Baltimore Orioles: Three prospects who will make an impact in 2021
These three Baltimore Orioles prospects will have an opportunity to make a big impact in 2021.
Within about a 15-minute timespan last Wednesday evening, fans of the Baltimore Orioles saw the team’s entire middle infield removed from the roster, with Hanser Alberto being non-tendered and Jose Iglesias being traded to Los Angeles Angels.
With a bit of rebuild fatigue seeming to set in among fans and frustrations mounting over the constant dealing of any player with a moderate salary and talent, perhaps it would be a good time to take a moment and highlight some of the bright, young talents which fans of the Baltimore Orioles may see a lot of in 2021.
Last season, the Orioles saw impressive debuts from rookie outfielder Ryan Mountcastle and pitchers Keegan Akin and Dean Kremer, the first small wave of talented prospects working their way through a very fast rising minor league system.
There’s a chance top prospect Adley Rutschman makes his MLB debut late in 2021, but he likely won’t make a major impact quite yet. RHP Grayson Rodriguez, OF Heston Kjerstad, and LHP DL Hall follow Rutschman on nearly every Orioles top prospect list and while all three are fascinating prospects, they are still at least another year away from the big leagues.
But there are still a handful of top prospects who could see significant time in the major leagues in 2021. Here are three who will have an opportunity to make the most noise at Camden Yards next season, hopefully in front of a welcoming crowd.
Rylan Bannon has an open path to a starting role with the Baltimore Orioles.
Beginning with the prospect who will have the biggest opportunity in 2021, let’s look at infielder Rylan Bannon. Bannon, the 26th-ranked prospect in the Orioles system, is far from the highest-rated player looked at here, but with the absence of Iglesias and Alberto and the inconsistent play from Rio Ruiz over the last two seasons, Bannon has the chance to make an impact from Opening Day.
Acquired in the 2018 Manny Machado trade, Bannon spent the majority of the 2019 season in Double-A, slashing .245/.345/.394 with 34 extra-base hits and a 120 wRC+. He finished the year with 20 games at the Triple-A level, collecting 10 doubles and eight multi-hit games in that brief time span.
Bannon can play the hot corner fairly well, but the glove is more consistent and the arm plays better at second base. Regardless, the Orioles will have the opportunity to move him around the infield as they attempt to find a combination that works with Bannon, Ruiz, Yolmer Sanchez, Richie Martin, Pat Valaika, and other options currently on the roster.
He may stand at just 5’7” but Bannon has some pop in his bat, provides defensive versatility (has reportedly also been working out behind the plate), and has consistently recorded impressive walk rates throughout his professional career.
If he can adjust to major league pitching (strikeouts could be an issue), Bannon will provide some much-needed offense in Baltimore and fill a void while the Orioles wait for some of their bigger infield prospects like Gunnar Henderson, Coby Mayo, and Jordan Westburgh to come up through the system.
Whether as a starter or reliever, Michael Baumann is a power arm for the Baltimore Orioles.
Pitching, pitching, pitching. The Baltimore Orioles are always in search of pitching help and it finally appears that the organization has a large group of starting pitching prospects worth getting very excited about.
It’s more of a testament to the lack of major league pitching last season, but Keegan Akin did lead all Orioles pitchers in Wins Above Replacement in 2020 and outperformed expectations during his debut. Dean Kremer had an up and down first few major league starts, but showed flashes of what makes him a legitimate starting pitching prospect.
These two rookies may be joined by a few more rookies in 2021, including guys like Alexander Wells, Zac Lowther, Kevin Smith, and the highest-ranked prospect among this group, Michael Baumann.
Baumann was the most improved Orioles prospect in 2019, going 6-2 with a 2.31 ERA (2.63 FIP), 0.94 WHIP, and a .183 average against in 13 Double-A outings. He also struck out more than 24% of hitters and walked a career-low 7.8% of opponents.
The highlight of his 2019 campaign was a no-hitter against the Harrisburg Senators (Washington Nationals affiliate) where Baumann showed no signs of wearing down during his outing, continuing to throw 94-95 mph and produce swing and miss stuff into the ninth inning. Bonus note, he threw another nine-inning shutout just four starts later.
Baumann was shut down with an injury while at the team’s Alternate Site earlier in the year, but all reports have been positive, and believe he will be 100% for spring training. The missed time means he will begin the year in Triple-A, but if he pitches as well as he did last year in Double-A, he won’t be there long.
He should be given the chance to be an impact starter at the big league level, as long as his changeup or curveball can be effective pitches at the next level, but there’s also a chance Orioles fans see Baumann eventually find his way to the bullpen.
With the ability to run his fastball into the upper-90’s in shorter stints and having arguably the most effective slider in the Orioles system, Baumann could end up being a powerful two-pitch late-inning arm.
If you are a Baltimore Orioles fan and enjoyed what you saw from Akin and Kremer last season, you will quickly fall in love with Michael Baumann.
A healthy Yusniel Diaz can be a quality contributor for the Baltimore Orioles.
Last but certainly not least, let’s talk about outfield prospect Yusniel Diaz. Currently ranked 8th on MLB Pipeline’s list of top prospects for the Baltimore Orioles, Diaz was the centerpiece of the Manny Machado trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but has yet to make his major league debut due to a number of nagging injuries.
Someone who can hit for both average and power, Diaz also possesses an above-average arm that plays well in right field. There’s even enough speed and athleticism to play centerfield if needed.
In 76 games at the Double-A level in 2019, Diaz hit .262 with a 10% walk rate, 11 home runs, 19 doubles, four triples, and a 135 wRC+. Offense was hard to come by in the Eastern League last year, unless you were Yusniel Diaz.
Despite an extreme amount of prospect fatigue setting in, Diaz is an above-average defender with average to above-average tools across the board who could develop into a reliable outfield option and a regular 3-5 WAR player each season.
The issue is possible playing time in 2021. Gold Glove finalist Anthony Santander will be back from an oblique strain that shut him down early in 2020, Austin Hays will get another opportunity to prove he can stay healthy across a full season in centerfield, and Ryan Mountcastle is ticketed to return to left field where he played admirably in his first big league action at a new position.
There’s also the possible return of Trey Mancini, who is back at Camden Yards working out after missing all of 2020 due to a cancer diagnosis. But with the COVID-19 pandemic still raging and Mancini attempting to come back from colon cancer, there’s no timeline yet for when he could return to the lineup.
With the recent release of Renato Nunez and the Orioles finally showing that they aren’t afraid to keep Chris Davis on the bench, moving Mountcastle to first base to make room for Diaz if he starts the year off hot in Triple-A would work and make the Orioles lineup that much more interesting.
Next. Hanser Alberto is going to make some team happy. dark
The 2021 season may be another long year for the Baltimore Orioles, but more young talent is on the way and these three prospects are just a small peak at many prospects who could end up making an impact at the major league level next season.