The Tides scored a lot of runs and threw a combined no-hitter, while less heralded prospects delivered quality outings for the lower affiliates.
Each Tuesday on Camden Chat, we look back on the last week of action from the Orioles minor league affiliates, with a particular focus on the performance of players from Camden Chat’s composite top Orioles prospect list.
Coming off a dreadful all-around week in which the four affiliates combined for only three wins, most of them bounced back to competence this time around.
Triple-A Norfolk Tides
- Last week: 4-2 at Louisville Bats (Reds)
- Next opponent: vs. Nashville Sounds (Brewers)
- Season record: 24-38, ninth place (18.5 GB) in International League East
With a bevy of big leaguers making rehab appearances for Norfolk, this week featured the most intimidating Tides offense of the season, which scored 30 runs in just the first three games of the series. Norfolk mashed a league-leading 18 home runs this week and OPS’d 1.024.
All of the erstwhile Orioles did what you would expect them to do against minor league pitching. Gary Sánchez had five hits, including two homers. Ramón Laureano homered and doubled before rejoining the Orioles in Sacramento; Tyler O’Neill began his rehab later in the week and collected a pair of hits. And Jordan Westburg, who went 8-for-18 with three doubles and two homers, looks more than ready to return to Baltimore for this homestand.
It wasn’t just the major leaguers who delivered at the dish. Top prospect Samuel Basallo crushed three dingers this week, as did second baseman Jeremiah Jackson. Basallo has a .960 OPS for the season. I don’t think the Orioles are close to calling him up, but his bat would play in MLB right now. Dylan Beavers (#6 prospect) returned from a brief IL stint and was no worse for the wear, smacking an incredible 12 hits in the six games, including two homers and two triples. The 2022 first round pick is up to an .897 OPS.
As for the pitchers, the Tides finished off their week by throwing a no-hitter. Nice! I suppose it comes with an asterisk since it was only a seven-inning game (as part of a doubleheader), but still. No hits is no hits. Before that game, though, it was a rough week for Norfolk’s hurlers, who gave up five or more runs four times. Chayce McDermott (#5) was particularly bad, giving up five runs and four walks in 4.1 innings. Kyle Brnovich suffered a similar four-inning, five-run outing.
Among the more successful pitchers, Cameron Weston tossed a quality start (six innings, two runs, seven strikeouts), as did Trevor Rogers (6.2 innings, two runs), although in the latter case Rogers also gave up 11 hits. I really don’t know what to make of the guy. And Roansy Contreras threw 4.2 scoreless innings, including the first three frames of that combined no-hitter.
Double-A Chesapeake Baysox
- Last week: 2-2 at Akron RubberDucks (Guardians)
- Next opponent: vs. Harrisburg Senators (Nationals)
- Season record: 26-29, fourth place (11.0 GB) in Eastern League Southwest
What would the 2025 Orioles season be without near-daily discouraging injury news? Braxton Bragg, who’s been the Birds’ most impressive pitching prospect this season, has mild forearm discomfort and will miss his next start. Ugh. Bragg was having a fantastic breakout season with a 1.24 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) across two levels. At Double-A he’d posted a 1.82 mark along with a 1.01 WHIP, .190 BAA, and 11.82 K/9. Fingers crossed that his absence will be brief, but why do I get the feeling that this “mild” injury will turn into something worse?
Meanwhile, it was an unexpectedly short series for the Baysox and RubberDucks, who had two games get rained out and will not make them up. Not a lot of hitters stood out in the four-game sample size, but one who did was infielder Frederick Bencosme, who swatted two homers. Bencosme, though, was placed on the 7-day IL on Friday with an unspecified injury. Enrique Bradfield Jr. (#3) swatted his first home run of the year but was just 2-for-16 this week. Creed Willems (#20) went 3-for-15.
In his Double-A debut, Trey Gibson picked up where he’d left off in High-A, firing six dominant innings and striking out eight. A solo homer was the only hit he allowed. The 23-year-old, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Liberty College in 2023, has a fantastic 15.1 K/9 and .199 batting average against him this season, belying his mediocre 4.63 ERA. Among other pitching prospects, Nestor German (#8, tied) threw 5.2 scoreless, one-hit innings, and Trace Bright (#18, tied) struck out seven in a quality start.
High-A Aberdeen IronBirds
- Last week: Last week: 3-3 vs. Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees)
- Next opponent: at Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies)
- Season record: 22-35, fifth place (17.0 GB) in South Atlantic League North
It’s impressive that the IronBirds managed to split this series considering they were outscored 30-13. In each of the three wins, their pitching held the Renegades to two runs or fewer. In their three losses, they gave up six or more.
A whopping 19 different pitchers made an appearance for Aberdeen this week, the best of whom was right-hander Eccel Correa, who worked a 6.1-inning scoreless start and allowed only two baserunners. Correa has a 2.76 ERA across two levels this year. Lefty Luis De Leon (#11 prospect) also pitched well: five innings, one run. And Brandon Young (#12, tied), rehabbing a shoulder injury, worked 2.2 shutout frames in his first mound appearance in a month.
An IronBirds lineup loaded with 2024 draft picks has been largely underwhelming this season, particularly in the power department, where they’ve hit just 23 homers in 57 games, fewest in the South Atlantic League. This week they went deep just once and posted a league-worst .524 OPS.
Griff O’Ferrall (#7) accounted for the lone roundtripper but was 4-for-19 and struck out eight times. Aron Estrada, who until now had been having a decent year, took an 0-for-17 in the series. Outfielder Austin Overn was the offense’s only standout this week, batting .400 with three extra-base hits. Last year’s first-round pick, Vance Honeycutt (#4), missed three games with left hip flexor tightness.
Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds
- Last week: Last week: 2-4 at Fredericksburg Nationals
- Next opponent: vs. Salem Red Sox
- Season record: 22-35, sixth place (14.0 GB) in Carolina League North
Every game in this series was decided by one or two runs, and the Shorebirds came up just short in most of them. Like Aberdeen, Delmarva has had issues with hitting this year, and this was no exception. Their .629 team OPS was second-worst in the Carolina League. Don’t blame Yasmil Bucce or Maikol Hernandez, though; the two Venezuela natives combined to reach base 15 times, with each contributing five hits and a homer. Bucce, a 20-year-old catcher, continues to scald the ball this season with an .895 OPS.
This week’s best pitching performance came from right-hander Yeiber Cartaya, who overpowered the Red Sox with eight strikeouts and only two hits allowed in a scoreless 6.1-inning bulk relief performance. Cartaya, 22, got off to a rocky start this season but has tossed 10.2 straight scoreless frames.
Florida Complex League
Is something interesting brewing in the FCL? These guys are miles away from the majors, but the FCL Orioles have compiled a .401 team OBP and .797 OPS, each the best in their 15-team league. And, with an average age of 18.6, they also have the youngest position player group in the league. In 26 games, early standouts have included outfielders Nate George (batting .383/.451/.556) and Jordan Sanchez (.254/.407/.508) and infielder Joshua Liranzo (.292/.452/.417).
**
In our last poll, Trey Gibson’s 13-strikeout game and subsequent promotion to Double-A earned him his first player of the week win. Other winners this season include Braxton Bragg (twice), Brandon Young, Vance Honeycutt, Alex Pham, Adam Retzbach, Samuel Basallo, and Yasmil Bucce.
This week’s top player is, in my opinion, a pretty easy choice. But let’s see what you think.