Orioles Executive Vice President and GM Mike Elias came to Baltimore with a plan that included rebuilding the Orioles from the bottom up. He warned Birdland it would be painful, but the final product would be worth the wait.
Since Elias arrived in 2018, he has done just that. He has built an organization that has produced the top farm system and three straight No. 1 overall prospects by MLB Pipeline.
The fruits of the rebuild are showing, and the time has come where core pieces are being put in place with others to follow. Of course, a strong farm system also leads to the ability to trade away unproven talent for major league, ready now talent.
With the trade deadline fastly approaching on August 1, the Orioles might be players in the trade field and become buyers for a postseason push. Then again, Elias has a blueprint, and he could stand pat as well and wait until next year as the players gel together.
In the meantime, we are looking into our crystal ball and have come up with five prospects (Grayson Rodriguez has graduated from that status) that we believe to be untouchable, meaning the O’s will not be trading them under any circumstances.
Here are the five names we’ve come up with, starting with the most obvious.
Jackson Holiday – INF: O’s No. 1 / MLB Pipeline No. 1
Let’s put this to bed. Jackson Holliday is not going to be traded. He has been everything and more the Orioles had hoped when they drafted him No. 1 overall in 2022.
Following in the footsteps of Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, Holliday has accelerated through the minors to Double-A Bowie at the age of 19.
Slashing .328/.464/.505 through 101 games so far in the minors, the five-star talent has excelled not only offensively but defensively between short and second. Possessing raw power, plus speed, advanced discipline and a high baseball IQ, the son of former World Series Champion and All-Star, Matt Holliday, has displayed a knowledge well above his age.
Holliday has totaled 92 walks to 83 strikeouts across his professional career thus far and will be pushing to reach Triple-A Norfolk before he even turns 20 years of age. He participated in the 2023 MLB Futures Game amongst various other accolades received this year.
Colton Cowser – OF: O’s No. 2 / MLB Pipeline No. 14
Colton Cowser would be the Orioles’ top prospect if not for Jackson Holliday. Drafted in 2021 out of Sam Houston State, the former No. 5 overall pick exploded through the Orioles system, earning a promotion to the big league club.
Cowser possesses speed, keen awareness and a strong baseball IQ that has allowed him to excel and remain one of the most exciting prospects in the Orioles’ system.
Across 226 minor league games, Cowser slashed .301/.431/.489, hitting 31 home runs and driving in 140. He tallied 254 total hits and scored 198 runs, and his speed allowed him to steal 32 bases. His plate awareness helped him total 167 walks while averaging 4.1 pitches per at-bat.
Cowser has the ability to play center field but slots in better as a corner outfielder. With his ability to cover a lot of ground and his above average arm, he has played all three outfield positions at a high level.
Since making his big league debut, Cowser has a .448 OPS across 11 games with four RBIs and 10 runs scored. He has been in the middle of rallies in each game, recently providing the game winning RBIs against Tampa Bay and Philadelphia.
Coby Mayo – INF: O’s No. 7 / MLB Pipeline No. 77
Coby Mayo was drafted in 2020 in the fourth round out of Stoneman Douglas High School. Since then, he has exploded onto the scene.
Originally considered a power hitter, Mayo recently completed a 33-game on-base streak, showing his eye and contact skills. He would parlay that into back-to-back International Player of the Week honors, recently being named International Player of the Month.
Mayo hit .308 in Double-A Bowie this season, smashing 18 home runs and collecting an OBP of .428 and a career-high slugging percentage (.655). The big right-hander has a perfect arm for third base, but his fielding might force a permanent move to first base.
Mayo recently was promoted to Triple-A Norfolk. In 11 games, he is slashing .256/.296/.513 with four doubles, two home runs and 15 RBIs. Mayo is continuing his dominance through the levels and will be pushing to turn the heads of upper management.
Heston Kjerstad – OF/1B: O’s No. 4 / MLB Pipeline No. 38
Drafted No. 2 overall out of Arkansas, many pundits and scouts felt the Orioles were reaching when they drafted Heston Kjerstad. Considered the best pure hitter in the draft, Kjerstad would lose 2020 due to COVID and then developed myocarditis that would delay his playing career by two years.
Where most teams would cut bait and run, the Orioles’ brass saw the potential and possibilities that Kjerstad displayed. Struggling at first when he returned to organized ball, Kjerstad worked relentlessly to return to the form that made him one of Baltimore’s top prospects.
Since the start of 2023, Kjerstad has become even better than expected. At age 24, the lefty slugger has torn through Double-A Bowie and now Triple-A Norfolk as he pushes to get his big league call.
Kjerstad is currently slashing .338/.416/.564 through 35 games at the Triple-A level. He has hit five home runs (16 total) and picked up 17 RBIs, 28 runs and 12 walks.
Kjerstad earned MVP honors in the Arizona Fall League and has turned his season into an invitation to the 2023 MLB Futures Game, joining fellow prospect Jackson Holliday.
Cade Povich – LHP: O’s No. 11 / MLB Pipeline N/A
Another pitcher acquired from the Minnesota Twins, Cade Povich might be a steal in the making.
Acquired in the deal that brought Yennier Canó to Baltimore and sent Jorge López to Minnesota, Povich was immediately sent to High-A Aberdeen where he went 2-0 across two games with 15 strikeouts, four hits and zero runs allowed.
He quickly was promoted to Double-A Bowie, where he struggled some. In six games, he posted a 6.94 ERA, though he struck out 26 in 23.1 innings.
Povich has been pitching in Bowie this season, where he has posted a 6-7 record in 17 starts. Though his ERA stood at 4.87, Povich has pitched five or more innings in each start and allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his starts in the month of July.
Povich has a one-hit, 13 strikeout gem in June and has posted three games of 10 or more strikeouts on the season. They crafty left-hander has totaled 81.1 innings with 118 strikeouts this season, as he possesses a sweeping slider and low to mid 90’s fastball. His changeup and curve come in above average, and he also has a cutter he is improving on as well.
With his clean mechanics and low walk rate, Povich will continue to improve on his pitches the more he faces live batters. At only 23 years of age, Povich is easily becoming the strongest left-handed pitcher in the organization, earning a promotion to Triple-A Norfolk just last night.
While any general manager says they will listen to any offer, there are certain prospects you know can not be considered. As the trade season is getting hot, it will be interesting to see what deals unfold, what prospects will be traded and if this list holds true.
What do you think of our list? Which O’s prospects are untouchable in your book? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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