walker with the Tides, Alvarez is on the verge of earning a promotion after the break as well and like Walker, he deserves it. Alvarez has batted .309 with 14 home runs, 68 RBIs, and seven stolen bases. The center fielder doesn’t walk a lot, but doesn’t strike out much either so it will be good to see how that translates with the better competition in Triple-A. If Alvarez is able to continue his strong season with Norfolk, the outfielder could present himself with the big league team in September and become an option in 2015.

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