Josh Michael: Some bold prospect predictions for 2019

Josh Michael: Some bold prospect predictions for 2019
This week marks the final week for guest bloggers on MASNsports.com and I could not think of a better way to wrap up the year than to look forward to next year. Today I present my bold Orioles prospect predictions for the 2019 season. Remember, these are bold predictions, so some of them may seem far-fetched, but if they all come true next year, please don't call me asking what your future holds or for the winning lottery numbers (I'd keep that info anyway). Breakout Offensive Prospect - SS...
    

Josh Michael: Three Orioles prospects whose stock fell this season

Josh Michael: Three Orioles prospects whose stock fell this season
Last week, I highlighted three Orioles prospects that saw their stock rise the most in 2018. This week, I will flip the script and highlight three prospects that saw their stock drop the most. As I did last week, I want to remind you that this is not a list of three prospects that had the worst seasons or the three worst prospects in the system. It's three guys who performed well below expectations and saw their stock drop. I will begin with a guy that was on the Orioles' top-five prospects...
    

Josh Michael: Three O's prospects whose stock rose the most in 2018

Josh Michael: Three O's prospects whose stock rose the most in 2018
The 2018 season for the Orioles is mercifully getting close to being over, and with the rebuild in process, there is not much hope in Birdland for a drastically improved 2019. With that being said, the rebuild puts added focus on the prospects, and today I am going to highlight three O's prospects that saw their stock rise the most in 2018. Before I present the players, I want to make something clear: This isn't a list of three prospects who had the best seasons, or the three best prospects...
    

Josh Michael: Checking in on the Gulf Coast League Orioles

Josh Michael: Checking in on the Gulf Coast League Orioles
There may be a little over a month left in the 2018 season for the big leaguers, but minor league affiliates are nearing the end of the campaign, and for some, the season has already concluded. The Orioles' Rookie-level affiliate, the Gulf Coast League Orioles, wrapped up their season Saturday and despite their record, there were some standouts worth mentioning. The GCL Orioles did not do so well this season record-wise, as they finished the year 13-42, the worst record in the GCL. They...
    

Josh Michael: Don't sleep on Brenan Hanifee's success

Josh Michael: Don't sleep on Brenan Hanifee's success
I have written about a lot of different prospects here this season, with pitching prospects being more frequent. Today, I want to talk about another pitching prospect that has not gotten a whole lot of attention this season due to several factors, but right-hander Brenan Hanifee is very impressive and deserves some recognition. Hanifee, 20, was the Orioles' fourth-round pick in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater, Va. At 6-foot-5, 180 lbs., Hanifee...
    

Josh Michael: 2017 first-rounder DL Hall terrific this season

Josh Michael: 2017 first-rounder DL Hall terrific this season
The Orioles are in the midst of a rebuild and gained an influx of prospects that drastically overhauled their top 30 prospects list per MLBPipeline.com. Despite the newcomers, left-handed pitcher DL Hall could still be the cream of the crop and his 2018 performance is proving it. Hall, 19, was the Orioles' first-round selection in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Valdosta High School (GA). Many felt it was a bit of a steal to fall to No. 21 in that draft, and after they signed him to a...
    

Josh Michael: Early returns on Grayson Rodriguez have been favorable

Josh Michael: Early returns on Grayson Rodriguez have been favorable
I will be the first to admit, my time as an Orioles fan has made me pretty pessimistic when it comes to first-round picks being high school pitchers. Do not get me wrong, I like this year's first-round selection of right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, and thus far he has been incredibly impressive. Rodriguez, 18, was the O's first round-pick (11th overall) this year out of Central Heights High School in Nacogdoches, Texas. It came as a bit of a surprise on draft night, and not because Rodriguez...
    

Josh Michael: Ryan McKenna is hitting his stride at Double-A Bowie

Josh Michael: Ryan McKenna is hitting his stride at Double-A Bowie
No Orioles minor league player has risen more this season in terms of general O's fans knowing about him than outfielder Ryan McKenna. His performance this year has skyrocketed him into the limelight and he is hitting his stride at the plate with the Double-A Bowie Baysox in July. McKenna, 21, was drafted by the Orioles in the fourth round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in New Hampshire. The 5-foot-11, 185-lb. right-handed hitting outfielder had three...
    

Josh Michael: Why not spend July 4 watching Baysox or Shorebirds?

Josh Michael: Why not spend July 4 watching Baysox or Shorebirds?
A very happy Independence Day to everyone out there as we celebrate this great country that we live in! If you do not already have plans for this evening and want to see some fantastic fireworks and great baseball, there are two Orioles minor league affiliates that have you covered. While the Triple-A Norfolk Tides, high Single-A Frederick Keys and short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds are on the road, the Double-A Bowie Baysox and low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds are at home this...
    

Josh Michael: Kirvin Moesquit has become stolen base machine for Shorebirds

Josh Michael: Kirvin Moesquit has become stolen base machine for Shorebirds
I am a bit of an old-school baseball fan. I appreciate the small aspects of the game like hitting behind the runner, the hit-and-run, the sacrifice bunt and the stolen base. Many of the small things seem to have left the game, and while I understand the numbers behind it, part of me still misses them. When it comes to the Orioles, the stolen base has been as missing in action as their offense as a whole has been this year, but down at Single-A Delmarva, second baseman Kirvin Moesquit is...
    

Josh Michael: Keegan Akin trending up, possibly O's best pitching prospect

Josh Michael: Keegan Akin trending up, possibly O's best pitching prospect
There's no sugarcoating it, there's not a lot to be excited about for Orioles fans at the moment. There are, however, several prospects that have seen their stock rise in 2018, and among the top of the class is left-handed pitcher Keegan Akin. Akin, 23, was selected by the Orioles in the second round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Western Michigan. Along with right-handed pitchers Cody Sedlock and Matthias Dietz, the O's used their top three choices in that draft on pitchers, and...
    

Josh Michael: Checking out the O's Dominican Summer League team

Josh Michael: Checking out the O's Dominican Summer League team
Quick, which Orioles minor league affiliate do you know the least about? Odds are, about half of you said the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Orioles and the other half probably said either the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Orioles or the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds because you've never heard about the Dominican Summer League Orioles. The DSL Orioles got their season underway on June 2, and today I thought I would update you on some early standouts thus far. In the Dominican...
    

Josh Michael: Three Shorebirds selected to South Atlantic League All-Star Game, one snubbed

Josh Michael: Three Shorebirds selected to South Atlantic League All-Star Game, one snubbed
While the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is more than a month away, the minor league All-Star Games will be here before you know it. The low Single-A South Atlantic League is where the Delmarva Shorebirds play, and on Tuesday, three Shorebirds were named to the All-Star Game: outfielder Zach Jarrett, first baseman Seamus Curran and third baseman Trevor Craport. This year's South Atlantic League All-Star Game will be the 59th edition and will be held at First National Bank Field in...
    

Josh Michael: Recent promotions clear way for left-hander Cameron Ming

Josh Michael: Recent promotions clear way for left-hander Cameron Ming
The low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds got off to a roaring start and thanks in large part to the performance of their starting rotation. A couple of those starters, Michael Baumann and Zac Lowther, have been promoted to high Single-A Frederick, clearing the way for left-hander Cameron Ming. Ming, 22, was selected by the Orioles in the 14th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Arizona. With the likes of guys like Brenan Hanifee, Baumann and Lowther on the...
    

Josh Michael: Mike Yastrzemski could finally be turning things around

Josh Michael: Mike Yastrzemski could finally be turning things around
There are certain names in the baseball world that, when you hear them, you immediately think of some of the greats. Orioles prospect Mike Yastrzemski has one of those names, and after his recent promotion to Triple-A, he may finally be turning things around. Yastrzemski, 27, is the grandson of baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, and has long been a fan favorite when talking about O's prospects. The ceiling was high, to the point that even O's executive vice president Dan Duquette stated...
    

Josh Michael: Shorebirds have gotten dominant work from Michael Baumann

Josh Michael: Shorebirds have gotten dominant work from Michael Baumann
Most Orioles fans are now well aware that the low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds are off to a phenomenal start to the 2018 season. One of the big reasons why has been their starting pitching and right-hander Michael Baumann has led their stout rotation. Baumann, 22, was selected by the Orioles last June in the third round of the First-Year Player Draft out of Jacksonville University. It marked the second straight year the O's used their third-round pick on a Jacksonville player after selecting...
    

Josh Michael: Rifaela, McKenna making strong early impressions

Josh Michael: Rifaela, McKenna making strong early impressions
The Orioles may not be playing as well as all fans had hoped, but there is some good baseball being played down on the farm. Two of the lesser-known outfield prospects in the organization, Ademar Rifaela and Ryan McKenna, are off to fantastic starts. Rifaela, 23, has been in the organization since 2013, when he played for the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Orioles as an 18-year old after being signed by the O's as an international free agent out of Curacao. As his body matured, so too...
    

Josh Michael: With O's on West Coast, check out affiliates' promotions

Josh Michael: With O's on West Coast, check out affiliates' promotions
This week, I wanted to shift gears, just like the weather finally seems to be, and focus on some fun things going on at some of the Orioles' minor league affiliates' ballparks this weekend. Three of the four O's full-season affiliates will be home this weekend, with the high Single-A Frederick Keys being the lone affiliate on the road. The Triple-A Norfolk Tides, Double-A Bowie Baysox and low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds will all be home and there is a lot of fun to be had at their...
    

Josh Michael: Lefty Lowther continues to improve his stock

Josh Michael: Lefty Lowther continues to improve his stock
Before the season began, I was extremely excited about the starting rotation that the low Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds were going to have due to the vast amount of talent it contained. So far, that excitement has been justified and the standout of the group has been left-hander Zac Lowther. The Shorebirds have one of the top three pitching staffs in the entire South Atlantic League and Lowther has been the ace of the staff in the early going. Lowther, who turns 22 next week, was drafted by the...
    

Josh Michael: Alex Wells succeeds by going against the grain

Josh Michael: Alex Wells succeeds by going against the grain
When it comes to pitching prospects, both before they are even drafted and after, all of the talk tends to be about how hard they throw their fastball. While I won't argue that it's nice when a guy can throw a mid-to-upper 90s fastball, I'll take a guy who gets outs, pounds the zone and makes a hitter earn his way on base. Orioles prospect Alex Wells, a left-hander, falls into that latter category, and I'm glad he's in the O's system. Wells, 21, is one of the rare International free agent...