Orioles Prospect Report - May 2022

[Orioles]

From the May 2 BA Prospect Report...

Eury Perez, RHP Marlins

After a trio of difficult outings to begin his time with Double-A Pensacola, Perez put on a show Friday night. The 19-year-old righthander struck out 12 across five innings of work, allowing just a single hit. He threw 85 pitches in the outing, 56 for strikes, with 20 swinging strikes, including 11 that resulted in swinging third strikes.

Kyle Bradish, RHP Orioles

The Orioles No. 9 prospect made his major league debut Friday night and went six strong innings against the Red Sox. He allowed three runs, two of them earned, on five hits and a walk, striking out two. Most impressively, Bradish needed just 81 pitches to get through six and generated eight groundouts.
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From the May 2 BP Minor League Update...

Pitcher of the Weekend:

Eury Pérez, RHP, Miami Marlins (Double-A Pensacola): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 12 K, 2 HBP.

Friday night’s gem was the lengthiest and most impressive outing of the season for Pérez in 2022, and the 6-foot-8 19-year-old knows a thing or two about being both those adjectives. Pérez is one of the most fascinating pitching prospects in baseball, which doesn’t inherently imply quality, but in this case absolutely does. He fires upper-90s heat and a quintessential Marlins-style hard changeup, frustrating hitters from either side of the dish. Pérez is easily the youngest pitcher at the Double-A level, and despite some early bumps, has struck out 41.1% of hitters he’s faced through his first four outings to just 6.8% walks: a K-BB of 30-5.

[Orioles]

From the May 2 BP MMTP...

Henry Davis, C, Pittsburgh Pirates (High-A Greensboro)

This is going to be more of a consolidation blurb than anything else, as I assume that most readers of prospect coverage will be familiar with who Henry Davis is and what he does. The beast from Bedford is an elite catching prospect, worthy of the first-overall pick even if he wasn’t considered the consensus choice. It’s explosive bat speed and obvious physical strength that allow for an easy plus power projection, and the approach and barrel ability aren’t bad either. I do think that there will be some swing-and-miss here, as he takes hefty cuts to get to the power, and there is more in-zone whiffing than might have been expected for an advanced college bat at this level. He’s still exclusively behind the plate for now, where bulky frame notwithstanding he is showing good blocking ability and a great arm. Statistically speaking Davis is dominating this league, and I imagine that it is the development of his receiving and soft skills that will determine how quickly he ascends through the system. —Ben Spanier

[Orioles]

From BP's May 3 article Eight Midseason 50 Candidates on the Rise...

James Wood, OF, San Diego Padres

Wood is 6-foot-7 and has an awkward-looking swing, so there was always going to be doubt in his hit tool until he started hitting pro pitching. Well, he’s come out in his first full season and slashed .333/.491/.619 while walking 50 percent more often than he strikes out, so suffice to say we’re moving into the “he can hit pro pitching” range now. Brandon Williams filed on him for a Ten Pack two weeks ago and graded him out with a plus hit, plus power projection and expected him to move very quickly. Wood looks like one of the steals of the 2021 Draft from the 62nd pick, and along with Robert Hassell III the Padres future outfield situation looks brighter by the day.

[Orioles]

From BA's May 3 Prospect Hot Sheet...

7. Eury Perez, RHP, Marlins
Team: Double-A Pensacola (Southern)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Perez entered the season at just 18 years old, making him the youngest player at any level above Low-A. The assignment marked a lightning-quick path for a player who made his official pro debut in 2021. His first three starts flashed with promise, but his most recent turn showed what Perez could look like if he puts it all together. The righthander whiffed 12 across five one-hit innings, establishing a new career high for strikeouts in the process. His 30 strikeouts rank third in the Southern League, and his 15.88 strikeouts per nine innings rank fourth among qualified minor leaguers. His 19.7% swinging-strike rate is tied for 10th in the minors. (JN)

Helium

Luis Rodriguez, OF, Dodgers

A prized international signee out of Venezuela, Rodriguez grew into power and began overswinging badly the last two seasons to fall to the fringes of prospect consideration. After struggling badly in the complex league last year, Rodriguez has made adjustments and rediscovered the patient, contact-first approach that made him such a touted prospect in the first place. He is currently riding a 13-game on-base streak and is up to a .299 batting average with 20 walks against 24 strikeouts at Low-A Rancho Cucamonga. He had his best series last week against Visalia, going 7-for-15 (.467) with more walks (nine) than strikeouts (seven). (KG)

[Orioles]

From the May 4 BP Minor League Update...

Henry Davis, C, Pittsburgh Pirates (High-A Greensboro): 3-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB.

Davis is living up to his billing as the top collegiate bat from last year’s draft, putting up a 1.071 OPS since being selected first overall. He’s also getting the lion’s share of time behind the dish on a Greensboro squad that is flush with catching prospects including Endy Rodriguez and Abrahan Gutierrez. They’re likely to get their shot soon, as the Pirates are sure to want to challenge Davis with a mid-season promotion to Double-A.

Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles (Double-A Bowie): 3-4, R, HR, 4 RBI.

Henderson struggled after being promoted in 2021, racking up strikeouts against older, more advanced pitchers who took advantage of his long swing and aggressive approach. He looks to have it figured out in his second run at Bowie, walking more than he strikes out while maintaining the pop in the bat.

[Orioles]

From Geoff Pontes' BA article "Pontes of View: May 5"...

Sem Robberse, RHP
High-A Vancouver (Blue Jays)

Signed out of the Netherlands during the 2019 international period, Robberse has produced above-average results across his three minor league stops. He returned to High-A Vancouver this spring after seeing a seven-game stretch with the Canadians last year.

Entering his start on April 26, Robberse had made two starts, allowing five earned runs over 10 innings. From the very start of this game, Robberse went right after the Hillsboro lineup, drawing weak groundball contact on the first three batters he faced, followed by a second inning where he induced three fly balls. In the third inning, Robberse retired the side in order once again on three ground balls. He needed just 28 pitches to retire nine of the first 10 batters he faced.

In the fourth inning, Robberse allowed one of two hits on the day, but he retired the other three batters via strikeouts. The righthander cruised through the fifth through seventh innings, allowing two batters to reach, one via a double down the line and another due to a fielding error by Robberse.

Overall, Robberse showed very well on the day, with a combination of location, a deep pitch mix and the ability to generate weak groundball contact. It was an impressive showing for the 20-year old Dutchman. He mixed five different pitches in a low-90s four-seam fastball, a mid-80s cement-mixer slider, a sweepy high-70s curveball, a mid-80s changeup and a high-80s cutter. His ability to work efficiently and use the depth of his repertoire to generate outs in a variety of ways stood out.

[Orioles]

From BA's May 5 NL East Prospect Notebook for May...

Vaughn Grissom, SS (Braves)

Braves' Vaughn Grissom Firmly On Prospect Radar Following 2021 Breakout

Shortstop Vaughn Grissom put himself on the prospect radar last summer, turning a promising stint at the alternate training site in 2020 into a productive campaign at Low-A Augusta.

Grissom, who turned 21 in January, hit .319/.418/.464 with 17 doubles and seven homers across 87 games at Augusta and High-A Rome. He played just 12 games at Rome but hit .378 to finish the season. Buzz has built for Grissom since he was drafted in the 11th round in 2019 out of Hagerty High in Oviedo, Fla. He played 44 games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2019 before his development was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

That didn’t stop Grissom from impressing. He was among the more frequently mentioned names at Atlanta's alternate site. He looked worthy of the hype during his first full minor league season last year. He was even briefly in major league camp this spring. “Performance-wise, he kind of put himself on the map last year,” Braves assistant general manager of player development Ben Sestanovich said. “I think he’s in a great spot. He finished last year in Rome and is starting there again this year.

Sestanovich noted that Grissom has a development trajectory similar to outfielder Michael Harris II, the system's top prospect. Both were drafted out of high school in 2019 and had their progression interrupted in 2020. “And then, you know, this is kind of their sophomore year of pro ball, even though they were drafted (three) years ago," Sestanovich said. "For all these guys, I think it’s just gaining experience in higher levels and through the system. It’s something we’re really excited to watch.”

Grissom has impressed offensively by making consistent contact and showing plate discipline. The Braves are focused on two areas of his development: power and fielding. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Grissom had 12 career home runs through 151 games, including two this year in 20 games. Attention to his offensive production will become more acute if he slides over to third base, which is a possible outcome.

—Gabe Burns

[Orioles]

IBC Orioles prospects included in BA's May update to their Top 100 Prospects list...

2. Julio Rodriguez, OF (Mariners)
8. Shane Baz, RHP (Rays)
21. Daniel Espino, RHP (Guardians)
37. Bobby Miller, RHP (Dodgers)
41. Henry Davis, C (Pirates)
43. Eury Pérez, RHP (Marlins)
54. DL Hall, LHP (Orioles)
55. Luis Campusano, C (Padres)
59. Gunnar Henderson, SS (Orioles)

[Orioles]

From May 5 MLB Pipeline "Davis slugs homer amid career-best 4-RBI night"...

Henry Davis, C (Pirates)

Have a night, Henry Davis.

Davis, MLB Pipeline’s No. 23 overall prospect, did it all for Greensboro during its 13-6 win over Asheville on Thursday. The No. 1 pick in the 2021 Draft had himself a three-hit game, including a home run, and recorded a career-high four RBIs for Pittsburgh’s High-A affiliate.

His homer came in his first at-bat of the night, marking his fifth of the year and third in his past five games. He went on to add two RBI singles in the third and fourth innings, and capped off his night with an RBI on a fielder’s choice in the eighth. Davis is having himself an incredible start to 2022, as he is hitting .350 with a 1.048 OPS through 21 games.
Davis is currently riding a five-game hitting streak, as well, batting .391 with 12 RBIs and four extra-base hits in that span. He’s only failed to reach base in one game this season, way back on April 14.

The four RBIs on the night give Davis 22 in his 21 games this year. He finished his night tied atop the South Atlantic League leaderboard for RBIs, alongside teammate Matt Gorski and two others. Davis also sits fourth in the league in batting average and second in OPS.

- Nick Aguilera

[Orioles]

From May 5 MLB.com "Hendrick pushes homer streak to three games"...

Austin Hendrick, OF (Reds)

Hendrick homers in third consecutive game (May 5)

Austin Hendrick showed off his power once again for Single-A Daytona.

Cincinnati's No. 11 prospect has gone yard in three straight games. Over that time, he's doubled his home run total for the year to six.

The right fielder was 2-for-4 with four RBIs in the Tortugas' 10-0 shutout of Jupiter.

Hendrick picked up his first hit in the third inning with a single to center field. His night was highlighted by a sixth-inning three-run jack to right-center that put the Tortugas up 9-0.

After being drafted with the 12th overall pick in 2020, he was unable to make his debut because of COVID-19. The 20-year-old center fielder's first professional season was riddled with injuries (groin strain and wrist sprain), but he's starting to find some rhythm this year. Hendrick is hitting .266 with five multi-hit games over his first 22 contests. -- Ethan Sands

[Orioles]

From the May 9 BA Prospect Report...

Gunnar Henderson, 3B, Orioles

Henderson went 3-for-5 with a walk on Sunday, and he got to show off his exceptional baserunning skills. Henderson went 3-for-3 on stolen bases, giving him 10 in 10 tries this year.
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From the May 9 BP MMTP...

Sem Robberse, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (High-A Vancouver)

Hailing from the city of Zeist in The Netherlands, Robberse shares a hometown with the preeminent Dutch-born pitcher in MLB history: Bert Blyleven. However, whereas the Frying Dutchman was raised in California from age-five onward, Robberse came up as a modern international prospect, signing with Toronto for a $125,000 bonus in the 2019 J2 class after impressing on the Dutch National Team and in Honkbal Hoofdklasse, the top professional league in The Netherlands. He’s a slender 20-year-old listed at 6’1, who has 21 strikeouts to just three walks in 22 innings across four starts with Vancouver thus far.

Depending on your taste, Robberse’s motion could be described as a few things. For my palate, it’s a fluid, repeatable delivery that sees Robberse come into the zone frequently with a nearly 12 o’clock release point. This helps his low-90s fastball generate some deception, though he tends to miss barrels more than bats. By pounding the strike zone, Robberse puts himself in quality position to work in his breaking balls. The righty throws a pair of distinct breakers, a tighter slider with equal parts sweep and bite, and a hard curve that has a more 11-5 angle. I was far more impressed by the latter, as the slider appeared easier to track for hitters from the hand. Against both lefties and righties Robberse flashed a firm changeup that lacked much sink but did run enough to give some hope of future improvement. After going fastball heavy the first time through the order, Robberse impressed with his aggressiveness on his breaking balls, throwing them in all counts the second and third times through the order.

Robberse’s classic motion brings his arms over his head pre-pitch and flows well as he drives down the mound, but his arm action is inarguably lengthy. This was not a consistent issue, but did lead to a few non-competitive pitches when the timing came disjointed. The young righty self-corrected well, but given his velocity range he has less room for error. His frame is lean enough to envision additional bulk adding durability, but given his polish and youth, he has back of the rotation potential already. —John Trupin
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From the May 9 BP Minor League Update...

Jordan Diaz, 1B/OF, Athletics (Double-A Midland): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR.

Already on the 40-man roster, Diaz is just 21 years old and taking his first strides into Double-A. While he’s defensively limited, having been shifted off third base, his swing is well geared for contact, but has a high bar to clear for hitting enough for his position.

[Orioles]

From MLB.com Pipeline May 8 "Report: Top '21 pick Davis promoted to Double-A"...

Henry Davis, C (Pirates)

The first overall pick in last year's MLB Draft just earned a promotion, according to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Henry Davis, the Pirates' No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline and No. 23 overall, is reportedly headed to Double-A Altoona after hitting .341 with a 1.035 OPS and five home runs in 22 games at High-A Greensboro this season.

The Pirates selected Davis with the first overall pick out of the University of Louisville, where he hit .370/.483/.663 with 15 homers in 50 games in 2021. In his first taste of pro ball, he hit .308 with three homers in eight games between Rookie level and High-A before an oblique injury cut his first season short.

Standing at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Davis' ceiling is very high offensively, and the 22-year-old catcher has a very strong arm behind the plate, where he continues to improve in other aspects.

Davis will now try to keep moving quickly through the Pirates' farm system, and if he continues to hit the way he's been hitting, he could find himself at PNC Park ahead of schedule. - Manny Randhawa

[Orioles]

From MLB Pipeline's May 9 Prospect Team of the Week...

1B: Jordan Diaz, Midland RockHounds (Double-A)
Athletics No. 13
.348/.400/.913, 6 G, 8-for-23, 4 HR, 1 2B, 9 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Though he’s listed as a third baseman on his Athletics Top 30 Prospects page, Diaz hasn’t played at the hot corner yet this season. Instead, he’s making himself at home across the diamond at first, as well as in left field. The versatile Colombian slugger surged during his team’s series at Amarillo last week with hits in the first five contests of the six-game set, and he saved his best performance for last. After notching a single hit in each of Midland’s first four games at Amarillo, including homers on Wednesday and Thursday, Diaz went off on Saturday night. The 21-year-old headlined his team’s 12-11 win with a 4-for-5 showing, featuring a homer, two doubles and six RBIs, a new career high. Diaz owned a slash line of just .235/.297/.368 for the season entering the series opener and exited the week boasting marks of .264/.323/.505 through 23 games this year.

[Orioles]

From BA's May 10 Prospect Hot Sheet...

7. Gunnar Henderson, SS, Orioles
Team: Double-A Bowie (Eastern)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .529/.600/.765 (9-for-17), 5 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 2 BB, 3 SO, 4-for-4 SB

The Scoop: Good things come in three for Henderson, as he opened the week with consecutive three-hit games on Tuesday and Wednesday, then capped off the week with three stolen bases in the first leg of Sunday’s doubleheader with Harrisburg. With numerous rainouts in the Mid-Atlantic, Bowie and Henderson only played five games last week, but that certainly didn’t stop the 20-year-old shortstop from continuing to do damage. He’s hitting .309/.459/.506 as one of the youngest players in the upper minors with rate stats like chase percentage and miss percentage that back the step forward in production. (GP)

14. Jordan Diaz, 1B, Athletics
Team: Double-A Midland (Texas)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .348/.400/.913 (8-for-23), 6 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 4 HR, 9 RBIs, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: The month of May has been very good to Diaz thus far, as he’s raised his average by nearly 100 points and his slugging percentage by over 400 points. This is due in large part to the tremendous week Diaz had at the plate. Half of Diaz’s eight hits on the week cleared the fence as he drove in nine runs. Only 21 years old at Double-A, Diaz is showing good contact and chase rates while getting to his plus raw power in games. Diaz had a dozen balls in play clocked at 95-plus mph, including a home run on Wednesday he smoked 104 mph. (GP)

Helium

Gabriel Martinez, OF, Blue Jays
Team: Low-A Dunedin (Florida State)
Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .450/.476/.900 (9-for-20), 8 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBIs, 1 BB, 2 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Martinez started the week off with four consecutive multi-hit games before connecting for his second home run of the week on Friday. Despite so-so results over the first month of the season Martinez was a player that impressed opposing scouts, who lauded his bat speed, ability to make contact, and projectable power. All of those skills were on display last week as he reached base 10 times, connecting for four extra-base hits and crossing the plate eight times. On Saturday he reached base twice against highly touted righthander Andrew Painter, collecting a hit in the first inning before working a seven-pitch walk in the third. (GP)
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From BA's May 13 article 42 Players Making Significant Jumps Up Top 30 Prospects Lists...

Hayden Juenger, RHP (Moves onto the list at No. 10)

Scouts have been overwhelmingly positive in their praise of Juenger and his place inside the Blue Jays Top 10 Prospects. Juenger spent his draft spring coming out of the Missouri State bullpen, and followed that in his professional debut by making 11 relief appearances for High-A Vancouver. Aggressively assigned to Double-A New Hampshire out of spring training, Toronto has been using Juenger as a three-inning opener and he’s continued to show the same elite stuff in longer intervals. He pairs a mid-90s fastball with good shape that plays when elevated with a mid-80s slider and a changeup that looks plus.
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From BA's May 16 Minor League Offensive Data Standouts For April...

James Wood, OF Padres

Low-A Lake Elsinore (California)

Key Metrics: .467 wOBA, 91 mph average exit velocity, 18% swing-and-miss rate, .260 isolated slugging percentage

Few players have looked as good in 2022 as Wood, a second-round pick by the Padres last year. He’s been dominant when he’s played, but he’s dealt with a pair of injuries and is currently on the injured list with a wrist injury. His combination of plus-plus power, plus contact rate and plus-plus walk rate puts Wood’s early production on another level. A full, healthy season from him could be a site to behold based on the underlying data.
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From BP's May 16th Minor League Update...

Vaughn Grissom, INF, Braves (High-A Rome): 3-4, 3B, HR, BB.

Things have gone good and greater for Grissom so far as a pro. The 2019 11th rounder has hit well over .300 for his big league career and managed all three defensively important infield spots. He has the size to add more power, but it’s hard to complain about his balanced offensive approach thus far without many strikeouts or struggles.
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From BP's May 16 MMTP...

Grant McCray, CF, San Francisco Giants (Single-A San Jose)

An under-slot signing in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Grant McCray is quickly making a case that he’s the best prospect from the Giants’ 2019 class. McCray made his full-season debut late last year for San Jose, holding his own despite an alarming 34.1% strikeout-rate. However, he has fully locked in against Single-A pitching this season.

McCray has teed off over the past couple of weeks against Stockton and Lake Elsinore. He wrapped up this week’s series against Lake Elsinore with an ugly 0-5 performance on Sunday with four strikeouts. Yet, despite that, he still hit .391/.533/.826 over the course of the week and has a .429/.515/.821 slash line in May.

McCray is a good athlete with a loose left-handed swing well geared to spray line drives to all fields. He lacks a clear standout skill, but has a chance to be above-average across the board. Those are the types of players who tend to produce above their tools. He is already selective and showing a knack for working walks and deep counts. Roughly the average age for a Single-A player at 21, McCray could soon be headed to High-A Eugene. —Marc Delucchi
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From MLB.com Pipeline's May 16 article The latest on Marlins top prospects...

Eury Pérez, RHP, Miami Marlins

Pérez collects nine strikeouts across 5 1/3 innings (May 13)

No. 4 prospect Eury Pérez was locked in a pitchers’ duel with top Angels prospect Sam Bachman in Double-A Pensacola’s 4-2 win, and he more than held his own, fanning nine batters across 5 1/3 innings of two-hit, two-run ball.

The 19-year-old retired the first 10 batters he faced before two straight batters reached on a fielding error and a single to put two on with one out. He escaped the jam and struck out the side in the fifth before being charged with two earned runs after a walk, a double and a single in the sixth. Pérez fired 54 of his 74 pitches for strikes and walked just one batter. The righty has fanned a Southern League-best 45 batters in 28 innings this season and has held opposing hitters to a .200 average. -- Stephanie Sheehan

[Orioles]

From the May 13th MLB.com Pipeline article Prospects with the best fastballs...

Rays: Shane Baz, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 12)

Fastballs with an 80 grade are typically reserved for those with max velo. Baz certainly has some of that. What puts the right-hander’s fastball over the top is its perception of rise. Baz was one of only 12 pitchers in the Majors with a fastball that averaged at least 97 mph and 11.4 inches or less of vertical movement. So not only does it come in fast, it comes in higher than hitters expect, leading to a good amount of whiffs at all levels. We’ll see where Baz is at soon after he returns from the season-delaying elbow surgery to remove loose bodies he underwent earlier this spring, but there is good news in that he started live BP this week.

Guardians: Daniel Espino, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 51)

Espino had the best high school fastball in the 2019 Draft, which prompted the Guardians to draft him 24th overall. He now parks in the mid- to upper 90s and tops out at 103 mph, backs up his heat with a pair of power breaking balls and has become one of the best pitching prospects in the game. He posted a 2.45 ERA and 35/4 K/BB ratio in 18 1/3 innings in his first four Double-A starts before going on the injured list with tendinitis in his right knee.

Marlins: Eury Pérez, RHP (No. 4/MLB No. 39)

Pérez had a mid-80s fastball when the Marlins first scouted him, but he has added four inches and 45 pounds since signing for $200,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 and now deals at 93-98 mph with quality shape, induced vertical break and running action. Just 19 and already in Double-A, he has a 4.76 ERA with a 36/7 K/BB ratio in 22 2/3 innings.

Dodgers: Bobby Miller, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 55)

A first-round pick from Louisville in 2020, Miller can work at 97-98 mph for several innings at a time and hit triple digits with riding action on his four-seam fastball and also mix in a heavy mid-90s two-seamer with sink. He famously whiffed Shohei Ohtani on a 100-mph heater in an April exhibition game and has recorded a 5.51 ERA with a 20/5 K/BB ratio in 16 1/3 Double-A innings.

- Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo

[Orioles]

IBC Orioles included on MLB.com's Updated Top 100 Prospects List...

11. Daniel Espino, RHP (Guardians)
12. Shane Baz, RHP (Rays)
20. Henry Davis, C (Pirates)
33. Eury Pérez, RHP (Marlins)
37. Bobby Miller, RHP (Dodgers)
39. Luis Campusano, C (Padres)
48. Gunnar Henderson, SS (Orioles)
83. DL Hall, LHP (Orioles)