The offseason is officially underway across Major League Baseball, and it’s time to crown our MiLB Players of the Year for the Orioles.
Before we name the players who shined brightest for each O’s minor league affiliate this season, here are the qualifications for each player.
First, we are basing the players from where they spent most of their time this season. For example, if a player played 120 games this season and 70 of them were in Double-A Bowie, 30 were in High-A Aberdeen and 30 in Triple-A Norfolk, we would take their Bowie season as their “minor league” season as a whole.
Secondly, we tried to select both hitters and pitchers in the conversation, so while a player might have had a better season, the positioning matters.
With all that said, here are The Baltimore Battery’s Orioles MiLB Players of the Year.
Low-A Delmarva Shorebirds: Samuel Basallo – C
Samuel Basallo is one of the best catching prospects in the minor leagues, and his 2023 season in Delmarva proved just that. In 83 games for the Shorebirds, Basallo slashed .299/.384/.503 with a .887 OPS and collected 92 hits, 19 doubles, four triples and 12 home runs with 60 RBIs and 41 walks.
Basallo’s efforts in Delmarva earned him many accolades, as he was named Carolina League Player of the Week during the week of June 25, Carolina League MVP for the season, Carolina League Top MLB Prospect, Carolina League Postseason All-Star and All-MiLB Prospect First Team.
Basallo did end his season with four games in Double-A Bowie, so expect him to start in Bowie next year and possibly make his MLB debut in 2024 at the earliest.
High-A Aberdeen IronBirds: Dylan Heid – RHP
Dylan Heid’s 2023 season with Aberdeen was beyond underrated and was his breakout year. Heid pitched in 29 games and went 4-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 39.1 innings pitched, as he gave up 29 hits, 12 earned runs, walked 18 batters and struck out 63 while holding batters to a .200 batting average with a WHIP of 1.19.
Heid’s Aberdeen season was a big upgrade from his 2022 Aberdeen season, where he had a 4.76 ERA in 5.2 innings of work. The 25-year-old righty did finish his season in Bowie and will more than likely spend most of his 2024 season with the Baysox.
Double-A Bowie Baysox: Coby Mayo – INF
Coby Mayo was the best option for Bowie and was the second best Orioles position player prospect this season. His Bowie season might be one of the best MiLB seasons you will see.
Mayo played in 78 games with Bowie and slashed .307/.424/.603 with a 1.027 OPS. He collected 88 hits, 30 doubles, two triples and 17 home runs. The O’s No. 4 prospect also tallied 44 RBIs, walked 51 times and stole four bases.
Mayo’s season with the Baysox earned him plenty of accolades, as he was not only a two-time Eastern League Player of the Week but did it in back-to-back weeks in June. He also won the Eastern League Player of the Month in June, was named the Eastern League MVP and an Eastern League Postseason All Star.
The 21-year-old infielder finished the season with the honor of making the All-MiLB Second Team. Mayo finished the season with Triple-A Norfolk and has a really good chance to make his debut sometime in 2024.
Triple-A Norfolk Tides: Chayce McDermott – RHP
The 2023 Orioles MiLB Pitcher of the Year had to make an appearance in this piece. A major part of the Trey Mancini trade, McDermott showed that his acquisition was anything but a mistake.
McDermott pitched in 10 games while starting eight of them and went 3-2 with a 2.49 ERA in 50.2 innings pitched. He gave up 27 hits, 14 earned runs, walked 24 batters and struck out 64, holding batters to a .156 average with a 1.01 WHIP.
McDermott, 25, was a three-time International League Pitcher of the Week and did it in a four-week span. The O’s top pitching prospect (No. 10 overall) is actually a part of one of my hot takes for 2024, which is that he makes the 2024 Opening Day roster as a possible fifth starter.
Overall Best Prospect: Jackson Holliday – INF
You can’t tell me that anyone else deserves to be the overall best prospect of the year for the Orioles. Holliday is the top prospect in all of baseball for a reason and was named the MiLB Hitting Prospect of the Year.
Holliday played for Delmarva, Aberdeen, Bowie and Norfolk this year, and in 125 games, he slashed .323/.422/.499 with a .941 OPS. He collected 154 total hits, 30 doubles, nine triples and 12 home runs and also tallied 75 RBIs, walked 101 times and stole 24 bases.
Holliday had a ton of accolades this season that I decided to put together a list below to make it easier to read:
- Carolina League Player of the Week (April 23)
- South Atlantic League Player of the Week (May 21)
- South Atlantic League Player of the Month (May)
- MLB All-Star Futures Game selection
- South Atlantic League Postseason All-Star
- South Atlantic League Top MLB Prospect
- All-MiLB Prospect First Team
- MiLB Hitting Prospect of the Year
Friendly reminder, Holliday is 19 years old. There is a chance that he debuts sometime during the 2024 season and even a crazier chance that he makes the Opening Day roster next season.
Holliday is the real deal, and if you all remember how hyped Birdland was for Adley and Gunnar’s debuts, watch out for how hype we should and will be for Holliday.
I’ll be completely honest. This MiLB season is one to remember if you’re an Orioles fan. From watching the growth of these prospects to watching the Norfolk Tides on National TV win the Triple-A Championship, this season brought fans numerous memories that we won’t forget.
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