It was a big week on the Orioles front as promotions were handed out like candy throughout the minors.
Every level of the organization received at least one promotion this week, from the extended spring training down in Sarasota to the major league Orioles.
While the promotions are fun, it doesn’t mean the grind for the Who’s Hot and Not series is over; in fact, it will only make the series more reliable because the listed names can be given context on why they were called up or not. The numbers will be from the past week for the hitters, and for the pitchers, they need at least five innings.
So here is the next installment on Who’s Hot and Not.
Delmarva Shorebirds
Who’s Hot: Isaac De Leon, SS
.385/.500/.385, 885 Ops, Five hits, Four walks, Two Strikeouts
The Shorebirds have been hot lately, so this one was a bit hard to choose. Despite the team only hitting two home runs this week, the offense scored a decent number of runs, mainly because they got on base this week. A lot of that can be attributed to Isaac De Leon, who got on base a ton while also limiting his strikeouts. The only thing is that he didn’t hit the ball hard this week. However, if a player is getting on base nearly 50% of the time, I can live with that lack of power.
De Leon is another young international player showing off some serious potential, especially if he can keep his on-base ability up.
Who’s Not: Moises Ramirez, SS
.214/.267/.286, .654 Ops, Three hits, One Double, Four Strikeouts to Zero Walks.
Moises Ramirez has been slow to start this year and this week was more of the same. He has size and a swing that looks like he can get under the ball well, yet he doesn’t know how to use all of his tools just yet. Ramirez is struggling to adapt to full-season ball, which isn’t out of the regular. Sometimes, young prospects struggle early on and then figure it out down the line. Ramirez will probably figure it out; he just needs to adjust a little.
Aberdeen Ironbirds
Who’s Hot: Coby Mayo, 3B
.286/.318/.810, 1.128 Ops, Six hits, Two Doubles, Three Home Runs, Zero Walks to Four Strikeouts.
Mayo is on a tear despite what his average might tell you. His OBP is low, but wow, that slugging %. Mayo just beat the life out of the baseball this week. Despite not getting many hits or getting on base this week, Mayo made those hits count as five of his six hits were four extra bases. Mayo needed a great week, so it was awesome to see him tap into his power. Mayo still has his great defense and his cannon of an arm as well. He had a fun week, and he is just entertaining to watch when he goes on a tear like this.
Who’s Not: Billy Cook, OF
.105/.150/.158, .308 Ops, Two Hits, one Double, Nine Strikeouts to Zero Walks.
Cook was doing well this year, so this was disappointing, as he just wasn’t seeing the ball well this week. He had nine strikeouts and only had two hits this week. Cook couldn’t even get on base this week either so he didn’t do anything. He is still a good defender, so at least he adds some value.
Bowie Baysox
Who’s Hot: Jordan Westburg, 3B
.273/.304/.636, .940 Ops, Six Hits, Two Doubles, Two Home Runs, One walk to Six Strikeouts.
Nothing makes me happier than to see a player I had in the Who’s Not section make it into a Who’s Hot section. Westburg, like Mayo, made his hits count this week as four of his six hits were XBH. He has been hot lately, so it felt good to finally get Westburg some much-needed recognition. He’s a versatile piece that can play all over the dirt well, but with the promotion of Prieto, Wesburg might be sticking to either third or second for now. Unless he gets promoted to Norfolk, which could be coming soon. Westburg is playing his way into a summer promotion to Norfolk and could put himself into a spot on the Orioles next year.
Who’s Not: Joseph Ortiz, SS
.059/.056/.118, .174 Ops, One Hit, One Double, Zero Walks to Six Strikeouts.
Joy Ortiz is a fantastic defender at Short, yet he is going through a slump right now. Bowie is trying to balance how this infield will work with the promotion of Prieto. Ortiz’s defense will keep him in a starting spot, yet he also DH’d the first night Prieto came up. Ortiz will always give value due to how good a defender he is; he just needs to start hitting consistently. If Ortiz can do this, he can put himself with Westburg as a serious candidate to make his debut in the majors next year.Â
Norfolk Tides
Who’s Hot: Kyle Stowers: OF
.524/.600/.1.381, 1.981 Ops, Three Doubles, Five Home Runs, four Walks to Four Strikeouts.
I shouldn’t have to say anything; look at those numbers, just look at them. Stowers annihilated the competition this weekend so bad that he might be banned from walking into the Charlotte Knights stadium ever again. Stowers is unbelievable right now. He straight went Super Sayian and hasn’t powered down yet (maybe that is why his hair is always blonde). Stowers is knocking on the door to get called up, yet his fit on the team right now is weird. Stowers is a corner outfielder, which is where the Orioles are deep. Stowers might require id-season trade or an injury to get his shot on the Orioles. Stowers had an unbelievable week, and he could be getting called up sometime this year.
Who’s Not: Rylan Bannon: 3B
.217/.250/.391, .641 Ops, Five Hits, Two Doubles, Eleven Strikeouts to One Walk.
This week, the Tides were hot, so it was hard to find someone for the Who’s Not list. Bannon was the only natural choice because of how good this lineup performed this week. The guy who was just on the big club had a couple of hits, including some doubles, but wow, those eleven strikeouts. Bannon was sent down early this week and hasn’t adjusted yet, so he was the unfortunate prospect who had to make the Who’s Not section of a team on fire right now. Bannon wasn’t unwatchable, but he was the only choice this week, which stinks.
Thank you for reading, and come back next week for more.
