Orioles Prospect Report - December 2024
Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2024 8:40 am
From BP's 2025 Prospects: Philadelphia Phillies Top Prospects:
3. Moisés Chace
Pos: RHP
Born: 2003-06-09
B: Right
T: Right
H: 6′ 1″
W: 213 lbs.
History: Signed July 2019 by the Baltimore Orioles out of Venezuela. Acquired from the Orioles for Gregory Soto.
Previous Rank: NR
Major League ETA: 2026
The Report: Given organizational trends, you really wouldn’t expect a tricky, low-release, fastball-carry monster without classic projectability to be going from the Orioles to the Phillies in a deadline reliever swap between contenders; you’d expect the Phillies to be the one coughing up a pitcher like Chace to the Orioles. Nevertheless, the Phillies plucked him out of relative obscurity—he was a High-A swing pitcher in Baltimore’s system—and watched his velocity tick up and command jump in a more regular starting role. (Given this happened with Jackson Baumeister in Tampa too, the Orioles might be missing some stuff here.)
Chace has an extremely flat release point and imparts a whole bunch of carry on his mid-90s, quality-extension fastball, which led to stupendous overall and in-zone whiff rates last year. The pitch played like a straight-up invisiball, and it’s not all he has; his sweeper and change shapes have also rated as plus in the past for us, with above-average whiff rates, and there’s hints of sinkers and cutters, too. This may be the first time you’re learning Chace’s name, but if any of his late-season command sticks around, he’s in line for big outcomes.
OFP: 55 / No. 3 starter or closer
Variance: High. He was in a High-A bullpen in July. He only threw six games as a Phillie. A lot of him being third in the system is an indictment on the system writ large, but he’s genuinely got some really nifty traits.
7. Gabriel Rincones Jr.
Pos: OF
Born: 2001-03-03
B: Left
T: Right
H: 6′ 3″
W: 225 lbs.
History: Drafted in the third round of the 2022 draft, Florida Atlantic University; signed for $627,500.
Previous Rank: #16 (org)
Major League ETA: 2025
The Report: Rincones has one of the niftier geographical backgrounds of any prospect: Born in Florida, he grew up in Venezuela and then Scotland due to his father’s job and moved back to Tampa to play high school and college baseball. But he’s not on this list because of that, he’s on it because he hits the ball pretty darn hard and in the right directions—his average exit velocity for 2024 was around 92 mph. So yes, he missed half the season with a thumb injury and a .487 slugging in Reading isn’t exceptional, but Rincones has more power potential than anyone else in the organization.
The rest of his skill set is a little rougher. His bat-to-ball ability is below-average and unlikely to improve much with the swing path that gets him to his power. He hasn’t hit lefties much at all. His swing decisions are fine but not going to carry him. His outfield defense is indifferent. But he’s probably going to hit for big power against right-handed pitching in the major leagues. If you’re going to have one skill, that’s the one to pick, and he could be a pretty good platoon option for the Phillies as soon as this season.
OFP: 50 / Righty masher
Variance: Low. This is an “it is what it is” profile, in good ways and bad.
3. Moisés Chace
Pos: RHP
Born: 2003-06-09
B: Right
T: Right
H: 6′ 1″
W: 213 lbs.
History: Signed July 2019 by the Baltimore Orioles out of Venezuela. Acquired from the Orioles for Gregory Soto.
Previous Rank: NR
Major League ETA: 2026
The Report: Given organizational trends, you really wouldn’t expect a tricky, low-release, fastball-carry monster without classic projectability to be going from the Orioles to the Phillies in a deadline reliever swap between contenders; you’d expect the Phillies to be the one coughing up a pitcher like Chace to the Orioles. Nevertheless, the Phillies plucked him out of relative obscurity—he was a High-A swing pitcher in Baltimore’s system—and watched his velocity tick up and command jump in a more regular starting role. (Given this happened with Jackson Baumeister in Tampa too, the Orioles might be missing some stuff here.)
Chace has an extremely flat release point and imparts a whole bunch of carry on his mid-90s, quality-extension fastball, which led to stupendous overall and in-zone whiff rates last year. The pitch played like a straight-up invisiball, and it’s not all he has; his sweeper and change shapes have also rated as plus in the past for us, with above-average whiff rates, and there’s hints of sinkers and cutters, too. This may be the first time you’re learning Chace’s name, but if any of his late-season command sticks around, he’s in line for big outcomes.
OFP: 55 / No. 3 starter or closer
Variance: High. He was in a High-A bullpen in July. He only threw six games as a Phillie. A lot of him being third in the system is an indictment on the system writ large, but he’s genuinely got some really nifty traits.
7. Gabriel Rincones Jr.
Pos: OF
Born: 2001-03-03
B: Left
T: Right
H: 6′ 3″
W: 225 lbs.
History: Drafted in the third round of the 2022 draft, Florida Atlantic University; signed for $627,500.
Previous Rank: #16 (org)
Major League ETA: 2025
The Report: Rincones has one of the niftier geographical backgrounds of any prospect: Born in Florida, he grew up in Venezuela and then Scotland due to his father’s job and moved back to Tampa to play high school and college baseball. But he’s not on this list because of that, he’s on it because he hits the ball pretty darn hard and in the right directions—his average exit velocity for 2024 was around 92 mph. So yes, he missed half the season with a thumb injury and a .487 slugging in Reading isn’t exceptional, but Rincones has more power potential than anyone else in the organization.
The rest of his skill set is a little rougher. His bat-to-ball ability is below-average and unlikely to improve much with the swing path that gets him to his power. He hasn’t hit lefties much at all. His swing decisions are fine but not going to carry him. His outfield defense is indifferent. But he’s probably going to hit for big power against right-handed pitching in the major leagues. If you’re going to have one skill, that’s the one to pick, and he could be a pretty good platoon option for the Phillies as soon as this season.
OFP: 50 / Righty masher
Variance: Low. This is an “it is what it is” profile, in good ways and bad.