The Aberdeen IronBirds are finding the right time for their offense to take off. As the season is winding down, each series and game holds a magnitude of consequences as the season narrows.
Against the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Aberdeen IronBirds rose to the occasion to take four of the six games with an offensive outburst.
Improving to 23-24 in the second half (54-55 overall), the IronBirds have moved to within 4.5 games of the first place Brooklyn Cyclones.
Aberdeen scored four or more runs in five of the six games, scoring three runs and six runs in both the losses as well.
As the IronBirds fly high and fight for a playoff birth, let’s see who stood out this week in Aberdeen.
SAMUEL BASALLO – C
Another gem found by GM Mike Elias, Samuel Basallo, the Orioles’ No. 5/MLB.com No. 50 prospect, continues to show why the O’s selected him in the international draft two short years after making Adley Rutschman the No. 1 overall pick in the Amateur Draft.
Against the Blue Rocks, the 19-year-old Basallo put his talents on display. He would go 7-for-19 (.368 avg), collecting two doubles, a triple and a home run with five RBIs and seven runs scored over the six games.
In the IronBirds’ 7-6 loss on Thursday, August 17, Basallo would have his best game of the series. He would go 4-for-4 with a double and home run, scoring twice and driving in three runs.
For the season, across two levels, Basallo has played in 100 games and is slashing .295/.383/.499 with 109 hits. He has scored 62 runs, hit 23 doubles, five triples and 14 home runs while driving in 70. He has sneaky speed, as evident by his 10 stolen bases, and a keen eye, as he has walked 51 times for the season.
CARTER YOUNG – INF
It’s not often a player makes weekly honors in just two games, but in those two games for Aberdeen, Carter Young has already shown up big.
In his two games, the former 17th-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt went 4-for-9 (.444 avg), including a triple for the series, while scoring three times and stealing two bases.
On Sunday, August 20, in the IronBirds’ 4-3 loss, Young would show why he was promoted to Aberdeen after being drafted just last year. He would go 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base while also helping turn a double play in the field.
Young has now played in three games for Aberdeen but has collected six hits to slash .500/.500/.667. He has scored four times and has stolen two bases.
TRACE BRIGHT RHP
Bright returns to the top players this week with another strong outing. The 22-year-old once again spun another strong effort in Aberdeen’s 8-6 victory to open the series.
Across 5.1 innings, Bright (W, 2-5) would allow one run on two hits and one walk while striking out eight. He threw 80 pitches (50 strikes) as he guided the IronBirds to victory.
For the season, Bright is now 2-6 across 22 games, compiling a 4.35 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, while opponents are batting just .203 against him. The young flame thrower has struck out 127 batters in 82.2 innings, yielding just 48 walks.
The IronBirds are making the final push for the playoffs. They are off on Monday before heading to play the Hudson Valley Renegades, who are only a 0.5 game ahead of Aberdeen in the second half standings.
The series gets underway Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. EST. Will the IronBirds continue to soar towards the postseason? It all starts Tuesday as the season count down is under way.
Who stood out to you for Aberdeen this week? 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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