Welcome to another edition of the Orioles Beat newsletter. The O’s continue their homestand with a three-game series vs. the Guardians beginning Tuesday night. Meanwhile, there have been plenty of hot starts by prospects down on the farm. BALTIMORE -- During his first Spring Training as a professional baseball player, Vance Honeycutt tried to keep a simple approach. The Orioles’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, soaked in his surroundings -- especially when he was brought over to big league camp to serve as an extra player for Grapefruit League games -- and aimed for all-around improvement. “Trying to just stay really focused in the game,” the 21-year-old Honeycutt said in March. “I’m just really trying to be selective and just have fun, work hard and just try to get better.” Honeycutt, a first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, has kept the fun going since beginning the ‘25 season with a return to High-A Aberdeen. On Sunday, Honeycutt collected his first professional home run, swatting a sixth-inning solo shot in Aberdeen’s 11-7 win at Jersey Shore. He went 2-for-3 and reached base four times, improving his slash line to .310/.487/.517 through nine games. It has been a much better showing than Honeycutt’s first stint at High-A last year, when he went 2-for-20 (.100) over 20 plate appearances for the IronBirds. |
Aberdeen’s latest victory also featured a grand slam by Ethan Anderson (Baltimore’s No. 18 prospect), a second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. It was the first High-A home run for the 21-year-old, who is slashing .375/.474/.563 through eight games. Honeycutt, Anderson and infielder Griff O’Ferrall -- the O’s No. 7 prospect who was the No. 32 overall pick in the 2024 Draft -- are likely to get extended runs at High-A Aberdeen after short stints at the level late last season. They could all be candidates to be promoted to Double-A Chesapeake later this summer. Here’s a roundup of other top prospects off to strong starts in 2025. Triple-A Norfolk Coby Mayo (O’s No. 2, MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 overall) had a huge weekend, reaching base in all eight of his plate appearances across Saturday and Sunday. The 23-year-old corner infielder went deep both days, his second and third home runs of the season. After a bit of a slow start, Mayo is hitting .360 (9-for-25) over his past seven games. Jud Fabian (O’s No. 24) has slugged five home runs over his first 14 games. The 24-year-old outfielder has an .827 OPS despite hitting only .216. |
Double-A Chesapeake Patrick Reilly (O’s No. 10) has a 2.08 ERA in 8 2/3 innings over his first two starts. The 23-year-old right-hander has allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings in each of those outings. Alex Pham (O’s No. 29) recorded nine strikeouts while tossing 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball vs. Erie last Thursday. The 25-year-old right-hander has a 2.89 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings over two starts. High-A Aberdeen Aron Estrada (O’s No. 16) is hitting .353 (12-for-34) with one double, one triple and one RBI through nine games. The 20-year-old infielder played 26 games at High-A last year and could be an early candidate for a promotion to Double-A. Michael Forret (O’s No. 8) and Braxton Bragg (2023 eighth-round Draft pick) each has a 0.00 ERA after two starts. Forret has racked up 10 strikeouts over 9 2/3 innings, while Bragg has 11 in 9 1/3 frames. Single-A Delmarva Chase Allsup (2024 fourth-round Draft pick) was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week after collecting 10 strikeouts and giving up only one hit over five scoreless innings against Fayetteville last Thursday. The 21-year-old right-hander has a 1.93 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings over his first two professional outings. |
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The Orioles recently announced they’ll be holding Marvel Day at Camden Yards on June 28 vs. the Rays. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. ET. The first 20,000 fans will receive a Cal Ripken Jr. Iron Man bobblehead. The collectible features the head of Ripken -- who became baseball’s Iron Man with 2,632 consecutive games played from 1982-98 -- on the body of Marvel’s Iron Man superhero, with the trademark helmet sitting by his feet. “Every once in a while, we come across a creative ‘no-brainer,' like bringing together Marvel’s Iron Man with baseball’s own Iron Man, Cal Ripken Jr.," Brian Crosby, an executive at Marvel Experiences Development, said in a statement. “Designing Cal’s own unique armor inspired by Iron Man, complete with Baltimore Orioles colors and the number 8, was a thrill for me as a fan of both of these legendary icons. Working with the Baltimore Orioles and Cal was an amazing experience, and I can’t wait for the Oriole faithful and Marvel fans to bring one home.” Ripken will be in attendance, while fans can enjoy Marvel-themed activations throughout the ballpark. Those will include trivia, various games and decorations along Eutaw Street.
Tickets for the game can be purchased at Orioles.com/Tickets.
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“I think this is such a long season, baseball’s such a hard game, that you just try and stick to your process as a team. Trust the culture in this clubhouse. Trust the guys in this clubhouse. Not overreact to wins and losses this early. Yeah, it sucks losing, and obviously, we wish we were winning more games. But I think when the tendency is to start changing, changing, changing, we might lose the identity that we’ve worked all spring to build. I think the most important part is just sticking to who we are, staying close here in this clubhouse, having each other’s back and just trusting that the product is just going to get better.” -- infielder Jordan Westburg on Orioles’ 6-9 start |
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